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Hi all,
I’m at my wits end on the height issues with my car and am reaching out to you good folk who can hopefully give me a solution. I have a 2003 R230 SL55 AMG. I’ve changed all 4 new struts, flushed the hydraulic oil and replaced the main hydraulic line. When the car is driven the height between top of wheel and wheel arch is 2 inches in front and 3 inches in rear. After leaving it overnight the height drops by 1 inch in front & 2 inches in rear. There are no ABC warning lights on dash. Also the height doesn’t drop any further. I also note that the right side is very slightly higher by half inch on both front & rear compared to the left side. FYI my car is a RHD one. I have done the height calibration at the dealer but the issue still remains. My last resort is to try the valve block repair kit for both front & rear but before dumping more $$ I’m hoping someone can help.
Tq
Car dropping(sagging) is usually related to valve block locking valves-the small ones with the springs. Failing seals supposedly the culprit. I have done these a few times & not been successful mostly.Have made some improvement but not completely successful. So, my suggestion, if you can do the work yourself, do research on seal kits first-check out my recent thread.
If you leave the car sitting for longer, say over a week; does the car still stay the same height? Has the dealer you used given any suggestion?
ABC is an endless money pit. Ditch it and go with an aftermarket shock and spring setup if you want something reliable.
If you want something reliable buy a very low tech car. These cars are awesome when the active suspension works. You already did the expensive part, struts. Personally sagging overnight i wouldn't worry about, but sagging without an external leak is from an internal leak in the valving.
Mine "sagged" on one corner for 4-5 years (when left sitting for a day or two). Always pumped right back up on start. I would have left it like that indefinitely (as I liked the ABC performance) but a leak started making the pump run more often and before burning up the pump, I went with coilovers/sway bars. Great set-up (and maintenance/worry free) but not active like ABC.
Before trying the valve block seal repairs the dealer suggested to change both filters, do an engine flush and then perform the rodeo. Apparently, this was suggested by MB as there was a filter upgrade in 2007 as the mesh width of the filter was modified from 3um to 10um. I’ve booked the car in this Wednesday and will keep you posted. Also, MB says that a minimal drop in height when car not used for up to a week is supposedly normal. I attach a picture as given to me.
I have done the ABC Hydraulic flush before with 2 filters as well but have never done the Rodeo. So could try that before I do the Valve Block again.
I had done the front valve block at least 2-3 times with some improvement, sagging completely after a week or so rather than after a few hours or overnight. A while back on an episode of Wheeler Dealers on in fact, an SL55 AMG, they also tried the valve block over haul without success. Then explained the culprit could also be the Strut, & so replaced that; at the time the cost was £933 for the strut alone. According to them, it resolved the sagging issue. However they did perform a Rodeo after the works carried out.
I then replaced my strut but still have the same sagging issue as mentioned above.
It is rather frustrating but I’m intent of trying to get to the bottom of it. At the end of the day it is all mechanical related so we should be able to find a fix. The key is patience and not giving up. I live the ABC system as it was so advanced at the time. Also it maintains the originality and the ride/characteristics are just superb which I believe coilovers will never be able to replicate. Will keep you all posted on developments.
Just sold my '11 Porsche TurboS cab for an '03 SL55!
The problem is certainly in the Valve Blocks where the blocking valves are leaking. There's one blocking valve for each corner. So, I can see why MB might suggest a flush/filter/rodeo as a means of dislodging contaminants on the blocking valve seats. However, I'd say the odds of clearing all four valves or even 2 on the same axel are very slim.
A couple of thoughts on valve block seals and overhauls. While it is certainly possible that a seal (at a blocking valves) has extruded and failed, my experience is that they don't come close to failing........and certainly not on all 4 corners. The blocking valve seals do nothing when the ABC is powered on as these valves are then open. The only pressure those seals experience is that produced by the weight of the car when the system is off.......which is much less than the 200Bar operating pressure that works on the control valves. On "overhauled" valve blocks, no one that I've ever heard of has the ability to leak test these, all they do is replace the seals. And you can't visually inspect the minute flaws that allow slow leakage past the blocking valves. So, if you are going that route ask how they leak test these, and don't consider a so-called overhaul that isn't leak tested.
Bottom line: Just buy new valve blocks and save yourself the learning curve that I've just described. However, you may want to seriously consider a fresh fluid/filter change before you install the expensive new valve blocks as contaminants will destroy those sooner or later. And at least here in the US, you get a 2 year warranty on them. I buy via the internet for a pretty big discount off of dealer pricing. I think the last one I bought was about $1250......uggg.
Agree, my 55 only has 22.6k miles, but I'm having the dealer do an ABC flush and filter change, that's the only thing I won't mess about with on the car as I don't have the knowledge on how to maintain/repair ABC myself as the 55 is my daily.
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