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2007 sl55 at 55k. Not getting any suspension sag or leaks but pretty sure susp/accumulators all original. Getting alignment checked tomorrow but after clumsy thread search i am wondering if bad mtr and tranny mount could cause swerving wandering in big sweeping turns driving fast. Car definitely now jarring not smooth over road bumps at normal speeds. Turning issue is not noticeable during normal turns. Car never swerved and wandered before. Can old mounts cause this? Also just put on new continental “extcontact”rear tires ran Michelin before. I wanted to blame tires but i think something else going on.
Ok, there is small leak at rt front strut and that strut is rigid stiff compared to left side. There is no visible sag. Does anyone have exp with rebuildmastertech? can the valve unit contribute to a rigid strut? I appreciate any help. I want to fix this myself if i can
You might want to get a scanner and scan for codes. Sometimes, even inexpensive scanners will help narrow down the issue. I just bought one of these and it can actually do some variant coding also.
OP the car being very harsh where a bump is encountered that asks the suspension to compress will be a failing nitrogen bomb. Do not drive the car again until solved. You are one hard bump from blowing up an ABC hose if you do. Replace all the accumulators. They are a wear item.
New tires can make the car feel squirrelly for the first week or so. In my car I replaced the rear tires due to wear.... didn’t feel right. Front tires were at 6-7/32”. Fresh front tires solved it.
Last edited by JohnLane; Nov 16, 2024 at 10:42 PM.
My 2004 SL55 is also harsh over bumps from the rear end. I may need accumulators. The only issue is I have nothing to compare it to. I don't know how this car is supposed to ride since I have never driven one before. Someone said to push down on the car and it should be pretty much rock solid and not move. If it moves accumulators are probably bad. Mine moves a fair amount when I push down on the back.
Yeah, I feel a bit the fool at first I thought it was just the top that needed adjustment because it was rattling., the three corners are firm but they do move. my front right is rigid as rock. Also right front strut is seeping hydraulic oil, has been since i bought it 9 years ago. Indy suggested i not touch it since there was no sag. I hate just throwing parts at it. I really don’t understand what the “dampening and leveling?” accumulators do. But I’m thinking now to just replace front and rear accumulators and the front right strut with a remanufactured one if I can find it. I’m also a little confused how the valve units play into all this
I bought my accumulators from FCPeuro an online european car parts seller. They are great. They warranty every part they sell, for life. I had them in the trunk of the car and was wondering who to get, to install them... while driving the car 2X a week because, it's impossible to have an SL55 in the garage and not drive it. Hit a bump... blew the high pressure hose. John Lane is right, get three accumulators and pulsation damper, I think the parts cost about $700. Not really hard to replace. Also get a gallon of Pentosin CHF-11 and a new 10 micron ABC filter. The car will ride great.
@tonylinc I am reading different things about the number of accumulators on these cars. FCP Euro shows this kit for my 2004, but then I read another post that says there are 4 accumulators. Maybe different years?
I had an issue with the rear stepping out over certain bumps in the road and my accumulators had been replaced already. Found out it was a blown left rear strut. The 07+ models with ABC2 suspension do not sag when sitting and it can be quite hard to diagnose when ABC compensates for body roll and other symptoms when driving. The strut design is literally a normal strut that shares a rod with the ABC plunger. I noticed a slight bit of cupping on the inside of my tire which is how I found out my strut was blown.
There should be three accumulators amnd a pulsation damper, which looks similar to the other three, I dunno what the difference is. But four in all, I could be wrong, but I believe all R230s have these four. When you have all these replaced the car will ride wonderfully.
Yeah, I feel a bit the fool at first I thought it was just the top that needed adjustment because it was rattling., the three corners are firm but they do move. my front right is rigid as rock. Also right front strut is seeping hydraulic oil, has been since i bought it 9 years ago. Indy suggested i not touch it since there was no sag. I hate just throwing parts at it. I really don’t understand what the “dampening and leveling?” accumulators do. But I’m thinking now to just replace front and rear accumulators and the front right strut with a remanufactured one if I can find it. I’m also a little confused how the valve units play into all this
A front corner seeps? Like collects dirt or leaves a puddle under the car? We wipe the strut off every time it is in the air if a seep. If a real drip replace it but not with the poopy rebuilds so many do. We Arnott fitting that brand of remans. See what I did there. Seriously... Bilstein or OEM for struts.
Nitrogen bombs support the weight of the car and supply hydraulic oil under pressure when suspension gets longer, absorbs pressure when suspension compresses. The pump maintains system pressure.
Suspension in comfort should be pretty smooth over most surfaces.
ok before yesterday i was a newbie so bear with me. this discussion is helping me
is the pulsation dampener a wear item? should it be replaced along with the accumulators?
What is the criteria for replacing struts other than dripping oil?
If struts seem to work fine and are not leaking, I would leave them alone. When they need replacement, which may never occur, you'd know. If replacing the two accumulators I would also do the pulsation damper, as the three all wear out at about the same rate, this is why they sell a kit with all three parts. Be sure to use a new .010 micron ABC filter, the part number for that from Mercedes, is A 003 184 61 01. This is an upgrade from the original filter. I believe the kit from FCPeuro contains this filter along with all 3 parts and fluid.
Front and Rear Accumulator plus a pulsation damper. There is also a return accumulator which actually doesn't take much stress (from what I've read).
Ok so I think I am understanding now as some people must be including the pulsation dampener when saying 4 accumulators. So for 2004 R230:
For left-hand drive vehicles
Front Accumulator in front of driver-side front wheel on the valve block
Pulsation dampener behind the driver-side front wheel and also behind the little grill you remove with the two Torx screws
The rear accumulator in front of the rear driver-side tire on top of the valve block
That leaves what you call the return accumulator, which I am guessing would be the smaller one behind the driver's rear wheel on the bottom portion of the valve block.
Is this correct?
If so, the kit I linked above has the front and rear accumulators and the return accumulator but does not include the pulsation dampener.
Originally Posted by MarkF1
ok before yesterday i was a newbie so bear with me. this discussion is helping me
is the pulsation dampener a wear item? should it be replaced along with the accumulators?
What is the criteria for replacing struts other than dripping oil?
Looks like a great answer on this below
Originally Posted by tonylinc
If struts seem to work fine and are not leaking, I would leave them alone. When they need replacement, which may never occur, you'd know. If replacing the two accumulators I would also do the pulsation damper, as the three all wear out at about the same rate, this is why they sell a kit with all three parts. Be sure to use a new .010 micron ABC filter, the part number for that from Mercedes, is A 003 184 61 01. This is an upgrade from the original filter. I believe the kit from FCPeuro contains this filter along with all 3 parts and fluid.
Thanks! So, would you also recommend replacing what the other poster above called the return accumulator?
Newbie here also so really appreciate it!
Last edited by interwoven; Nov 19, 2024 at 02:21 PM.
Regarding the Return Accumulator, I'm only finding a part number for the ABC 1 cars (2203200415).
Given the valve block change for ABC 2, I'm assuming there isn't a Return Accumulator in play. Will dig further in EPC but if anyone can confirm or correct that, I would appreciate it.
Regarding the Return Accumulator, I'm only finding a part number for the ABC 1 cars (2203200415).
Given the valve block change for ABC 2, I'm assuming there isn't a Return Accumulator in play. Will dig further in EPC but if anyone can confirm or correct that, I would appreciate it.
What year is your car? I have a 2004 sl55 AMG and none of the part numbers above link up to my vehicle.
****EDIT*** Ok I see you put in ABC 2 so I must have ABC 1! Thanks.
So, an update on this. I replaced all three accumulators and the pulsation dampener, and the issue still is there of a rough ride and the back end kicking to the side over a harsh bump. This was a pretty easy job, and it helps this car spent its entire life in Southern CA, so there is not a drop of rust on it, and all bolts turn as if they just rolled off the assembly line.
So, the next thing I am going to check is the bushing on the rear lower control arm that the struts bolt to. I am going to replace those as I have read that these can cause that issue and with 120K on the car won't hurt. If that doesn't do it I'll probably replace the struts.
Great. The lifetime warranty on parts from FCPeuro, is automatic and all the parts they sell, you can't opt-in or out of the warranty. Glad to hear you got new accumulators, that's always a good thing.
So I resolved the issue with the rear end stepping sideways over harsher bumps. In the course of replacing the bushings in the lower control arms, I discovered that the passenger side was bent substantially as well as the bushings being completely shot. I replaced both control arms with new ones, and the issue is resolved!
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