Rippinitup

hey everyone. recently purchased a 2001 e55 amg with 109k miles. kleemann headers, downpipe. also has a x pipe and an eisenmann muffler that was "customized". sitting on blistens and eibach springs. i dont know too much about these cars, max knowledge is what ive read about.

my first question, how can i stop the drone. its ridiculous to the point where i cant enjoy the car. some people told me to put a resonator in, some said to put the stock amg muffler back on.
2nd.i would like to raise it. the car has #3 pads upfront and sit so low the tire is up in the wheel well. im assuming the spring compressed over time. i was thinking on swapping the springs for H&R springs. just dont know which size pad to go. id like some clearance from the tire to fender.
3rd. i think the valve cover seals are leaking. how important is it to get them changed.
4th. previous owner was using mobile 1 5w-40 can i/ should i go to 0w-40?
thanks for all the info in advanced much appreciated. im sure ill have more questions soon. will also post photos soon. thanks!

Tall Giraffe

Congrats on the purchase! There was some buzz about that car for sale recently here on the boards.

You are basically wanting to undo the mods you bought the car with.

Perhaps the most of the drone is coming from the Eisenmann. Although I dont have X pipe fitted yet, I have a few friends that has on their car and it does produce a nice sound with minimized drone. The muffler would help out. If it were me I would keep the X pipe and replace the muffler if you can find one cheap enough. Maybe someone here would be willing to trade you mufflers. I doubt I would go so far as to reinstall a resonator.

I believe Eibachs are similar to the W210 Euro spring's drop which should be about an inch down. You would have to check the shocks to see if you have the Bilstein sports (highly likely) which is probably where your aggressive drop is. Depending on you desired ride, you may want to consider going to Koni FSD to pair with the Eibachs to pull your pants up. Eibachs are progressive so I am not sure you would get sagging that I have read about as with H & R. Besides I believe that spring's drop is more aggressive than Eibach. The spring pads go up to 5 bump I believe so it may get you another 5 or so mm up if you decide not to toy with the shocks and springs- not much of a lift.

The valve gaskets causes a mess but the breather covers can cause havoc if it leaks oil on to the coil packs causing misfires. If you do one I would do the other, sparks, and while doing surgery, change the plumbing breather hoses and fittings. Plastic, brittle and at your mileage worth it.

Id go recommended 0W oil just to match recommended specs by Mercedes/AMG.

wasp01amg

I also have a 2001 E-55 AMG

Rippinitup

thanks for the info bro!
for the sound, i love it. its the drone that kills it. thats why i was thinking to go resonator and keep the eisenmann for the sound it produces. i will see if i can get an amg muffler to try. if itll clean the drone itll be worth it.
for the height, i believe there is blistien sports on. i was told by a shop that the h&r are a bit stiffer than the eibachs. thats why i thought to use those and a higher number pad.
can you please direct to me to park numbers, or a link showing which breather covers and hoses you recommend i change. thanks for the help!

Tall Giraffe

Well it would be cheaper to try the resonator. if you are pleased with the muffler, then I would try that first.

Yes the Eibach are softer than H&R Springs. If you enjoy the stiffness and response then try higher pads.

Shoot a pic for the visual if you have a chance of the stance.

Follow this thread for more info on current convo.

Sorry for the confusing nature, but here was my list for breathers, sealant, all screws replacement of valve covers and breathers, a bonus gasket for seal above maf, and plumbing. I had a local desktop version of Werkshop Info Sys that shows diagrams but is disabled currently. Most are one quantity except screws for the valve and breather covers.

112-094-01-80
Air Filter Housing Gasket
113-016-03-21
VALVE COVER GASKET
113-016-02-21
Engine Valve Cover Gasket
003-989-98-20-10
SEALANT MB
001-990-84-22
SCREW
000000-004436
SCREW
112-018-04-82
PCV Valve Hose
112-018-02-82
HOSE
112-018-01-82
HOSE
112-018-03-82
HOSE
117-990-15-78
CONNECTOR,CYLINDER HEAD
112-018-02-09
CONNECTOR
001-990-83-22
SCREW
17228-P8A-A01
TUBE, AIR FLOW

Rippinitup

thanks for all the info bro!

how would the exhaust sound with the AMG muffler? i dont want to lose the nice rumble of this exhaust.

ill post pics asap. im confused because the front has #3 pads and it sits so much lower than the rear. the shocks up front are B36-2156

Rippinitup

front



rear









if the front was a bit higher as the rear i wouldnt have a problem with it.

Tall Giraffe

since I have not done that mod I would not be able to say what the difference is if you put an AMG muffler in place of the aftermarket. I have read however that the AMG muffler is excellent and more tame.

It does appear that the front and is sagging a little bit but I can't be 100% certain. Also you should probably check to see if you have camber bolts in the front. How is your alignment? Tire wear?

Last year I member by the name of ddb installed Koni adjustable yellow and Vogtland Springs. He reused his number three pads all the way around I believe and he seems to have a good one inch or so clearance between the tire and the wheel well or fender.

Here

https://mbworld.org/forums/w210-amg/576082-vogtland-springs.html

Is this the ride height you are looking for?

IanB

I switched to one size bigger spring pads on the front as well, my tires were rubbing in the fenders on big bumps and that fixed it.

If you're looking to reduce drone, but want to keep the exhaust tone, add a resonator. It will be a bit quieter, but should drone less with the same rumble.

Rippinitup

thanks for the info again bro!
i am not exactly sure how to tell if there is camber bolts. my front left tire is new due to a nail that was in the prior tire. the right tire. on the inner is almost bald. so im sure it needs an alignment. maybe even a camber kit?
i was just looking at koni shocks the other day. and yes! that is the exact ride height i would like.

Rippinitup

thanks for the info! so far im leaning towards putting the AMG muffler back on.

GatorMB

I have headers, resonator and AMG muffler.

No drone, nice acceleration note and music.

Cheers

Tall Giraffe

So just as a quick look at your part number, I remember another thread which I found below that may lead you to an answer about your rake stance.

First check your part number of your rear shock if possible then look at this thread.

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210...55-shocks.html

If your rear shock number is 100564, then you may have to swap them front to back. Apparently Bilstein has the numbers reversed in their catalogue so the previous owner may have simply trusted the part numbers when installing the shocks.

This might level things out the way you desire.

There are camber bolts that are installed up front and adjustable links in back to help when lowering your car but if the problem is reversed shocks, in the proper position with the gentle drop of Eibach, you should not encounter the need for camber bolts up front and could solve your inner tire wear.

Bonus read:

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210...-w210-e55.html

TG

illest

Your car is lower than mine in the front and I am on vogtlands and #1 pads. Because of the amount of rake you have your would have to go with a #3 or #4 to even it out.

BTW shocks should not affect the height of the car.

Rippinitup

thanks for the info again bro! just seen my rear tires have a lot of inner tire wear as well. i need to get the tires swapped so i can use the car for now.
my rear shock number is b36-2157. if swapping the shocks will raise the front and level the ride will do the trick ill be thrilled.

im not sure what i am looking for when it comes to the camber bolts up front but the previous owner told me he had the "longer camber bolts" put in.

Rippinitup

the car has #3 pads all around. thats why i am trying to figure out why the front is so low.

Tall Giraffe

The long bolts should be the front camber bolts. The rear are usually fitted with adjustable links depending on the amount of drop.

I usually have more inner tire wear on my passenger rear which should be relatively normal. Inner wear in fronts are not unheard of either depending on alignment.

I agree with illest, typically shocks dont cause a difference in height but many threads suggest an unequal length in bilstein replacements OE.

Rippinitup, best thing I can suggest is getting on the horn with Bilstein to verify. Hopefully they can give you the right info on your part numbers. Report back the findings if you do.

@illest, what shocks are you running again? weren't they koni?

Rippinitup

does the rear come with adjustable camber from factory? and yes my right rear is more worn than the left.

i understand that shocks typically do not adjust ride height. but i am confused on why the front is so much lower than the rear with #3 pads all around. im guessing the shocks do need to be swapped.
could it be possible that the springs sagged so much dropping it low?
im trying to get my ride height sorted out then i will get the alignment. so even with a good alignment it is normal for the rear inners to wear?
would koni yellows work well with the eibach? if it wasent for wanting a nice firm ride i would go stock set up with #1 pads. but being i bought the car with this setup i wouldnt want to remove it.

Tall Giraffe

No. it is an aftermarket item but the Eibachs should not be such an aggressive drop to need them. There are some budget ones that work and then there are vendors on here that sell them as well. Tire wear is normal. Youll probably wont know if you need them until the levelness works out and you get the alignment.

In the thread I sent over it shows the length difference in shocks and the explanation is that the part numbers are reversed F-B, B-F. While a pretty reliable source, i would still contact Bilstein to verify for yourself since you have a slightly different number rear shock and you dont want to F things up

The springs are progressive so they should not sag. Koni sport supposedly works with any spring. To each his own, my indie likes Bilstein, Im leaning towards Koni external adjustable and Vogtland. #2 pads around as the Konis and Vogtlands seem to be pretty level. I looked at Koni FSD but those are more touring style its seemed but many have praised them with Eibach

bbirdwell

This is getting painful to read...

Front camber stock: optimum -1.0 degrees, acceptable range -1.36 to -0.64 degrees.

Rear camber stock: optimum -0.9 degrees, acceptable range -1.4 to -0.4 degrees.

FWIW, on my W210 E55, I'm running -0.9 degrees front, -1.1 degrees rear. 26,000 miles and the tires look great. The above numbers were achieved with "eccentric" bolts in the front and home-brewed adjustable camber arms in the rear. For my W211 E55, I invested in KMac bushings (a whole 'nuther adventure and posted elsewhere in the technical section.)

-Buy a camber gauge.
-Or download an app for your cell phone and cut a piece of aluminum square tubing the diameter of your wheel. Then measure your camber.
-Or place tape around an extended socket, tape it to your fender edge, and hang a plumb bob (fishing line monofilament with lead weight) alongside the wheel and use trigonometry to determine your camber. Your stock 18" wheels are 19.5" or 495mm in diameter. Measure the distance from the bottom edge of the wheel to the plumb bob line. Measure the distance from the top edge of the wheel to the plumb bob line. Calculate the difference (i.e. 31mm at top minus 14mm at bottom). Divide that number by the diameter of the wheel (495mm). Take the arc-tangent of that number. That gives you the camber. 8.6mm (~3.8") is -1.0 degree camber. 17.2mm (~6/8" or 3/4") is -2.0 degrees camber. I'd bet beer that your car is running at least -2.0 degrees camber and quite possibly more.

It's only math. Your car is lowered. The geometry is screwed up. The available "eccentric" bolts cannot provide enough adjustment to bring it back into spec. You can raise it back to stock height or you can install KMac bushings in the front and rear and pull the control arms in a sufficient distance (3/8" or greater) to get the camber back into the recommended range. Adjustable coil-overs would help but they will not account for the lack of adjustability in the stock Mercedes control arm pivot points. Coil-overs plus KMac bushings would be close to optimum on a Mercedes. About as good as a Mazda Miata suspension with aftermarket coil-overs.

Your circus, your monkeys. Best of luck to you on your adventure.

Rippinitup

hey i got on the phone with bliestien today, they told me that both front and rear shocks are the wrong ones. he said they are for a 96-99 e430.
he also said as its known that the shocks do not adjust ride height.
im starting to think the previous owner even installed the wrong eibach springs explaining the aggressive drop.

Rippinitup

thanks for all the info man, right now i am trying to figure out why the front of my car is sitting so low. once i sort out the ride height i will continue with adjusting the alignment.

illest

maybe the PO used springs from a e320.

Tall Giraffe

Did they tell you the proper part numbers for reference? Did the mention if they are in the right position?

A possibility is that the front springs could be cut a coil to give aggressive rake. Some people like it.

I have just about the same numbers for the alignment non lowered. After two alignments from Mercedes and inspection of rear components, I still get a little passenger inner wear despite rotation. I also get 26,000 miles, out of two sets of rear lol.

Rippinitup

all he told me was they arent the right part number.
the correct numbers from what he told me is.
FRONT=24-062046 REAR=24-062053
the coils are not cut.
just going to change it all up to avoid any problems. im thinking about going koni shocks, trying to decide on springs.