Can lifting the front end hurt the Airmatic?
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From: Chicagoland
AMG
Can lifting the front end hurt the Airmatic?
Today I got a coolant light in the IC and decided to do a coolant flush, which seems like a no brainer. Me and my friend did it before when we replaced the pump, but used mostly water and some off-brand coolant with a very high concentration of water just to be on the safe side. anyways, after we got all the mix drained, we mixed MB coolant with a 50/50 blend with water, as directed on the bottle. And just to make it a bit easier for the air to leek out, we pulled the front wheels of the car onto a lift and raised the front about 5-7 inches. it seemed to help, because a lot of bubbles came up into the reservoir. then after we filled it up and bled it, we took it off the lift and gave the car some spirited driving for 10-15 minutes, and the coolant temps were much lower, and recovered quickly after wot runs.. Then the icon with the car and the up arrow in it appeared with the 'Visit Workshop!' message, which has come on 3 times now... the car is sitting level, although when we pulled back in to the shop, we heard what seemed to be the air compressor running rather loud, Which i have never heard before.. Is it possible that raising the front during the flush damaged something?
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Joined: Jun 2010
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Mercedes E55 AMG (2006), Mercedes 560 SEL (1991)
Your issue might be different but the failure of each of my front struts ('car too low' etc.) was preceded by jacking up the car to change tyres. One theory I've come across suggests the problem manifests if you already have a hairline crack on the strut assy. Jacking up such a car might then extend the cylinder sufficiently to vent it completely. And if the vehicle is lowered and the strut assembly placed back on load without first filling it with air, the assembly might sustain some internal damage.
Whatever the veracity of this, I've taken to starting my engine and filling my struts with air before lowering my car off the jack or lift...
Brgds
Whatever the veracity of this, I've taken to starting my engine and filling my struts with air before lowering my car off the jack or lift...
Brgds
Last edited by OK55; Apr 29, 2011 at 06:38 AM.
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From: Puerto Rico
2005 E55 AMG
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E55K AMG
Today I got a coolant light in the IC and decided to do a coolant flush, which seems like a no brainer. Me and my friend did it before when we replaced the pump, but used mostly water and some off-brand coolant with a very high concentration of water just to be on the safe side. anyways, after we got all the mix drained, we mixed MB coolant with a 50/50 blend with water, as directed on the bottle. And just to make it a bit easier for the air to leek out, we pulled the front wheels of the car onto a lift and raised the front about 5-7 inches. it seemed to help, because a lot of bubbles came up into the reservoir. then after we filled it up and bled it, we took it off the lift and gave the car some spirited driving for 10-15 minutes, and the coolant temps were much lower, and recovered quickly after wot runs.. Then the icon with the car and the up arrow in it appeared with the 'Visit Workshop!' message, which has come on 3 times now... the car is sitting level, although when we pulled back in to the shop, we heard what seemed to be the air compressor running rather loud, Which i have never heard before.. Is it possible that raising the front during the flush damaged something?
I recomend putting the car into the raised setting before jacking up, that way the air bags are full as much as the system will allow.
I did burst a rear once because it was empty completely of air and it folded over on itself when I let the car down which put a tear in the bag...................
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From: Alexandria, VA
07 E63 AMG, 10 C63 AMG, 07 E63 Designo, 07 E350, 09 C300, 07 C230
I've found that when jacking up the car, for whatever reason. It pays to let the car down in small increments, as it allows the access air to escape out of the bellows. After the car is lifted, the air struts and air springs are fully uncompressed, and now that your lowering it, its now compressing the air. If you were to just drop the car down, the access air rushing out of the air spings and air struts, could rupture the bellows. There by causing an error message and possible damage to the air struts or air springs. I have nothing to back up my opinion, but i look at things logically. 
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