#AMG

Does anyone know how to purge all the air out of the system to make the removal easier? All the threads I've been reading are people doing the coilover conversion on a failed airmatic system with the shocks not under pressure. I just started the conversation and my system is fully functional and full of air, I have followed step by step per peoples write ups but am running into issues immediately. My front lower control arm bolt is half way out but is now stuck at an angle and I dont want to kill the threads, so I then removed the sway bar end link bolt on the lower control arm and it's at an angle and dont want to come out because it seems to be under load also. I have removed the upper ball joint bracket bolts and tried to manipulate the arm there. I've tried putting a jack under the lower control arm to try to aline the bottom of the shock up with the lower control arm again, lol. What am I missing besides removing everything or deflating the system? I dont want to puncture the bags in hope's I can help another E55 AMG owner out by having good parts on hand for their failed system. Any help would be killer, thanks gents!

bbirdwell

Sigh...there is a reason I tell E55 owners to purchase a STAR system. Five minutes to deflate or hours doing it shade tree mechanic way. Advertise to see if someone close nearby with STAR can assist. You cannot cheap out on an AMG....just the way it is. Buy STAR, hire someone with STAR, or cut the bags and take a monetary loss. You can also take a 9-volt battery, wire it up, and jumper the air spring solenoids to let the pressure out.

#AMG

No one is cheaping out. My brother has star but is working doubles due to the issues with Covid-19 and the lack of employees at his shop. Dont judge before you reply to a thread. I was looking for ANY help beyond doing damage to my system, which is fully functional. It was already in the air and would be inconvenient for my brother to drive over from two cities away. Everything I purchase is top of the line, so please do think I'm trying to ebay motors my E55. It was out of inconvenience, so I was asking the forum. I knew there was another way that I haven't came across. Your last sentence is all you needed to state,....so thanks for your help. Your awesome!

new55

i think he really only need to say was "do a search" -- it is easter so i will hold commentary

bbirdwell

#AMG, here is the meaning of my post. It was not personal, it was meant to be constructive criticism. When you have access to STAR, you should have access to WIS. Very, very important. Here's why:

To install the coilovers you must remove the rear Airmatic alloy control arms. To remove the outer bolt from the control arm you must remove the rear brake caliper. The mounting bolts are one-time use! WIS also calls out you must run a tap through the hub threads to remove any of the thread-locking compound *before* installing the new caliper bolts. Additionally, the bolts are Grade 10, not 8.8. Much higher torque value for the Grade 10 than the Grade 8.8. So, to reinstall the rear brake caliper, you need the following information:
-Rear bolts A211-423-00-71; $10 from Mercedes
-Tap, M12 x 1.5 mm. Tapered or straight will work but the tapered tap will push against the brake shield in order to clean the threads.
-Torque value for the new caliper bolts is 115 N-m or 85 ft-lbs (not the normally accepted 65 ft-lbs with a Grade 8.8 bolt)

You may or may not wish to lower your car. If you lower it, the increased camber will severely wear the inside edge of the tires. If you don't care, no problem. Your circus, your monkees. If, however, you do care, the proper inclination angle for the rear control arms is the range from -0.9* to -1.5*. This angle is measured on the drive axle and the negative means the hub is *higher* than the differential. If you put the control arm in this range, your camber will fall between -1.7* +/- 0.5*. Negative 0.9* equates to a camber angle of -1.2* and negative 1.5* equates to a camber angle of -2.2*. Also, be advised that since the stock E55 did not come with LSD, the right rear tire will wear out much sooner than the other tires and the wear pattern imitates that caused by too much toe out. Not the case; it's the tire spinning first leaving the line that causes the wear pattern.

This is why you want STAR and WIS. I'd like to see you have a safe car and not ever risk your health or life (or that of your passengers or others on the road) due to lack of knowledge. Plus, it will save you literally hours of your time and time is a finite resource; no gets out of here alive.

To get an idea of what is out there, peruse the following. These folks are out there on the road driving with you and your family.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Justrolledintotheshop/

EDIT: front inclination angle (measured off of the "nubs" on the steel control arm) range is +3.1* to +4.1*. Hub is *lower* than the inboard end of the control arm.
2nd EDIT: The hub has bushing installed where the bolt for the outer end of the control arm mounts. You may need to use bolts/washers/sockets to retract the bushing back into the hub. If not, the new control arm may not fit into the hub. Find a way to retract the bushing so the new control arm will fit. Once you tighten the bolt, the bushing will tighten against the control arm to prevent movement. Good luck and let us know how it works out.

#AMG

It went flawlessly, I did the 9v battery method. That's what forums are for, thank you.

coupesedan

must be nice being the only person who actually does this 😂

#AMG

You dont have to remove the caliper bolt that looks like it interferes. The bolt backs out and clears the hole diameter in the lower control arm. It just doesnt pull out from the knuckle. So far that's the only thing from others right ups that I didn't have to do. Already did 3 corners, right rear will be done this week after work. Thanks again for all the info.