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Now That the E55 Is Finally Back to Normal, I just Went for a Drive :)
I've had a few issues with my E55 lately. First the Airmatic pump decided to kick the bucket, and then I started getting a really weird noise from the oil pan which seems to have been related to the oil pump pickup O-ring. I had the last two weeks off work due to needing to take vacation days before then end of the year lest I lose them, so I decided to take a good portion of that time and address the issues. I replaced the Airmatic suspension with BC Racing coilovers, and replaced the O-ring , as well as the engine mounts. Now that it's all finished, I decided to just take the car out for a shakedown run on some of my favorite roads this afternoon, and it didn't disappoint Even on the snow tires it's still plenty of fun to drive in the twisties. I thought I would just share a few pics from my drive to break up the normal rattle and hum of problems and issues here on the forum. Hope you are all doing well out there and enjoying your cars too.
The water that you can see down in the valley is the Rhine River. Vinyards are looking pretty barren this time of you, but it's still a good view.
Wasn't really expecting to see ice, but it was a welcome surprise as it was only on the trees, not the roads.
This is the heart of the driving route for the day. The "fun part" anyway. In case anyone was curious.
Good to know you’re back to enjoying the car again. Since you own the wagon, what additional parts were needed for the coil over conversion? I’ve been contemplating a conversion with a KW kit but I was told by KW that they the kit is for the sedan. What’s your take on the coil over kit on the wagon. Especially the rear since it had self leveling and on loads would that be an issue.
Good to know you’re back to enjoying the car again. Since you own the wagon, what additional parts were needed for the coil over conversion? I’ve been contemplating a conversion with a KW kit but I was told by KW that they the kit is for the sedan. What’s your take on the coil over kit on the wagon. Especially the rear since it had self leveling and on loads would that be an issue.
The install parts are really the same as on a sedan, but I did run into one issue I have not yet found a proper resolution for. The existing control arm bolts end up WAY too long, due to the wall thicknesses on the aluminum airmatic arms and stamped steel conventional ones being quite different. I have not yet been able to locate the part numbers for the correct bolts. This is due to the fact that Mercedes own information lists the same bolt in both cases. the existing bolts do work, but it's not ideal with an inch and a half of extra bolt sticking out the side of your control arm waiting to snag on something.
I don't know if the KW kit will fit the wagon or not. This kit is actually a hybrid kit. It's basically the E350 wagon kit in the rear with the E55 sedan kit in the front. It fits perfectly fine, but I will warn you the install and adjustment of the rear suspension are both a bear if you plan to do it yourself.
I don't frequently use my wagon to haul heavy loads, so the self leveling aspect was not high in my radar. If I did I would probably set the rear up slightly higher than the front in order to give myself a little room for it to squat. the springs are quite stiff, so I don't expect to see much sag, but I will try to update if I do have an issue.
Fun drive? Yes. Opening her up? No, that's more for the autobahn stretches. If you try to open her up on one of these back roads you will end up in a guardrail or a stone wall right quick!. LOL!
Were you able to replace the oil pickup o-ring easily? What's entailed in that job?
Easily? Not particularly. It's a bit of a bear of a job. You have to lower the front subframe(@1 hour), and then carefully remove 2 sections of the oilpan (@2 hours). Then you need to clean those two sections plus the mating surface on the base of the block thoroughly (@2 hours). Then you can swap the O-ring (@20 minutes). Then you need to apply new gasket material and bolt/torque everything back together(@1 hour) and finally you need to wait 24 hours for the gasket material to dry and then reinstall the front subframe (@1 hour) after refilling the oil and checking for leaks (@20 minutes).
It's a messy, time-consuming job. Bear in mind these times are for a somewhat experienced shade tree wrench with access to a lift and all of the required tools. Doing it in a home garage would likely take a solid 2 days, and that's if you have all of the required tools. The main unusual tools needed would be E-torx sockets, torx bits up to T50, and larger allen wrench sockets, I believe the biggest one is a 10 mm. Other than that it's mostly standard fair when it comes to tools.
It's not something I would recommend unless you have a really loud noise like mine, or simply feel it is worth the labor for peace of mind.
Bummer....I would love to drive on the unrestricted sections of the Autobahn. During this year, the fastest I’ve been is 90 mph for a very short spurt. 😩 Can’t even let the car clear it’s lungs in Northern Virginia.
Bummer....I would love to drive on the unrestricted sections of the Autobahn. During this year, the fastest I’ve been is 90 mph for a very short spurt. 😩 Can’t even let the car clear it’s lungs in Northern Virginia.
Also radar detectors are illegal here in Virginia, as the State Troopers have radar detector detectors in their vehicles. I got caught many years ago, and luckily only paid a fine. Like you stated, find a stretch of country road, with less police presence.
Bummer....I would love to drive on the unrestricted sections of the Autobahn. During this year, the fastest I’ve been is 90 mph for a very short spurt. 😩 Can’t even let the car clear it’s lungs in Northern Virginia.
I hit about 200 kph (@125 mph) pretty regularly on the autobahn. Right now the car has the winter wheels and tires on it, and one of the rims is slightly out of round so anything over about 170k (@105 mph) you start to feel a vibration that gets stronger the faster you go.
It's pretty impressive how strong the car pulls when you put your foot down at 160 kph or so, especially since I replaced the IAT sensor last week. Car seems to be running smooother and is happier to rev.
Oh, and I lived in MD for a while, so I know that NOVA is hell when it comes to driving fast. I don't even like passing through there. Their fines are insane, and it you are more than 15 above the limit they often charge you with reckless driving, which is more than a little overboard in my humble opinion.
In 2010, I got caught doing 97 in a 55 on I-95, I was facing a week in jail, $2500 fine and 1 yr. suspended license, oh and 5 points on my license. I had to get a lawyer, went to defensive and aggressive driving school which negated the 5 points. I ended up paying a $150 fine, $83 court fee, and a $800 lawyer, all in $1250. I couldn’t jeopardize my security clearance by going to jail. So now I exercise the car sparingly, maiming on ramps and country roads.
In 2010, I got caught doing 97 in a 55 on I-95, I was facing a week in jail, $2500 fine and 1 yr. suspended license, oh and 5 points on my license. I had to get a lawyer, went to defensive and aggressive driving school which negated the 5 points. I ended up paying a $150 fine, $83 court fee, and a $800 lawyer, all in $1250. I couldn’t jeopardize my security clearance by going to jail. So now I exercise the car sparingly, maiming on ramps and country roads.
Move to Germany, Brother Plenty of DOD jobs over here. That's how I ended up on this side of the pond myself.
I retired from the Marines back in 2004, then worked as a Defense Contractors for many years supporting PM Fire Support Systems for Marine Corps Systems Command. Then I worked for the US Navy for Navy Systems supporting the Littoral Combat Ship. Then later at the FAA in the Performance Branch Division. Then lastly, I went to the State Department where I’m a Information Managment Specialist. I’ve never been to Germany, but would love to ride on the Nurburgring.
I retired from the Marines back in 2004, then worked as a Defense Contractors for many years supporting PM Fire Support Systems for Marine Corps Systems Command. Then I worked for the US Navy for Navy Systems supporting the Littoral Combat Ship. Then later at the FAA in the Performance Branch Division. Then lastly, I went to the State Department where I’m a Information Managment Specialist. I’ve never been to Germany, but would love to ride on the Nurburgring.
I work in Electromagnetic Spectrum Management myself. Was Air Force, then Air National guard until I forgot the rubber side is supposed to stay on the bottom of a motorcycle. Worked at Aberdeen Proving Ground in MD, then got a job at USAREUR HQ here in Wiesbaden.
Its funny you should mention the Ring. I was just there today. It was closed due to weather, so no touristfahrten today.
I was picking up a set of Ohlins coilovers from my other car that were just repaired after the shipping company broke the hell out of them. Found a specialist who could repair them up there. Insurance already paid to replace them, but a repair for 500€ made sense as an investment if nothing else. Now I need to decide whether to put them back on the car or stick with the KW V3s that are currently on it. Leaning towards going back to the Ohlins as they are much easier to adjust on the car. V3s you have to remove a bunch of interior panels to get to the top adjusters on the back.
I have been around the ring 5 times now, all as a passenger this season as I am still trying to get my cars right before I tackle that beast.
11-29-2020, 03:01 PM
Even on the snow tires it's still plenty of fun to drive in the twisties. I thought I would just share a few pics from my drive to break up the normal rattle and hum of problems and issues here on the forum. Hope you are all doing well out there and enjoying your cars too.
