200TE rear sus very bouncy!

[woodybigman]

Please can any one out there help me
I have only had the car for a short time it is a 200te est 1990
when i got the car the rear end felt quiet firm.
but over a short period of time ( aweek ) things seemed wrong.
The back of the car bounces so much you can't have any body in the back.
I took the car to my local garrage who changed the rear shocks £250. + labour but this has had no effect apart from my pockets geting lighter :cry: He told me i needed a new pump as the old one seemed to have no reel pressure it just dribbled back into the reservior.
do you think this will work or am i just chucking money away!
is there a normal shock and spring combo? if so where do i get one?
I would be very gratefull if anybody can help ????

Thanks Gary[/b]

 

[flyingtech55]

Its the spheres that are faulty not the shockers. The shockers are not shockers, they are hydraulic rams and the only fault they sufferfrom is that the seals go and they leak. If yours weren't leaking then they weren't faulty and shouldn't have been renewed. Refer to my previous diatribe on the working of self levelling suspension which I posted in response to another estate owner who had a bouncy ride.

PS...Its not the pump either!

 

[dynasty888]

I had the very same problem with mine. It definitely was the spheres and I had them changed, £120+vat for replacement new spheres plus £50 for labour. After changing, they make such a massive difference to the ride. Before the change, stand on towbar, jump off and car bounces 3-4 times. After changing spheres, same test and car rises once and settles back to normal position. If you need details of getting these spheres, I can give you details of my local merc dismantler.

Wills
230TE 1992 - 185K - LPG'd

 

[andy_k]

don't buy the spheres second hand, they have a finite life (about 100k miles) and only cost about £140 a pair from the dealers for brand new ones

If you are a fairly competant home mechanic, here's a link to a "how to" I wrote based on experience of doing this job on the drive with no special tools

http://mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=3256

HTH

Andy K

 

[flyingtech55]

Hi Woodybigman

On the subject of the spheres, why not ring Pleiades in Cambridge and ask them if they do spheres for Mercs. They specialise in hydraulics and suspension bits mostly for Citroens but also do spheres for Rolls Royces. Their 'phone no. is 01487 831239. I always found them very helpful when I had the BX.

 

[MIKE236]

G'DDay Mates.
Woodybigman listen to the gurus of mercs. Your symptoms perfectly fit my prob and gliderman came in with a detailed expalnation on how the spheres worked. Mine was bouncing like you're on a rodeo and after the spheres were replaced, the ride was definitely dreamland stuff.

Andy's link is just terrific and I have even printed and posted it to the haynes manual for future reference. Get the spheres changed fast. Over here those little buggers costs around A500 per pair + A250 labour but the treatment after is worth every cent albeit medium sized hole in pocket.

Sorry not much of help but hey...look on the brighter side of not having to endure a month of bouncing like I did. Cheers