Right nearside thumping on bumps

[duncanh]

"Are you suggesting that I replace the rear struts with standard shock absorbers? Are the fittings the same? Would I just need to block the fluid line going to the struts?"

No.

Which of the 3 questions does he 'No' relate to?

 

[Corned]

I think that will be all of them.

 

[television]

No you cannot fit standard struts they have to be the correct ones.

Re checking the sub front bushes its only a matter of levering the frame to see how much it moves.

 

[duncanh]

I think that will be all of them.

1. I have seen the suggestion before that SLS hydraulic struts can be replaced with standard shock absorbers. I have also seen posts where it is said that this should not be done. The only reason why that I have ever seen is tha the springs would be the wrong rating. I can buy 2 rear shock absorbers and 2 rear sprongs for less than the price of one hydropneumatic strut. There may be another reason why the answer is no. Can anyone (Corned or Frontstep ?) enlighten me.

2. I would be surprised if the hydropneumatic strut could not physically be replaced by a shock absorber. The lower wishbone is the same for both set-ups, and the upper connection is part of the chassis. If it won't fit, I would like to know why.

3. What is the problem with blocking off the fluid supply to the struts?

I am not planning to do any of the above actions at the moment, but from an acedemic perspective, I find the idea very interesting.

I do like Mercedes-2010's idea of swapping the struts around to see if the noise changes sides. That would surely give me a definite answer on the strut.

 

[duncanh]

Re checking the sub front bushes its only a matter of levering the frame to see how much it moves.

I have had the subframe bushes checked. I am told that there is no movement. However, as Frontstep has said, the mounts may be soft.

The hydraulic strut could be the cause or its mounting, its not an exact science sometimes but an experts half hour could be money well spent in your case.

I have had the suspension checked by a well respected indie. He could not pinpoint the problem. He could make suggestions, but they would amount to expensive trial and error.

It does not thump on every bump, just big bumps. The trouble is, with the state of the UK roads, there are lots of big bumps, especially on the road through the village where I live. On most A roads and motorways it is perfectly smooth. The easy answer with a car that I have had for over 11 years and covered over 300k miles is to replace it. However I am not quite ready to do that yet, especially as it still has 11 months MOT.

I would like to solve the problem, but not at an excessive cost.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions so far. I am sure that we will eventually crack it.

 

[television]

You can check for softness of the mounts with a thin spike, test against the rear ones that seldom fail

 

[Frontstep]

You could read this and swap out the rear suspension from a breaker but it doesn't seem worth it
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w140-s-class/1606071-diy-replacing-rear-sls-struts-normal.html