420 SEL Rear Suspension Problem

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T.C. Mann - 28 Feb 2005 18:11 GMT

During an icy spell, I managed to run the right rear tire of my 420SEL
into a curb. The rim was sufficiently bent/gouged at the bead to
warrant replacing it since it would no longer hold air. While I wait
for the new rim to arrive, I put the spare on which appears to be the
identical alloy rim. Now whenever I hit a hole or a rough patch of
pavement, the rear end seems to bounce in a series of jarring small
bumps and the rear end looses traction causing the car to momentarily
jump sideways. The questions I have are: Is toe-in, caster, and
camber adjustable on the rear of these cars and could one of these now
be out of adjustment? Could I have bent the bolts securing the
trailing arm to the body? Could I have actually bent the trailing arm
or is this highly unlikely? Thank you.

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T.G. Lambach - 28 Feb 2005 19:04 GMT

Sure, any of the horrors you mention COULD be true, but it could also be
that the shock absorber isn't functioning and so is allowing the now
uncontrolled wheel to bounce on the pavement.

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Ziggy Switkowski - 28 Feb 2005 23:36 GMT

a burst accumulator bladder in the case of hydropnumatic rear suspension,
once the leaked nitrogen is all out of the system, that strut will be
hydraulically locked and no suspension travel will happen at all on that
wheel. Makes for interesting handling!

> Sure, any of the horrors you mention COULD be true, but it could also be
> that the shock absorber isn't functioning and so is allowing the now
> uncontrolled wheel to bounce on the pavement.

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T.G. Lambach - 01 Mar 2005 01:23 GMT

True but the 420SEL doesn't have those, only the 5X0 models do.

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Richard Sexton - 01 Mar 2005 04:33 GMT

>True but the 420SEL doesn't have those, only the 5X0 models do.

Mercedes just ships cars to the US the way they think people want
options, but you can order anythng you like including a 4 wheel
hydraulic suspention. They're rare as hens teeth but I've seen
a 280SEL like this.

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Tiger - 01 Mar 2005 15:42 GMT

Sound like your sway bar link broke... Also check your rear wheel bearing.

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T.C. Mann - 11 Mar 2005 16:17 GMT

I got my tire mounted on the new rim and put back on the car - no
change. I took the car to the alignment shop and was told that the
right trailing arm was slightly bent (leading edge of tire bent
outwards (toe-out) by 14 degrees from center. I checked around and the
lowest price on a new trailing arm is around $1300!!! Not wanting to
bite the bullet just yet, I found that the Parts Bin sells eccentric
trailing arm bushings for under $17 each. Their P/N is L2006-16072. I
am assuming that these are specifically designed to allow toe, caster,
and camber to be adjusted. Has anyone tried using these before and do
you think this would solve my problem?

Also, how difficult is it to replace the trailing arm bushings and is
this a DIY job? (I have lots of tools and a spring compressor).

Thank you,

T.C.

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Richard Sexton - 11 Mar 2005 16:29 GMT

>I got my tire mounted on the new rim and put back on the car - no
>change. I took the car to the alignment shop and was told that the
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>Also, how difficult is it to replace the trailing arm bushings and is
>this a DIY job? (I have lots of tools and a spring compressor).

I had to replace a 126 rear trailing arm 3 years ago due to
a crack. I got a good used one for $100. Labout was about the
same.

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