marktan

So to continue my saga, I replaced the radiator last week on my S600 because the plastic upper hose mount cracked. 6 hours of labor later they replaced it with a Nissens brand radiator that I ordered. All is good for a couple days and about 50 miles of driving around.

This morning, I'm accelerating onto the highway, hear a loud *POP*, see liquid spray from the front of the car (like if you pressed the headlight washing button), the car suspension suddenly sways like I've never felt it do before, and I get the dreaded RED "ABC Drive Carefully" warning on the dash.

Immediately pull over, pop the hood and there is hydraulic fluid all over! The suspension resevoir was completely empty. I had actually checked it the night before during my semi-monthly fliud and air checks on the vehicles (if you have a wife and teenage daughter who drive and think the cars magically maintain themselves, you understand the need for this), and the level was correct. Strangely, the level in the Power steering resevoir was still full. Scared to death the pump will run dry, so I nurse her back to my indy mechanic where she sits now waiting for an order of pentosin hydraulic fluid to arrive so they can see if they can identify where the leak is.

I'm not sure if a line was pinched or something during the radiator install a few days ago, or if this is just happy (crappy) coincidence. I'm hoping it just popped a line and not something more costly, but I don't know.

I hesitate to ask, but after this ABC repair has been done (not like I can sell the car with this fault, and once it's fixed I may as well keep it), what else could possibly go wrong with the vehicle? It seems like it completely self-destructed at 90k miles, and I can't go 30 days without some major failure (Right coil pack, Left coil pack, rear tires, air pump, brakes, o2 sensors, various other sensors, CPS, radiator, more rear tires, now the ABC hydraulic lines). At this point I think I've replaced almost every major component on the beast. I think I'm scratching almost $12k in repairs/maintenance since December. I understood this when I got the vehicle and was prepared for it, but it's still frustrating as hell. The question is do I now have a semi-reliable vehicle after all this?

The body and interior are absolutely flawless, so my plan was to keep her until 150k+ or a couple more years if she will hold up. Maybe give it to my daughter once she starts college next year, but I'm starting to wonder if that is not realistic?

MRAMG1

Sorry to hear about your back luck.

Okay, after the hose/line/whatever leak is fixed. You will have to perform a RODEO which requires the STAR tool to perform.

If you do not, there will be air in the lines.

Good luck with the fix

Sgt. Schultz

DAYUM Mark, so sorry to read of your (continued!) woes.

I'll say that your experiencing this near total meltdown @ ~ 90k isn't exactly confidence inspiring 8-/. I'm @ 63k but do 20k/yr... my destiny is appearing bleak. Ugh.

Hello extended warranty! However, still inconvenient to have the thing being a service department homing pigeon certainly.

Best of luck to you. Tho, I've read once that pump ingests even the slightest bit of air - yer screwed. Hope not.

boost420

I can understand your frustration, and like what has been said above, when the pump gets air in it, it pretty much eats itself apart. For those that haven't had a pump issue, though MB doesn't have it as part of their maintence schedule, changing out the fluid and filters every 30k miles is a good preventative technique.

marktan

Follow up question for after I get it fixed...I drive it around with the ABC on SPORT setting on all the time. Should it matter as far as longevity of the system?

And I only raise the car in winter trying to get over snow drifts or an occasional speed bump or steep driveway curb.

RedC320S

The system is highly pressurized regardless of the setting, so I do not think it makes any difference in longevity. Any hydraulic system eventually leaks. For my car one of the fittings for the ABC line let go (the one that runs under the engine).

marktan

My mechanic just called and said that one of the lines under the driver side fender well dry-rotted and is what burst. I'm trying to attach the photo of the line. Does anyone know a part number for this hose off hand? There is a "T" and a "P" etched into the block it plugs into. The hose in question is coming off the port labled "P".

THANKS IN ADVANCE!!

haoz129

Mark,

It's the High Pressure Line from Pressure Supply Valve to Front Valve Block.
High pressure hydraulic oil come from the Tandom Pump go to Supply Valve then go to Valve Block through this line. If it burst you lost oil and pressure since the hydraulic system was open.

Don't drive before it fixed. If you still have hydrauli oil in the ABC reservior then the Tandom Pump didn't suck air yet and may survive.

Thanks.

Howard