Spring has sprung here in Missouri so I took my 400i out for a warm up today. I noticed something I've noticed before when the car has been sitting in the garage for the winter. That is that the rear suspension ride is stiff as a skate board's. It feels as the rear shocks have frozen up. I won't know about this year for some weeks but in previous years the car's ride smooths out with use and a full tank of fuel. Has anyone else run into this or am I just forgetting the 400 ride characteristics ove the winter? Thanks, Greg
I had this problem with my '84 400iA and it didn't resolve it's self with driving. I fixed it by replacing the accumulators. There are Mercedes accumulators that are much less expensive than the Ferrari units (if you can even find them). They required reworking of the mounting brackets and a fitting allow for the smaller Ferrari hydraulic fitting to connect. It's been a while since I did this. I'll look for specifics on the Mercedes part numbers, etc. Al
Here's the info on the Mercedes accumulators I used. Al http://www.partstrain.com/store/details/Corteco/A-fs-C_Accumulator/W0133-1609272.html?location=Rear Corteco/Freudenberg Accumulator - Accumulator Air Cell Rear : left & right Mercedes Benz 500SL Accumulator DW803690407L Application: Accumulator Air Cell Rear : left & right Fits: 01/1993 - 12/1993 Mercedes Benz 500SL Brand: Corteco/Freudenberg Image Unavailable, Please Login
I suspected something like this but did not notice an accumulator in the service manual. From the photo and having just read the manual I think I recognise the part. Is there some way to adjust this thing or is it "factory sealed"? Greg
I can get the body to move about one inch by pushing down on either rear fender corner. It is a two arm push only. I do not have to put all my 194 pounds into it. How much do your cars move? Greg
Greg...my original 85 with 12k miles rides stiff...orig suspension, old dry tires....i can barely get any corner to move when pushing down...(without bending metal)..once on the road, not bad, firm but not teeth jolting. And I remember vettes and mustangs I had that rode really hard. You could dip the rear end in a tub of WD40 ....! Gary ps: I lived in Florrisant before moving here....I remember cold winters.
Thanks! As you can tell, I am trying to evade throwing parts at this issue. My TRX tires are only a couple years old. I hope the car rides stiffly because it was built to run 150 MPH all day long and so would need the taught ride. When I get back home in a couple of weeks I'll run the car harder and longer. My garage is maintained at 55 F and cold fluid could account for the stiffness. It takes those TRXs more miles to roll smoothly than I'd put on prior to my original post. So maybe the fluids act the same way. Once everything is fully warmed up I'll report back. Thanks again, Greg
Greg To test if hydraulics are okay it is quite easy to remove bolt from front end of the ride height adjustment piston. With engine running at idle stroke the piston in and out slowly. Car will go up and down slowly, slower up than down. This will tell you if all the hydraulics are okay. I made a slight ride height adjustment by loosening the lever clamped on the roll bar; be sure to match mark before you loosen it or you can get real lost where is was! Ken p.s. You may want to wear a gas mask doing the job if you don't have cats!
Has anyone replaced the hydraulic rear leavening system with coilovers? I had my load levelers rebuilt a couple of years ago. The rebuild lasted about 18 months and then the back of the car was down in the weeds again. I just got the coilovers and will install them soon.
Hey Ken, that's what I did to get it up an additional 1/2" Oh, No Did Jeff Lablonde do the work or Koni racing?
Bruce, Does this mean that Koni Racing in USA is a source for getting the hydraulic levelling rear suspension units on the 400i rebuilt? Peter
I ran across this info. years ago Peter & filed it for 'when' I'll need to rebuild mine, contact them for info.: http://www.koniracing.com/services.cfm But I also remember a while back someone mentioned that Koni no longer rebuilds ours, so it wouldn't hurt to contact them via website to see if that's still the case. Tim Stanford has a huge reputation here in FL & he's used Jeff Lablonde for his rebuilds, it wouldn't hurt to speak to Tim to get more supportive info. from his perspective: Tim Stanford Foreign Cars Inc in Fort Lauderdale, FL | 287 SW 33rd St, Fort Lauderdale, FL And I'm curious if AK Jim's taken up discussion with Jeff on his latest developments...
Nice write up. Thanks for posting it. Too bad we don't know who wrote it so we can ask questions (and get a clear copy of the drawings!). Toward the end of this document he mentions needing to keep the self leveler hydraulic pump going, eliminating the possibility of doing all 4 rear shocks. I think a possible solution is to remove the oil pump drive (#5 in the diagram). This part goes into a slot on the front of the cam connecting the cam to the pump. After removing this and bolting the pump back on the front of the engine everything will look original but the pump will no longer be driven by the camshaft. Al Image Unavailable, Please Login
Last week I had a chat with a friend who has a V-12 Mercedes rag top. He blames the rough ride after lettling his car sit on its Z rated tires for more than a day or two. They get a flat spot on the bottom and it takes a while for them to round back out. I had my 400i out yesterday when the temperature was 90+F and had no issues with roughness. Apparently ambient temperature does effect these TRX tires. Also, the ride was smooth but firm. The Ferrari does let you know about road surface conditions that our Suburban absorbs. Bottom line is I do not think I have a problem after all. Greg
Hi Greg, FWIW, my car (also an 86 412) behaves much like you described earlier: the body isn't really movable when pushing down on a corner of the car, but once moving the ride is quite pleasant. It's by no means a Cadillac floaty ride, but in my eyes is a very good compromise between a stiff controlled suspension with some compliance to suit the car's GT nature. I've never thought my suspension had a problem... and itsounds like yours is showing similar behavior. Best of luck and enjoy! Ruben
I just completed an unpleasant rebuild of my rear shocks and replacement of the springs. Could someone with a Series 1 car on TRX wheels and tires measure the distance from the ground to the inside of the wheel cut-out and post it? I'm getting approx 24 1/2". Thanks.
