My respect, colleagues in Mercedes W163 ML! This video and others like it convinced me not to sell my Mercedes -- Most repairs are available to simple cowboys ! I am pleasantly surprised how easily you manage. Greetings and congratulations from Russia !
fupabox, Thanks for doing this video, good job. Now that the SUV is 16 years old, I'll be replacing the Torsion bar bushing and tightening up the bolt to hopefully raise the front enough as I'll be trying to put on new 275/70R17 (32") off road tires. The rear is another story to raise the height.
Thanks again fupabox, the Torsion bushing replaced successfully. The bolt indexed to 3.0 mm from initial factory setting of 3.8 mm (using a bamboo stick markings as you suggested), this raised 3" (didn't need rear strut spacer). Put on BF Goodrich KO2 LT275/70R17 no rubbing at all, rides smooth with 30 PSI (will pump up to 40 PSI all around for highway). The ML430 looks so handsome, feels excited again after owning it for 16 years (just received MBz 250Km high mileage award)!!! One friend said he regret having sold his ML430 just 4 years ago.
I put a paint line on the socket and count the turns,i take the weight off just to make it easier,and measure from the centre of the wheel to the bottom of the guard go from that measurement...
How did you measure out those pre-marked points on the stick, how did you know the starting point of where the vehicle is to begin with? Planning on raising my mom's front end a bit too as i notice it's very quick to bottom out and has the forward rake. How
I just measured the marks on the stick with a measuring tape.. they aren't needed to be very accurate as to the marks .. as long as both sides are the same . If your mom's is low in front , I would crank 1 side up till it is where you want it, insert a stick and mark the depth.. then crank the second side up to match the mark on the first. If you start by measuring 35mm on the measuring stick, that will be a good start.. the full process including replacing the bushing is here ua-cam.com/video/cnwrLCMGrck/v-deo.html&index=18
I have a 95 C280. I know topic has nothing to do with this video. My front bumper got caught in the concrete blocks they have at shooping centers. Pulling out passenger side of bumper is loose and hanging. I couldn't find a video. Is this something simple for me to put bumper back? 2./ do you have a video of installation of a front bumper on a 1995 C 280.
Quick question, i used your chopstick technique to measure and i have a setting of 35mm on both sides. I wanted to raise the front up a bit, so would that be loosing the bolt? For instance going from 35mm which i have now to around 25-30mm?
you will be turning in the same direction as if tightening the bolt, and that will lower your measurement on the chopstick . which will raise the front end
Roger, so in other words, if i start at a setting of 35mm, and turn the bolt clockwise (tighten) , that would raise the car, and move the leveling using that measure hold to below 35mm correct?
The video quality on this is lightyears ahead of the torsion bar bushing replacement video, use whatever this camera is from now on. Also you mentioned the ride STIFFENED when you replaced shocks? I just replaced ours with Sachs (you mentioned using Monroe) and the ride is a dream now, much more comfortable than the old ones were (one was seized/dead) yet still composed and responsive. Need to revisit this adjustment now, I believe I dramatically loosened it when we first bought the car.
I got the Sachs overnighted for like $140 US I think. Obviously with ground shipping it would've been like $105 but I needed them ASAP for when I towed my van. I wanted to test the ML as a tow rig when I first bought the hitch before I committed to towing a 4000 lb vehicle 700 miles, I'm so glad I did, the ride was awful maybe even dangerous with the old shocks while towing.
yeah with the garage cameras , they really like full light..any shadow or darkness makes them pissy..This was an I-phone 6s. The ride did stiffen when the shocks (originals) were swapped ..So when I then drove it on my torn up under construction road..the ride was way stiffer than I was used to, so I loosened the torsion bars to 40mm to compensate, when I did the bushings..Then it fealt like the old worn shocks..soft and Cadillac mushy. Now with the setting at 35mm it;s perfect. I can only assume the dealership (guy I bought it from only went to the dealer ) tightened the torsion bars to compensate for squishy shocks, then when new ones were installed by me, it was overly stiff..
Yeah I bet..2 inches of travel on the shocks isn't much room to play with... I got the Monroes for $38 each on sale at Rockauto when I ordered some filters and plugs
I always adjusted the torsion bar with the wheels on the ground, but I was measuring the ride height of the car, not the depth of the torsion bar like I probably should have. To be clear, the greater the depth in that hole (the "looser" the bolt), the less the tension is, the softer the ride, and the lower the ride height?
I need to look at it again. I've wanted to replace the bushings, but wasn't confident enough in resetting the adjustment. The information I found online was counting the number of turns of the bolts, but measuring the depth like you showed seems more reliable/accurate. Replacing the front shocks helped the ride tremendously, but it's still a little harsh. I loosened the torsion bar bolts 8 full turns each before replacing the shocks, but hardly noticed a difference. Does replacing the plastic bushings make much of a difference? I'm thinking the rear shocks need replacing as well, but they're a tougher nut to crack at about twice the price of front shocks.
The Stiver The bushings on mine were only slightly cracked at the very bottom. The only time I noticed a tiny clunk from under there was on one particular railroad crossing near my home..figured I would do them for the hell of it. After the fronts were done ,the rears do feel a tad soft..they aren't too bad to replace..waiting and checking the net on a regular basis for a deal on them. I'm actually working on an app for gearheads..You input your year make and model of car and the app will crawl the web when wifi is connected, and automatically search for deals on parts for your car..you can choose the discount % you are looking for and the type of part...So say you are looking for 1/2 price front shocks for a 1995 Toronado .. it can search several times daily and let you know when they are on sale and where. Fingers crossed to have it up and running in a few months
Interesting, I'd definitely use it. Although I will say Mercedes ownership has made me appreciate using the best parts available, not the cheapest, but times that I've found deals on brands like Bosch or Lemforder or other OE suppliers are really rewarding. The Sachs rear shocks are listed on RockAuto at $113 a piece... theyre definitely on the to-do list though. Maybe it's a difference in climate of how these shocks fail over time, but my fronts were very tight/seized, basically making the front suspension static, I rode without any front shocks for a couple weeks honestly because it was more tolerable. So I'm getting the same "tight" feeling in the rear I think, and was so pleased with the ride quality on the Sachs on the front, only makes sense to match the rears. You going to do a video on those? Haha theres a couple sketchy videos on here for them, they make them sound like a major PITA. Found a factory looking service page that details a procedure of removing the lower control arm, didn't seem that bad except accessing the bolts on the top of the shock tower.
The Stiver I did a pair with a friend about 8 years ago..I don't recall it being that bad...I don't like no name brands either..usually don't hold up...I think it would be a good idea to add a brand name variable to the search engine. Definitely a good idea to match fronts and rears for brand
probably not true. with front wheel LIFTED the preload on clamp is over 40 full turns AFTER the spring tension starts to build. The last 5 turns wheel down versus wheel up is maybe 12.5% (1/8) more force on the screw. The instructions say maintain the grease in the rubber boot.
275/70R17 are the largest that will fit on STOCK suspension WITHOUT rear lift. Adjust front all the way up. I have the Part time on my 2003 W163 ML500. Two sets of rims for when not 4x4 it stock ride.
about an inch and a half just by tightening the front torsion bars ... you will need aftermarket spacer plates that mount on top of the rear springs to raise the rear
My respect, colleagues in Mercedes W163 ML! This video and others like it convinced me not to sell my Mercedes -- Most repairs are available to simple cowboys ! I am pleasantly surprised how easily you manage. Greetings and congratulations from Russia !
Excellent. Detailed explanation and I found this useful
fupabox, Thanks for doing this video, good job. Now that the SUV is 16 years old, I'll be replacing the Torsion bar bushing and tightening up the bolt to hopefully raise the front enough as I'll be trying to put on new 275/70R17 (32") off road tires. The rear is another story to raise the height.
you can use a 15mm spacer on the rear, on top of the strut..just need 15mm longer bolts for the top nuts
Thanks again fupabox, the Torsion bushing replaced successfully. The bolt indexed to 3.0 mm from initial factory setting of 3.8 mm (using a bamboo stick markings as you suggested), this raised 3" (didn't need rear strut spacer). Put on BF Goodrich KO2 LT275/70R17 no rubbing at all, rides smooth with 30 PSI (will pump up to 40 PSI all around for highway). The ML430 looks so handsome, feels excited again after owning it for 16 years (just received MBz 250Km high mileage award)!!! One friend said he regret having sold his ML430 just 4 years ago.
njsarn I was wondering if that size would cause rubbing.. A friend has a set of 275/70s that he is wanting to get rid of.. I may try them.
Hey, maybe you know this. Do you know how tall of a tire I can put on my stock (unlifted, untweaked suspension) 320 ML, 2000
Much Thanks for Sharing Your Knowledge.
I thought it would have been a lot harder to do.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Stay Safe.
Happy thanksgiving
I put a paint line on the socket and count the turns,i take the weight off just to make it easier,and measure from the centre of the wheel to the bottom of the guard go from that measurement...
just what i was looking for! thanks
Glad I could help!
How did you measure out those pre-marked points on the stick, how did you know the starting point of where the vehicle is to begin with? Planning on raising my mom's front end a bit too as i notice it's very quick to bottom out and has the forward rake. How
I just measured the marks on the stick with a measuring tape.. they aren't needed to be very accurate as to the marks .. as long as both sides are the same . If your mom's is low in front , I would crank 1 side up till it is where you want it, insert a stick and mark the depth.. then crank the second side up to match the mark on the first. If you start by measuring 35mm on the measuring stick, that will be a good start.. the full process including replacing the bushing is here ua-cam.com/video/cnwrLCMGrck/v-deo.html&index=18
How are the shocks?
I have a 95 C280. I know topic has nothing to do with this video. My front bumper got caught in the concrete blocks they have at shooping centers. Pulling out passenger side of bumper is loose and hanging. I couldn't find a video. Is this something simple for me to put bumper back? 2./ do you have a video of installation of a front bumper on a 1995 C 280.
Quick question, i used your chopstick technique to measure and i have a setting of 35mm on both sides. I wanted to raise the front up a bit, so would that be loosing the bolt? For instance going from 35mm which i have now to around 25-30mm?
you will be turning in the same direction as if tightening the bolt, and that will lower your measurement on the chopstick . which will raise the front end
Roger, so in other words, if i start at a setting of 35mm, and turn the bolt clockwise (tighten) , that would raise the car, and move the leveling using that measure hold to below 35mm correct?
correct..go down to 30 or 25..that will be quite a bit of difference in stiffness..
The video quality on this is lightyears ahead of the torsion bar bushing replacement video, use whatever this camera is from now on. Also you mentioned the ride STIFFENED when you replaced shocks? I just replaced ours with Sachs (you mentioned using Monroe) and the ride is a dream now, much more comfortable than the old ones were (one was seized/dead) yet still composed and responsive. Need to revisit this adjustment now, I believe I dramatically loosened it when we first bought the car.
I got the Sachs overnighted for like $140 US I think. Obviously with ground shipping it would've been like $105 but I needed them ASAP for when I towed my van. I wanted to test the ML as a tow rig when I first bought the hitch before I committed to towing a 4000 lb vehicle 700 miles, I'm so glad I did, the ride was awful maybe even dangerous with the old shocks while towing.
yeah with the garage cameras , they really like full light..any shadow or darkness makes them pissy..This was an I-phone 6s. The ride did stiffen when the shocks (originals) were swapped ..So when I then drove it on my torn up under construction road..the ride was way stiffer than I was used to, so I loosened the torsion bars to 40mm to compensate, when I did the bushings..Then it fealt like the old worn shocks..soft and Cadillac mushy. Now with the setting at 35mm it;s perfect. I can only assume the dealership (guy I bought it from only went to the dealer ) tightened the torsion bars to compensate for squishy shocks, then when new ones were installed by me, it was overly stiff..
Yeah I bet..2 inches of travel on the shocks isn't much room to play with... I got the Monroes for $38 each on sale at Rockauto when I ordered some filters and plugs
Do you have to get the alignment fixed after this?
no alignment needed
@@fupabox Thank you. I just bought an 02 ml320 and I am going to try what you showed in the video.
I always adjusted the torsion bar with the wheels on the ground, but I was measuring the ride height of the car, not the depth of the torsion bar like I probably should have. To be clear, the greater the depth in that hole (the "looser" the bolt), the less the tension is, the softer the ride, and the lower the ride height?
The further the stick goes in .the lower the ride height and softer the spring rate
I need to look at it again. I've wanted to replace the bushings, but wasn't confident enough in resetting the adjustment. The information I found online was counting the number of turns of the bolts, but measuring the depth like you showed seems more reliable/accurate. Replacing the front shocks helped the ride tremendously, but it's still a little harsh. I loosened the torsion bar bolts 8 full turns each before replacing the shocks, but hardly noticed a difference. Does replacing the plastic bushings make much of a difference? I'm thinking the rear shocks need replacing as well, but they're a tougher nut to crack at about twice the price of front shocks.
The Stiver The bushings on mine were only slightly cracked at the very bottom. The only time I noticed a tiny clunk from under there was on one particular railroad crossing near my home..figured I would do them for the hell of it. After the fronts were done ,the rears do feel a tad soft..they aren't too bad to replace..waiting and checking the net on a regular basis for a deal on them. I'm actually working on an app for gearheads..You input your year make and model of car and the app will crawl the web when wifi is connected, and automatically search for deals on parts for your car..you can choose the discount % you are looking for and the type of part...So say you are looking for 1/2 price front shocks for a 1995 Toronado .. it can search several times daily and let you know when they are on sale and where. Fingers crossed to have it up and running in a few months
Interesting, I'd definitely use it. Although I will say Mercedes ownership has made me appreciate using the best parts available, not the cheapest, but times that I've found deals on brands like Bosch or Lemforder or other OE suppliers are really rewarding. The Sachs rear shocks are listed on RockAuto at $113 a piece... theyre definitely on the to-do list though. Maybe it's a difference in climate of how these shocks fail over time, but my fronts were very tight/seized, basically making the front suspension static, I rode without any front shocks for a couple weeks honestly because it was more tolerable. So I'm getting the same "tight" feeling in the rear I think, and was so pleased with the ride quality on the Sachs on the front, only makes sense to match the rears. You going to do a video on those? Haha theres a couple sketchy videos on here for them, they make them sound like a major PITA. Found a factory looking service page that details a procedure of removing the lower control arm, didn't seem that bad except accessing the bolts on the top of the shock tower.
The Stiver I did a pair with a friend about 8 years ago..I don't recall it being that bad...I don't like no name brands either..usually don't hold up...I think it would be a good idea to add a brand name variable to the search engine. Definitely a good idea to match fronts and rears for brand
How do I adjust the rear too? I don't want to raise the overall height of my car but I think this video only shows front adjustment
There is no rear adjustment . Best way is to measure under rear jack point to ground , then adjust front to match
Doing this without taking the load OFF the torsion bar will only result in stripping the adjusting threads. THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO DO IT !!!!!!
probably not true. with front wheel LIFTED the preload on clamp is over 40 full turns AFTER the spring tension starts to build. The last 5 turns wheel down versus wheel up is maybe 12.5% (1/8) more force on the screw. The instructions say maintain the grease in the rubber boot.
if i adjusted the height of my car will i be able to put on off road tires on it
yes but the rear will need a slight lift which isn't adjustable..here are rear lift kits available
275/70R17 are the largest that will fit on STOCK suspension WITHOUT rear lift. Adjust front all the way up. I have the Part time on my 2003 W163 ML500. Two sets of rims for when not 4x4 it stock ride.
how can I raise the front on my 1999 mercedes benz E430 keep destroying my radiator ?
turn up the torsion adjusters until the front springs are stiffer
New coil overs
Dose anybody know if I could drop the ride height with this?
if i did this to my ml320 would i need to get an alignment on the car
nope
Yes
How you can adjust the height in the rear? Thanks
it isn't adjustable...if you want a bit more lift I have seen a rear spacer kit that will give a bit of lift.. Just google w163 rear lift spacer
fupabox ok thsnks
Does anyone know if the same can be done on a 2008 w164 ml 320 cdi?
I believe the w164 has an air strut or in some case a coil over which is totally different that the w163 torsion bar set up
@@Jonesec1 thanks
how much lift can you get?
about an inch and a half just by tightening the front torsion bars ... you will need aftermarket spacer plates that mount on top of the rear springs to raise the rear
so you adjust torsion bar to make the w163 height? is it just the front ?
yes just the front..the torsion bars are adjustable for stiffness which also affects ride height