2000 s500 will not raise up. stop car now warning light. compressor is "noisey". need new compressor or something else? none of the wheels raise. im not actually sure of the noise if it is normal or not. P.S. if anyone can help with my previous tranny prob ( see post) it would be appreciated. thanks to all for helping people just for kindness. when i can help i will

 

compressor most likely and a relay for that. and the new strut tops also,
relay is right rear engine compartment in black box near hood hinge. relay O the letterO, labeled under relay when you take it out,yellow relays and a 40 amp fuse also should be replaced with a larger 40 amp fuse too.

 

i have taken off compressor and hooked to battery. not as noisey as i thought. when it is running the air is coming out of the intake line and not through the outlet. can it be repaired?

 

r u a DIY person yes it can be repaired i ve repaired no end of them, i dont think u gonna need the top suspension repair kits,pumps faulty replace or repair,after replace it needs to be calibreted by MB ONLY TO GET THE RIDE HEIGHT.........................

 

Hi,

Pump gets full of carbon dust from the reciprocating piston rings at circa 100k miles. If you are a DIY'er a good clean (dismantle / reassemble) works woners BUT a new pump is the best solution. The complete pump is only circa 170 GBP which by MB standards is reasonable. Fitment / removal is straightforward.

If the pump is running but the car remains low either there is a leak (likely the strut tops) or alternatively the non return valve in the pump auxillary body is gummed up with dust.

Stuart.

 

bought a new compressor and works great car raises and appears to be fine. does this model need the " calibrated per mercedes" ? I have a service cd and it mentions nothing about calibrating. if it does need it what is there to be adjusted? the compressor and relay was all that was changed. Thanks

 

Hi,
Not sure what Naz means when he refers to calibration....although the statement was qualified with Ride Height.

The pump only provides air pressure. Ride Height is achieved via mechanical linkages to the struts and data processing in the ECU. The base setting for this system is held in the ECU and needs to reset if for whatever reason the ride height is incorrect or potentially if one of the ride height sensors is changed.

The pump is basically a pump vith a filter and pressure relief valve on it. The pressure setting is to prevent the pump running indefinitly. i.e. once a set pressure is reached the pump cuts out. The pressure switch is wired back to the ECU/relay which controls the supply (heavy duty) to the pump.

Not sure what relay you refer to. If the pump was running I don't think any relay in the circuit was faulty. Its basically On/Off

Was the pump running or not running?

If running it was likely the non return valve inside the pump body clogged with carbon dust which can be cleaned but a replacement pump is the Quality Assured repair.

Stuart

 

Hi..my air compressor on my 2002 s500 turns on and off constantly. Very noisy as well. Sound is coming from close to the front right wheel well. Any thoughts on what is happening and what I need to do? I usually try to do things myself so hopefully I can get the parts and get to the problem/compressor easily. The car seems to ride fine,,,no error messages, It's been going on for a few months now but seems to be going on more and more..i would say it is running/humming loudly 75% of the time I am driving it.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Pump runs to put air in the system.
pump is located behind RH front wheel arch liner.
Normally only a little air is required to make good for normal losses.
Pump needs to supply air if ride height is raised or when heavy loads are carried.

So if pump is running more than occasionally looks like you have a leak.

When you come to the car in the morning does it look low?
If you leave it over the weekend does it look low?
I suspect the answer is YES in which case your problem is likely a leak rather than the pump.

Pumps do become noisier with age but seem to last in excess of 100k miles without problem. Mine still going fine after 8 years and 130kmiles.

Leaks from the system can be from anywhere along the pneumatic lines but most likely from the strut top seal. A kit exists in the USA to repair the strut tops.
Replacement struts are mega expensive but are usually very reliable.

The pump one way valve can also give leak like symptoms.

Unless car has done circa 100k miles no need to change both front struts if only one is leaking.

Good luck.

Stuart.

 

Hi Stuart

Thanks for the fast reply. I never noticed my car going up or down (low) so I will check it out tomorrow. I only have 65K miles on it so not sure what could be going on. Is there an easy way to get to the air pump to see what is going on or are the "air lines" easy to trace to look for a leak? I can hear it but I can't see it.

I'll hit my "air shock" rise button to see what happens to the car. I have never actually used it.

I'll let you know.

TJ