tried this at the s class section with no luck, i am having problems with my airmatic, the front suspension wont rise, the only way i can get it to rise is to start engine, press override, turn off engine and turn on ignition. even then the front does not go all the way up. here is what i checked, the pump is ok, but no 12v present, relay is ok. fuses are ok. i am going to replace the ride height sensors.

when the pump does run, i hear no leaks near the pump and block, no air leaks at the shocks either.
what else turns on the pump when the front is not at the proper height?

car is a 2000 s500

 

fill a bottle with water and a little soap (windex works great) spray the tops of the front struts. these are known to leak out at the line fittings. let me know how you make out..........if it bubbles you are leaking

 

the problem is most likely not a level sensor. as silverstar said check for leaks first. youll need a new pump, relay and fuse and reseal the stut tops, to be sure the problem is fixed. could also be an air line chaffed threw and leaking.

 

my car is at the dealer, they said it was the relay, which i already checked, and they rebuilt the front struts, they were leaking a little, now they are leaking hydrolic fluid, sounds like they broke that too. now they are trying to sell me 2 new front struts for 4000.00.

 

your car has air, not hydraulic struts!

 

i think its for the active body control, there are some kind of metal lines going in the
bottom of the strut. not sure though.
they said when the pressurized the air bags, fluid was leaking out of the shock.
and they still never figuired out why the compressor is not turning on, cause it wasnt the relay, when i stopped by there tonight the car was still low, and the airmatic visit shop light was still on.

 

so they rebuilt the front struts? but now they are telling you you need stuts? were both of these repairs at the same dealer and during the same visit? because if they rebuilt your struts and now they tell you you need struts i dont get it. ABC systems dont have compressors they have pumps. airmatic systems have compressors and no fluid. im pretty sure that your car is not hydraulic because i dont think ive ever seen an 2000 S class with hydraulic suspension unless it was a V12. im investigating this question now. i could be wrong but im pretty sure its an air system. anyone out here on the forum know this answer?

 

its definetly a air system, they repaired the air bags. but now are telling me that i need new shocks because they are leaking fluid. how could a shock be air and hydrolic.
and yes this is all in one visit. i did some research i dont think my car is even equiped with ABC. i think they are trying to rip me off. going back there to talk to the service manager tomorrow.

thanks for the resond.

 

some cars can have a regular shock and also an airstrut but they are 2 seprate items. usually just in the rearend though. but in your case you shouldnt have a hydraulic leak. maybe a leaky shock absorber in the rear axle but that has nothing to do with the front airsuspension. usually what happens is the compressor shut off valve fails to shut off and then the compressor burn up and then the relay burns up then blows the fuse for the air compressor. and then the electrical connector to the compressor melts together. its usually the strut top seals that need resealing and a new relay and fuse to fix most of the suspension problems. alot of the time the compressor is ok but sometimes the compressor will keep running and burn out. also sometimes an airline chaffs threw and then youll have an air leak. those front struts rarely need replacing unlesss there is an internal leak which almost never happens.

 

got my car back from the dealer today, they did the top seal on the 2 front shocks, and the comp. relay. they say that fluid was coming from the shock it self, it does not appear to be leaking now, and the car rides great. got some recalls done and new trans line and mount. 1700.00 not too bad.
thanks for the help.