News:

The Org - Serving W116 Enthusiasts since 2004!

Main Menu

Rear spring sag

Started by mrkozzy, 05 August 2019, 05:17 AM

mrkozzy

As we all know the drivers rear spring tends to sag more than the passengers over time. This creates a lopsided looking rear end.
In the case of a RHD it means if you view the car from the rear, it "tilts" ever so slightly to the right. Nothing wrong with the setup, but its starting to annoy me visually.

Looks like a FAT person is always sitting in the drivers side!!~ >:(

My question is.........are the left and right rear springs identical?  and if so are they interchangeable? (w116 280se)

On the assumption they are the same, then my thought process is to get another (in this case) passenger side spring and change over the slightly sagging drivers one.
Theoretically it should "even up" the rear look of the car more to the horizontal.

Is my thinking correct or is it pie in the sky?

nb; The rear shock absorbers were replaced with new ones 3 years ago.
MrKozzy

Squiggle Dog

The rear springs are interchangeable left and right and are likely the same throughout the W116 lineup with exception to the 6.9. The rears can sag, but the fronts seem to last forever. Keep in mind that for whatever reason, a lot of these cars have a built-in body lean which can never be corrected. Even after new springs and bushings, they can still sag to one side. The rubber spring pads can also sag by about 5mm or so over the years.

My W116 had a lean on the driver's side, so I replaced all four springs and every suspension component, including the spring pads. Afterward, it still leaned on the driver's side, and I have read several other cases where this could never be corrected, and might in fact be part of the design.
Stop paying for animal cruelty and slaughter. Go vegan! [url="https://challenge22.com/"]https://challenge22.com/[/url]

1967 W110 Universal Wagon, Euro, Turbo Diesel, Tail Fins, 4 Speed Manual Column Shift, A/C
1980 W116 300SD Turbo Diesel, DB479 Walnut Brown, Sunroof, Heated Seats, 350,000+

ptashek

The sag/lean can also be due to  a broken anti-squat link in the rear (happened to me). Applies to V8s only.

But yeah, the right lean is quite normal. My 450se leans to the right a little too.
1993 "Pearl Blue" W124 280TE
1988 "Arctic White" W124 200T
1979 "Icon Gold" W116 450SE

mrkozzy

Thanks for the info.
It all makes sense..
I'll have a good look at all the rear components first.
MrKozzy

robertd

Hey mrkozzy,
Does your car have self leveling rear suspension or standard shocks?
I have seen where previous owners have removed the "leaking" self leveling shocks and "spheres" and replaced them with standard shocks.  These will always sag as the coil springs on the "self leveling suspension" set up are not as stiff as the springs on non-SLS cars. 
Just a thought!
116   1978 450SEL 6.9 #  4848
116   1979 450SEL  6.9 # 5884
116   1979 450SEL  6.9 # 6225  SOLD
116   1978 450SEL  6.9 # 5128  SOLD
116   1979 450SEL  6.9 # 5884  SOLD
116   1974 450SEL  DJet

mrkozzy

Hey Rob.

Mine has standard shocks.

Both front and rear have been replaced within the past 5 years.

The sag never disappeared
MrKozzy