Airmatic suspension issues

Hello,

There is a airmatic control relay that wound like it is not working here is a guide to help you test it and the location of the relay along with the wiring diagrams for the system so you can see how it works.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-an-electrical-relay-and-wiring-control-circuit

Check out the diagrams (Below). Please let us know what you find. We are interested to see what it is.

Cheers

Thank you for this guide! It was the relay on my car I fixed it for $32.00 :) I love this site.

Suspension problem
2003 Mercedes Benz S500 V8 Two Wheel Drive Automatic 27,*** miles

I was driving the s500 on the highway and out of nowhere the air ride just quit and the car slammed on the ground. I few weeks before that i had taking it to the dealer and they toll me the brain that controls the air suspention had some corrosion on and needed to be replaced, so now i bought a new brain and the car is still the same, so is there any way to reset the system or do something so that it would go back up?

First I need to know what slams to the ground, front? back? or the entire car?
This is from MB on single axle lowering.
VEHICLE LEVEL LOWERS ON A SINGLE AXLE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN Reference Number(s): P-B-32.50/42, Date of Issue:  October 11, 2006 Related Ref Number(s): 32.50/42 ARTICLE BEGINNING SUBJECT Model 215.373/374/375/376/378/379 Model 220.170/173/174/175/176/178/179, with Active Body Control (ABC) code 487 Model 221.171/176/179, with Active Body Control (ABC) code 487 Model 230.471/474/475/476/477/479 All Model Years Vehicle Level Lowers on a Single Axle SERVICE INFORMATION If you receive customer reports in the above model vehicles of the vehicle's level lowering on a single axle on a single side after an idle time lasting from 1 day to one week, perform the new filter repair method as outlined in WIS document AR32.50-P-0025A instead of the previous flushing method. Leveling complaints resulting from dirty ABC hydraulic fluid can be rectified just as effectively by filtering as by the conventional flushing method (replacing the hydraulic fluid). The new repair method is possible because the mesh width of the ABC filter was modified from 10microm to 3microm. Filtering is of no use if the ABC fluid is dark black or smells burnt. In such cases the hydraulic fluid must be replaced, reference WIS document AR32.50-P-0026A.
MERCEDES- BENZ: Model 215.373/374/375/376/378/379; Model 220.170/173/174/175/176/178/179; Model 221.171/176/179; Model 230.471/474/475/476/477/479 GROUP: 32 - Suspension NOTE: Vehicle lowering is generally not the result of a malfunction of a suspension strut. The suspension strut can only be responsible for vehicle lowering if it has an external leak. This can be recognized by an oil fouled boot. NOTE: The revised 3microm ABC filter entered series production as of October 2005.

the whole car is slammed on the groung right now. Also the car does not have ABC.

There is a technical service bulletin on the wiring being cut by the wiper linkage, I will email it to you....

check out Strutmasters; they have a great conversion kit.!!

probably fixed by now

not working , car has been parked awhile and system was working fine when it was parked ,but not now . I know compressor under hood and it coming on . took tires off and look at pumps and took shields under car off to look at lines . but don't know what to do now to find out what the issue could be . could you tell me what to check and how ?

Have you checked the battery? What size engine do you have?

Sean

steering wheel shakes at speeds of 60mph up, would air ride suspension not working cause this problem ? Is there any way to test air ride ?

Air suspension sitting low may contribute to the shaking but is not likely the soul cause. You may have worn steering dampner, worn suspension or steering components.

I have an 01 Mercedes S500 and the air suspension just failed on me. its very low in the rear. ! Help please Whats the best option to do?

Janine,

Have you token it to the shop to be sure its the air suspension? Could be a leak somewhere?


Harold

yeah they told me i needed to replace the whole air suspension. The cost was really outrageous. But the price was like 4500 to fix it but i mean if that's the only choice then guess i got no other option but to fix it.

Janine,

You shouldn't give up so easily. That wouldn't be the only option you have. There is one more. You are able to convert the air suspension over to coil over springs.

Really. .how does that work.?

The suspension lost its ability to retain air and the front suspension has collapsed...any help?

This is a very common issue on this vehicle. The air pump relay sticks causing the pump to over amp, which takes out he maxi fuse. The repair will require a new air suspension pump, 40 maxi fuse and pump relay.

well its called a conversion kit that eliminates the air suspension, that way you never have to worry about the air system again.

ooh okay.. well how come you know so much about it? where would i actually find this at and look it up

well the same exact thing happened to me. I have an 05 Mercedes S500 and my air suspension went out on me.. Mine was in the front. It toke me a while to save up money to fix it. but a friend told me about the conversion kits. I went to Strutmasters.com and looked up my vehicle. and found it. The kit was 937.00 for the 4 wheels. I immediately called in and ordered it cause it was way better than 5000 thousand dollars. I just wanted me car fixed. but then realizing it was actually better. Came with a lifetime warranty. who couldn't beat that.

ooh okay. well how is the ride with the conversion kit?

the ride is just as great cant tell any kind of difference.

Intermittent adjustments. Sometimes it the shocks lower then raise. Seems spontaneous. It is parked now and the front end is all the way down. I read the question about the failed pump due to a sticking relay. Seems as though this may be a failing relay? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am going to do the repairs myself, the car is my landlords, so a little deeper info on how to repair would help as well. Thank you for taking the time to read this thread. I realize there is better things to do than answer peoples questions.

If the vehicle is on the ground in the front and will not raise then yes you have a failed relay. However the airmatic pump gets fryed when the relay sticks in the on position, burning the pump and the 40amp maxi fuse in this circuit. You will have to replace the 40amp maxi fuse, the airmatic pump and the relay. The relay and fuse are located in the fuse box on the passanger side engine compartment. Look for the 40 amp maxi fuse in this box. If it's blown then this is your problem. If not then you have leaking strut towers for the front shocks. This is not a repair that can be done at home as it requires special MB tools to perform. Let me know what you find and if necessary I can walk you through the replacement of the air pump. It's not terribly difficult to replace.

so you got the kit. do u just take it to any shop or the dealer to put it on?

yeah i toke it to a shop and had it fixed a little over a grand to fix it but totally worth it. I advise you to check them out. There customer service was great.

I definitely will do that. Thanks for your help .

what does airmatic to low mean on a mercedes benz on an S500 on a 2001

Do you mean too low? When vehicle height is lower than expected, the warning would come on. Is it happening all the time and is vehicle height and ride ok?