rear strut on 190E

This is the most confusing question I ever read... could yo please clarify.

Sorry about that... i tried to be very precise.... The shock is of the old hydraulic type and started ratteling around in my wheel well with fluid leaking out of them. The inner shaft of the shock was ratteling against the hole in the wheel well.... it was all lose and I could freely extend the inner shaft of the shock up and down by hand... no resistance whatever

I then removed the top screws, and jacked the car up and removed the bottom bolt on the swing arm to stop the ratteling around and to get ready to put a new shock in on the weekend.

What has puzzled me is what keeps the shock (when working properly) in place. I did not notice a support on the out body of the shock that would support it against the wheel well (ie from below)... since the shocks are supposed to compressed when installing, this has puzzled me because it seems to me that when the inner shaft of the shock extends, there is nothing to stop it extension once it goes through the hole in the wheel well.

cheers, guenter

Never drive without shock absorber... even if it is completely dead.

Ya, sounds like a bad shock absorber... uh huh! What prevent the rod from forcing out of the hole in the shock body is the piston head. But the rod can be unscrewed from the piston head too if you let the rod keep spinning while trying to remove the nut. If under pressure, the rod would have shot out.

Since you have no pressure whatsoever, rod wouldn't come out that fast.

thanks for that Tiger. I meanwhile bought a new shock and I noticed that the reason for the failure of mine was that a support washer that is essentialy press fitted onto the rod near the top had rusted and slid down the rod. so, the shock is normally compressed and what keeps the rod in place is a press fitted washer below the wheelwell sheet metal, and a couple of nuts that clamp another washer onto the top of the wheelwell sheet metal. I know, very confusing if one can't point at things.

cheers, guenter

cheers, guenter

I just finished installing a rear shock on my 190E. Absolute piece of cake (ie very easy) .... sometimes i read that you need to jacks.. no way. simply jack up car normally, remove tire and then compress shock (strut) agains pavement ... it takes 15 sec or so to extend again .... and then simply pop the shock into place and tighten carriage bolt at bottom and the two nuts on top.

don't even ask what the dealer quoted me for this job.... all in all I was not out there more than 1/2 hour

cheers, guenter

ps re driving without shock in place.... absolutely not a problem, although your braking will be compromised because of the excessive wheel chatter

quite agree changing shocks are so easy,after readiing the first post i thought wouldnt like to do that job i must have a different car as quoted 15 mins job done have done mine a few time

"Guenter Scholz" wrote