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Also, do I really need to use the new brass fitting or can I keep the existing one since the air tube is already connected to it?

Nevermind, I figured it out.

@@robertlindsay5931 super glad to hear you figured it out! 🙂Sorry I didn't respond earlier. What was wrong? (it might help others). The brass fitting can be re-used (just swap the o-ring), but it's probably better to cut the line and use the new one. Being a voss fitting, you push the line into the brass fitting and then pull it- that should get it sorted. Let me know!

Only the intro is vertical, I'm sorry. The rest is landscape 🙂

​@@bscliftonSo it is. My apologies jumping the gun.

Hi - sorry for the late reply. This is a tough one - if you changed those, I'd check your 40A fuse. If that is good, it should be supplying power to the compressor (you should hear the noise). If you're hearing that and it's not raising the car, I think there's a leak. If you're not hearing that, you might need to plug in with an Autel (or similar) scanner to see if you can diagnose the problem. It should be raising a fault

Thanks for that I did change the 40 amp fuse and is level now but it Look like don't wanna go up

@@orlynkatracholokoperez1025 what happens if you press the manual raise button in the center console? Does anything happen? Or does it try and then report "Malfunction"?

Did he pull the 40A fuse? I think that's important for the system to reset properly. Just pull wait a bit and put back in place.

Absolutely my pleasure! 😀 AIRMATIC is amazing if you can do the work yourself. Hard to beat the ride quality 🙂 And it's great that you can do this job with basic hand tools and a jack

I'm pretty sure I did repair and sell it on my eBay store. Because the clips usually break, I got an extra one from the junkyard in great shape ahead of time. After having plastic clips break a few dozen times, I just get in a habit of being prepared to replace the entire part.

Hi there! I worked with Nate Rogers at Mercedes-Benz of Chandler. The dealership will make you create a service invoice and provide proof of ownership as this is a Theft Relevant Part (TRP)- but you should be able to actually do the work yourself. If they are not giving you the option to buy the parts from the service advisor you should contact MBUSA and let them know

If the fronts are holding after you turn the car off, the valve block should be good. I had that issue- with rears completely down. When powered on does the rear rise? If so, definitely you have a leaking airbag or the line itself has a leak. It's pretty easy to work on though!

No, I'm in the Phoenix Arizona area

@bsclifton I'm having the same issue with my 2013 gl550 I wanted to see if you might be close I'm looking for someone to fix it

My friend Al refurbishes these- I'll usually get them at the local junkyard and send to him. I pull ones for W126 and W124. Did you need one rebuilt?

@@bsclifton I'm going to try it, I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks!

@@thebresident1967 usually, the problem should be obvious. After you open it up, there might be a lot of gunk. Cleaning this helps give more accurate reading. If it's not working, look for a snapped wire. The wire should be repairable if snapped - but I'm personally not familiar with that.

Hi there - thanks for the comment. Funny you mention this - our front struts just went out too. Well, they were working fine... but they would lose air overnight, which means they're due to be replaced. I did the job myself on Saturday and it took a while. I ordered Arnott part numbers AS-3409 (left) and AS-3408 (right). These are the Arnott engineered ones for cars with ADS (option code 214 - adaptive damping system) which your GL should have too. I got from autozone.com for $1500 after shipping/tax and they were shipped overnight. I did buy new axle nuts for each side - those were $10 each.

For doing the job, I followed this video by @MasterTechLou ruclips.net/video/R1jN7cP-4lA/видео.html Hardest part for me was removing/reinstalling the part (not a lot of clearance). I pushed the upper control arm UP and lower control arm DOWN until the part fit. Second hardest part was putting bolt through bottom of the strut (the one that goes through the lower control arm). Since I'm not using a lift, I used a bottle jack under the lower control arm to line up the fork of the lower strut with the holes in the control arm bushing. Once it lines up, you can put the carriage bolt through and hammer in with a rubber mallet. You can use a pry bar to move the sway bar out of the way if needed.

Thanks for sharing - that is good to know! 🙂 I don't really have any point of reference for the OM603 (other than my 300D). My 300D is totally stock (all MB parts) and usually sits 82 - 85-ish

@@bsclifton yeah 80’s is what mine normally runs at when your moving or on the freeway but stop and go traffic it will start to inch up close to 100. Although anything over 100 is abnormal and needs to be looked at.

Wow, that's awesome! It would be cool to meet up sometime. Do you have any pics or videos for your cars?

@@bsclifton yeah anytime! I don’t have any videos up on here but message me on Facebook if you want, Kort natali

@@bscliftonyes would love to meet up, I don’t know anyone else in this area with these cars.

A few other viewers have mentioned doing this - I'll see if I can set aside some time to figure out how to crack open the ignition cylinder. It should be using these same tumbler inserts - I just don't know how to open it / seal it closed again. For sure, you can't remove the cylinder from the ignition unless you have the key - only option there is to drill it out. You're correct that the dealer can only get a key for a VIN that you own... and even then, it's limited (ex: no new door locks, no new trunk lock). If you bought used locks from someone as a set because your door handle locks were broken for example, you won't be able to match your ignition to that unless you had proof you owned the VIN that door lock came from. I am repairing a W126 which was abused and has some broken locks - maybe a follow up video is in the future. Stay tuned! and thanks for watching!

I'm sure it's possible - but the ignition cylinder is still available new from Mercedes-Benz. Part number for W126 and W124 should be 126-460-02-04 and it's about $108 (includes a key). I'd highly recommend replacing - you just need to provide proof of ownership / registration.

Thanks! Working on these old cars is definitely fun 🙂

Do you mean the connector for the headlamps? I can show how to wire this when I get the other H4 bulb in and do the other side. It's a pretty easy one - you just need one part number `011-545-50-28` for each side.

My pleasure! Thanks for watching 🙂

Thanks! These are super special cars. Love getting them back to roadworthy status and getting them driven again 🙂

Excellent cars as you said. My father owned one in 1986 but s 350 gasoline and was great. But diesel is the best.

Sorry for the long response - I think you mean the cylinder and how the back of the cylinder is retained (ex: where I put the clip). Too short might not work. But as long as your key fits into the cylinder when there's no tumblers in place, you're good! You can use W124 cylinder with W126, etc.

It's a great looking car! (the white 1991 300SEL). Well, minus the clapped out interior I've been moving over from the 300SDL 😂The head gasket is blown and head is in a partially disassembled state. Some parts are in the trunk - but I don't think I have tools or talent to properly repair. Once everything good is moved over to the great running 300SDL, I definitely think it would be a lost cause to fix. I definitely don't have the money and time required to get this one back in good shape unfortunately.

Super glad you asked - the way I did it worked... but something was shorting occasionally (every few days). I should make an updated video to share that. I ended up tossing this inside assembly in the trash and replacing it with the inside portion of the steering wheel from a 1993 300E (1992 works also; 1991 is the older W126 style one) and that was already wired correctly

⁠@@bscliftonthanks for the info. Im gonna try to do the same, source one that already has the wiring in place and move it over

I did almost the same thing you did but no horn function so not sure how to resolve this. It sounds like you had a similar issue.

Nicely done! I really like the AIRMATIC system. Super comfortable ride and not too complicated. Cheers 🍻

Good question - when replacing the valve block, you can just jack up the front of the car like I did. The rear being lowered is OK and expected as removing the air lines from the valve block will release all the air in the system. When the car comes back on, the compressor will refill the components. The compressor (when working properly) has safeguards to prevent extreme usage... For example, it monitors its temperature it'll stop temporarily if it's overheated. But filling the system up when empty is not a problem at all. AIRMATIC is a very nice system 🙂

​@bsclifton do you know if the rear air bag you replaced is the same as a gls 63? Thanks

@@brodywinslow1820 unfortunately no, I do not know. AMG models typically have different suspension. You should be able to check on the Arnott website to find the part number and more information

I change 5 compressors in less then 6 months. Now is doesn’t go up at all.

@@Peterson-i8o yikes - you replaced the compressor 5 times in less than 6 months? I think a full diagnostic of the AIRMATIC system is due. Possibly replacing all of the supply lines, o-rings and fittings, the valve block, etc. Or maybe just sell the car 😂 There's definitely a point where it's not worth the headache

You might only need to remove the parts on the underside if you're replacing the distribution block. In my case, I replaced that and had some other "while you're in there" projects. The electrical connector for the sunvisor (what powers the mirror light) was missing on one side, I had some broken parts with the mirror. To be extra sure, I would highly recommend watching the video by TopHydraulics ruclips.net/video/tu16hvKg-a4/видео.html

Super glad you found it useful! It's definitely not the hardest job I've ever done on a car - but it did take a LOT of patience. With some cold beverages, some good music, and breaks when you get frustrated... you can definitely do it and be in great shape. Putting some grease on the end of the screwdriver when putting the e-clips into place helps too! I appreciate the "brave man" comment - although I think I'm more stubborn 😂 Given enough time, anyone can eventually do it - that's more of the boat I fell into. Learned a TON doing this - I can easily see this being easier the next time and then simple the time after that.

You're very welcome - definitely my pleasure to post these types of videos. There wasn't a ton to reference when I was doing it. Parts are absolutely getting harder to find! Kudos on doing the lower wiring harness - I really wish I did that and and MAF wiring. Glad you found the false firewall trick useful! Thanks for watching and commenting 🙂

I have PDF of the owners manual - you can search your favorite search engine for "Brian Clifton Mercedes R129" and you should find my page. I don't think RUclips lets me put links

@@bsclifton Thank you, much appreciated!

Awesome! Replacing motor mounts is one of my favorite fixes 🙂 My mounts were completely blown on my 1987 300D (diesel) which has a similar setup to the R129. That was a night and day difference - the car stopped shaking at idle 🤣 This one (SL320) was more when accelerating. I think you'll be in great shape and it's not too scary! Let us know how it goes

@bsclifton I was able to do the right side without too many issues. The left side had to buy the dog bone offset wrench which I'm waiting to arrive. In the same process I did shifter bushings after buying the special tool, worth the money. The journey continues 😅

@@AndyTranfl very cool! Thanks for the update 🙂 Having the right tool makes ALL the difference.

The two components I replaced were the vacuum box (basically the vacuum pod) for the stop lever itself and the vacuum connection that goes to the ignition. There are two brown vacuum lines running from the ignition. One goes to the vacuum box and other goes to brake booster. You can see the proper behavior for the stop lever at 7:03. With car on, it should be in UP position. When car turns off, it should move down to DOWN position. When turning key in ignition to position 2, it should go into UP position. The vacuum hose itself is on top of the vacuum box. In my clips, there's a long rubber hose connected to the brown vacuum hose which goes to the white colored vacuum box. Hope this helps!

You're very welcome! Glad you found it useful 😃

Hi @shaazy - I did not install the bushings actually. In a prior video, you can see me completely fail to install 😂 I took the parts to Mercedes-Benz of Chandler and they helped me out. There is a correct orientation, you're right. The bushings have lines on them. I edited the video description to include a link to photos you can use to compare! Let me know if this helps 🙂

I replied to your other comment - but please see the links to photos in the video description for ruclips.net/video/6wmisf0mCzo/видео.html

I found all the SL600 wood trims at the junkyard and then I had restoredinusa.com do the refinishing. That was $875 USD and it turned out perfect 🙂 The bird's eye maple rolling box wood is not shown - but I had that too (from the SL600). The pull handle broke on that unfortunately, so I swapped it out for the vinyl one.

Hi @SmanEDITS - these are called Eccentric bolts and the part number for one bolt (includes hardware) is 201-330-00-18. Should be around $10 USD at the dealer for the Genuine MB branded part.

Thanks for watching! And yeah - it definitely takes some dedication! 🤣 In this case, it was a GREAT "while you're in there" since my dash was horrible shape. When it's all working, it is cool seeing the pods actuate. Many of the pods in W126 are accessible without pulling the dash; I wish it was the same with W124.

1993 should have been the 300SL which was the M103 engine. If that is what you have, the part number for distributor cap would be 103-158-00-02. 300SL-24 and SL320 models had the M104 which uses HFM (uses mass air flow sensor). The M103 is using CIS-E (Bosch Jetronic). You can visually tell if you have CIS-E/Jetronic because you'll have hard fuel lines going to the injectors and a distributor cap. HFM uses intake manifold and ignition coils.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean? The red connector shown in the video connects to the airbag. The back of the steering wheel has the metal contacts for clock spring - when the steering wheel is put in place, this makes electrical contact. 1994 and 1995 had a different type of connector. Maybe this is what you have?