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Thread: Advice on SLS

  1. #1
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    Advice on SLS

    Hey guys,

    As you can probably tell from the thread title, I'm not happy.

    Had a go at changing the air spring on the wife's 528 touring today.

    I've read where others have changed a spring in 30 min or so. HOW ON EARTH???

    First of all - most instructions online say remove the trim above SLS connections by removing 3 10mm bolts. This is not true for a 97! mine had 4 hex bolts HIDDEN under some plastic (which fell apart when trying to move it) hidden under/in the tie down brackets! It took me forever to find this out.

    Next, the SLS connection was impossible to remove, no matter how hard I squeezed the tabs together. I can honestly say that I have no idea how I got the connector off, save to say it magically popped off after I struggled with it for ages.

    After taking the old (ORIGINAL!!!) spring out and replacing it with the new one, I popped everything together, but that damn connector would now not fully seat! When I put everything back together and the system attempted to reinflate the bag, there would be a hissing sound that only went away if I pushed down on the connector.

    I got so angry with it, I broke half the clip on purpose, trying to get the connector back off.

    Finally, I just took a mallet and hammered the bejeesus out of the connector and it seemed to have solved the leak.

    Now, the SLS seems to be inflated and working, but I have my doubts about how long it will last.

    Should I order a new clip for the connector and enter the tunnel of doom again or should I just leave it as is, as it seems to be solved?

  2. #2
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    no one will open/click this thread as they believe it is spam, so I changed it from: Advice on M*&%&*&F*!@^&%* SLS piece of SH!%#
    Shogun tricks and tips for the E32 series are HERE!

  3. #3
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    Hahaha. Thanks

  4. #4
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    I'd replace the clip... you don't want the air line popping off on a hard bump or when hauling something heavy on the back, it's no fun.

    I have a 2000 540it and I had to undo the same amount of bolts to get the cargo floor piece off to access the air strut tops, not sure why the guide said to remove 3 10mm bolts...

    I will say this, next time try lubricating the fittings before popping the air line on, that makes the job go a loooot easier.
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  5. #5
    geargrinder's Avatar
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    Here's what you should have done, much easier airbag replacement:



    Quote Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny View Post
    I'd replace the clip... you don't want the air line popping off on a hard bump or when hauling something heavy on the back, it's no fun.

    I have a 2000 540it and I had to undo the same amount of bolts to get the cargo floor piece off to access the air strut tops, not sure why the guide said to remove 3 10mm bolts...

    I will say this, next time try lubricating the fittings before popping the air line on, that makes the job go a loooot easier.
    Srsly.

    ALL THIS ^^^^

    Totally agreed. I don't know what guide you're looking at but the procedure is to remove the tie-downs, then one retainer back in the center rear, period, end of story.

    If you haven't taken the tie-downs out ever then there's the little hidey plates so the unsightly bolt heads aren't visible through the tie-down. Frankly I seldom put those back in.

    Quote Originally Posted by bmchuckleyou View Post
    I can honestly say that I have no idea how I got the connector off, save to say it magically popped off after I struggled with it for ages.
    Yes, the o-ring and seal, after 20yrs, gets pretty sticky. Not a great big deal, that part of the experience is TOTALLY NORMAL...

    You just DO NOT WANT TO BREAK THE CLIP OR THE HARD LINES. Ooops.

    This is the overriding main concern in doing this job.

    Quote Originally Posted by bmchuckleyou View Post
    After taking the old (ORIGINAL!!!) spring out and replacing it with the new one, I popped everything together, but that damn connector would now not fully seat! When I put everything back together and the system attempted to reinflate the bag, there would be a hissing sound that only went away if I pushed down on the connector.
    Yes.

    What happens is, the clip and the socket overall first kinda latches part way down on the O-ring. Or I should say, the O-ring latches in the clip-groove instead of its own groove.

    I actually got one of mine half snapped in there and it even held air nicely, it was only after a test drive where luckily it didn't pop off that I realized "weird! the left one ain't down as far as the right one... oh isht, it's not clipped in!" Gentle mallet tap, snap, all good.

    Quote Originally Posted by bmchuckleyou View Post
    I got so angry with it, I broke half the clip on purpose, trying to get the connector back off.
    Sorry. That was really dumb screw the pooch move. Not that I'm one to talk, I've had my throw-things-and-break-them moments. Still. Super bad move.

    The clips are not available from BMW separately, as is widely publicized on all the threads.

    Quote Originally Posted by bmchuckleyou View Post
    Finally, I just took a mallet and hammered the bejeesus out of the connector and it seemed to have solved the leak.
    Well what that did was get the socket all the way latched down on the bag.

    The mallet approach was actually 100% legit, what you just should have done was mallet it after a wee bit of teflon lube slathered around outside of the bag pin, and before forking up the clip.

    Quote Originally Posted by bmchuckleyou View Post
    Should I order a new clip for the connector
    Sorry bud. No can do.

    There's been talk on and off of somebody 3D printing replacements but nobody has done it. Clearly one could make a spring metal one that was nearly identical. I suspect Continental (bag maker) use plastic tho' so that it WOULD remove / install easier... A metal clip sounds great but it'd be highly likely (esp if it was steel, which would be the material to use...) to corrode against the brass head and then seize up brutally and be unremovable. Plastic is actually a good material for the job, THEY SHOULD JUST SELL THE FREAKN PART ALONE for like $3 or something. Then we could all intentionally snap them off, pry the heads off, and be on our way with no worries.

    Your best shots are this:

    1. Arnott sensibly (unlike BMW who really fork us over here) sells the bags WITH new clips of their own manufacture. Maybe you can get them to sell you a couple.
    2. You can try some guys who've replaced w/ Arnotts and see if they have their old OEM's to send you. I have one (one of my OEM's busted in removal... old plastic...) but honestly I need to keep it as a spare given the unicorn nature of the situation, sorry. I suspect a lotta guys will feel like I do but hey give it a try.
    3. With some ingenuity, ideally if you HAD a socket chopped out of a junk car, you might be able to find some kind of off-the-shelf something at a hardware store or autoparts store that clipped into that groove or that could be made to serve the function. Or maybe even wrap some welding rod / metal wire up in that slot to serve the function... although rounded profile would not be ideal - big "square wire" would be ideal...

    I'd add a 4. look around and try to find another continental-bag-based car using similar connectors where the clip is available, but, I did a bit of that research at one time and came up with forkall nuthin'.


    Quote Originally Posted by bmchuckleyou View Post
    it seems to be solved?
    It is NOT solved. As Dannzo says - it will pop off, you'll slam down onto the bumpers, the whole system will go INOP, and you'll be harshing out your whole suspension riding on the bump stops and maybe breaking real expensive isht. Trust me, that is a SUCKY experience. You gots to fix it.


    This job IS real easy, you just have to 1. not follow a bad DIY, 2. know a few tricks about the connectors, 3. be real careful w/ them unicorn clips.
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  6. #6
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    Guys....
    bmchuckleyou...
    ...I thought you could order the air pipe (from the reservoir tank)separately...? I'm purdy shure that when I replaced my tanks, those fittings had clips on them.

    left / right distribution piece pipe.... (using my Gu96619 vin , I came up with p/n's 37131093791/3792 on realoem...). I'm thinking buy the pipe and transfer the clip.... worst case, buy the pipe and transfer the entire fitting...(it's a hard thermoplastic pipe so light heating involved...etc...etc...etc...)

    Am I thinking on the right lines here ??
    "two wrongs don't make a right...only three lefts do...."
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  7. #7
    geargrinder's Avatar
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    Sorry Admiral750. None of the dices.

    That is the skinny "charge management" tube if you will, the cute little red/blue ones that go from the pump to the bags & rezzos to charge up or vent down each side.

    http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...30#37131093791

    Its been widely reported that you can't get the big beefy rezzo lines without the rezzos.

    Well indeed, you can see in the diagram, that they should be "item #4" but that's greyed out and the rezz and line are only sold as an assembly.

    Now since these are Conti/Dunlop type bags that likely use a connector thats more widely used in the car industry, I bet you anything there's SOMEPLACE where the PN exists for them - from a Merc or a Peugot or who knows what - but nobody's hunted it down. I have a whole post on the motors that go inside the mirrors and how you can fix those by franken parts stealing innards from GM and VW mirrors, this would be something like this... but we haven't had somebody have a hit on a good source quite yet.
    2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
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  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by geargrinder View Post
    Sorry Admiral750. None of the dices.

    ....
    foiled again...! lol...! lack of coffee blurreth my vision. good call man, sorry for the misguided-info...
    "two wrongs don't make a right...only three lefts do...."
    '79 Euro 635csi - gone and regretting it...
    '89 gsxr-750 - former traffic knife
    '97 528i sedan - holding on strong...(just sold after 16 years of ownership - sad day)
    '03 Euro 525it - something about a famous dolphin.....

    '06 Mercury Grand Marquis (don't ask....it gets the job done....)
    '84 Specialized Allez - full Campagnolo Super Record
    '99-ish Cannondale CAAD4
    "Stinky" - Kona Stinky Five
    '86 528e
    2008 E70 X5 3.0


  9. #9
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    Hey guys,

    Sorry for the late response.

    I actually purchased a new clip from Poland, I believe.

    I'll be tackling the job again this week, hopefully. Any pointers as to the best way to get the connector off without breaking something else?

  10. #10
    geargrinder's Avatar
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    All you're doing is putting the clip back on? Not really. If it's really stiff I'd prob try to setup a pry bar "helper" to do the lifting while holding and gently twisting back and forth with the other hand, mainly to keep from overyanking it if it pops off suddenly.

    Just pay attention to advice given already. Use some tiny amount of syn grease like superlube or similar on the nipple when you reassemble. Gently work it down past the first hitch by hand, wiggle turning again. Then if it takes a rubber mallet whack or two to seat that's fine. You shouldn't have to "hammer the bejesus out of it" though.

    Might be prepared with some Orings though. Just in case your dry-gorilla-hump approach before pinched the Oring and messed it up.

    Oh and even tho it's all is gonna take place inside, be sure to jack the car up again so you're not fighting pressure and it doesn't slam to the ground when the fitting pops out.
    2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
    2002 540iT Sport Vortech S/C 6MT LSD TiAg
    2008 Audi A3 2.0T DSG (the daily beater)
    2014 BMW X1 xDrive28i (wifemobile)

    Former:

    1985 MB Euro graymarket 300SL
    1995.5 Audi S6 Avant (utility/winter billetturbobattlewagen)


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