You dont disconnect them thru the spring. They have a cover you remove from inside the car to get at the fittings.
Karl Wittnebel wrote:
Hardest part is disconnecting the hydraulic fittings through the spring. PITA. Otherwise torx head bolt under the carpet in the rear, just behind rear seat where it folds down. Removal from A-arm is simple. These rarely go bad. Make sure it is not your pump, the check valve, the ride height sensor arm, or the air reservoir things. you can rebuild the valve for next to nothing. There are a bunch of posts on how to test the system. You can even replace the ball joints on the bottom of each cylinder with a special tool, as they sometimes go bad before the rest of the unit. Karl Wittnebel
-- Kaleb C. Striplin/Claremore, OK (2x) 91 300D 2.5 Turbo, 90 420SEL, 89 560SEL, 87 300SDL, 85 380SE 5.0 Euro, 84 190D 2.2, 81 240D, 76 240D, 76 300D, 72 250C, 69 250 http://www.okiebenz.com