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  #1  
Old 10-14-2004, 04:11 AM
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Possible problems - 87 300D

On my last oil change, i had the opportunity to lift my car and I did a fairly simple underside check of my car. Here's what i found:

Steering related unit appears damp:


Leak around turbo area:


Various suspension components that may need replacing?





If anyone has anymore information on any of these items, please share.

Thank you

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00 Subaru Legacy (fun wagon)
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  #2  
Old 10-14-2004, 12:36 PM
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Check the ball joints. when they go the wheel can fall off. Just happened to me in the parking lot a couple of days ago. No other damage than the ball joint, but if it happened 10 minutes later at 80mph on the parkway......

Well I was very lucky.


Joe
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  #3  
Old 10-14-2004, 12:50 PM
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It looks like you need a new set tie rods or just 4 ends. The lower ball joint I'm not sure on. Mine has a leak on the bottom of the turbo also not half as bad as yours, I'm in no rush to fix it.

The first picture you posted is of the steering gear box, the shaft coming out of the fire wall is part of your steering wheel. You will need a pitman arm puller to get the arm off to replace the seal. I will tackle this same job soon on my car.

While your under their re-build the idler arm, simple to do and makes a nice difference in steering feel.
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  #4  
Old 10-14-2004, 01:52 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hatterasguy
I will tackle this same job soon on my car.
Now... why do we have to be on the opposite sides of the USA? Wish we could just meet up and tackle both cars at once
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00 Subaru Legacy (fun wagon)
96 Nissan Sentra (disavowed)
82 300SD (garage queen, will run again hopefully)
87 300DT (Gone: 10/15/2010)
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  #5  
Old 10-14-2004, 02:13 PM
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Whereabout in LA are you?
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  #6  
Old 10-14-2004, 02:18 PM
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Don't worry abou the turbo, don't worry about the PS Pump.

Do worry about your ball joints. Shocks look shot, too.
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  #7  
Old 10-14-2004, 02:43 PM
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Yeah the shocks you can put off for awhile. If the leaks are not making much of a mess or dripping, fixing them is optional.
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  #8  
Old 10-14-2004, 05:57 PM
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The leaks are more of a nusiance as they do drip and make a small mes, the other parts are what worries me. Shocks (or struts?) feel rather firm still just that the plastic boot is all shredded, but this is compared to a 90 camry with worn shocks so i guess thats comparing pineapples with apples? :p

What tools are required to do the ball joints, shocks, and possibly the tie rod joints if not the whole tie rod?

Guessing this stuff should be planned for sometime in the following weeks.
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  #9  
Old 10-14-2004, 09:53 PM
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Tie rods are simple, you need a tie rod fork or seperator and a mini sledge. Undo the nut and slide the fork between the tie rod end and pitman arm. Bang the end of the fork with the hammer and the tie rod should pop off with a little bit of effort.

The tie rod is just two ends on a threaded tube, their is one on each side of the car. With a center link (aka drag link) tieing both ends together. I recently replaced both tie rods the center link and rebuilt the idler arm on my SDL. It made a big difference in my steering feel and took out a lot of play in my wheel. If their is no rust on the tie rod tube just get 4 tie rod ends and replace them. Make sure to count the threads to get close to the proper length. Get an alignment done after.

Shocks on my SDL look simple I assume you just undo the top bolt and then undo the bottom and slide the old one out of their. Use only Bilstein shocks to the extra cost is well worth it.

Replace your steering damper while your at it, it's only $22 and might make a difference.
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  #10  
Old 10-14-2004, 10:11 PM
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What's that big hose in the middle of the turbo leak picture? I don't recall seeing that hose in the SDL.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL
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  #11  
Old 10-14-2004, 10:14 PM
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As to the turbo leak, it looks like the source is blow-by oil in the turbo inlet tube leaking past a poor attachment. Clean up that area and observe before you rebuild the turbo.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL
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  #12  
Old 01-11-2005, 06:19 PM
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1) Steering gearbox has a little leak. Not a big deal. Maybe try a partial bottle of Lucas stop leak, or Valvoline SynPower power steering fluid next time you top it off. Clean off the steering box after the treatment to see if the leak has subsided.

2) You either have excessive oil coming from the PCV tube and leaking out the intake snorkel, or the turbo body seals are leaking (pretty common on Garretts). Clean it up and monitor this, but don't lose sleep over it. Not worth fixing. The coolant hose below goes to the plastic expansion tank. Clean the oil off that hose! If it feels soft, replace the hose.

3) Sway bar bushings are shot. Cheap and fairly easy to replace. Buy the OE dealer parts, they have a Teflon sleeve to reduce noise. Aftermarket ones do not. Cost about $30 for all 4, maybe less.

4) Ball joint boot is shot, ball joint failure is coming eventually. If they're not making popping noises yet, you still have time; but plan on replacement within the next 10kmi or so (IMO). Parts are cheap, installation isn't fun.

5) You need new strut dust boots and probably the strut shaft bumper (foam thingy up top on the shaft). Probably $50 for all 4 items, maybe less. If the strut isn't leaking oil and the car rides OK, the struts are good enough for now. Changing the boots and bumpers is more of a PITA than it looks like - trust me, I've done this twice in the past 6 months on two different cars.

6) Tie rods are shot. Same as ball joints, if they're tight now, they won't be soon. Plan on replacement in ~10kmi or so. If they're loose now, replace them. I'd try to do the ball joints & tie rods at the same time since you'll need an alignment afterwards. I would also recommend replacing EVERYTHING on the steering system - both tie rod assemblies (don't just buy the 'ends'), drag link, and steering shock. Rebuild the idler arm if it's loose or sloppy, otherwise leave it alone. This stuff is relatively cheap and once it's replaced, you won't need to mess with front suspension for another 100kmi or so.

Items 3 and 5 can be done without an alignment, but 4 and 6 will need an alignment. Only let the dealer do the alignment (it's worth the $100 they want), or find an indy shop that aligns a LOT of Mercedes (not one or two per month.) Buying the tie rod assemblies (complete with new adjusting tube) is often *cheaper* than buying two new ends and threading them into your old tube, so check prices on both before ordering.


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