Steering GearBox For 1981 240D

[coolerelmo]

I went to Firestone today for them to check out why there was alot of play in the steering wheel.

They came back and said that the steering gearbox is bad and it needs to be replaced. They gave a price of $675.00 to rebuild the one that is in the car right now. Good price? You can buy a rebuild from this site for $557.29 Which one would be better?

How can the gearbox go bad?

[JimmyL]

I would not go to Firestone for tires! I sure wouldn't go there and expect them to know anything about my Mercedes.
Matter of fact, I wouldn't expect them to know anything about my F-150 either.
Find an Indy mechanic at least......

[t walgamuth]

have you tried to adjust it? it is about impossible to wear out a benz steering box. i have had good results adjusting them with 275k on them.

you need to loosten the 19mm lock nut then take the allen screw and turn it counterclockwise with the steering wheel straight ahead til you begin to get resisitance turning, then go back til it is free.

it will take some wd 40 to get it all free (the adjusting parts).

good luck

tom w

[coolerelmo]

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

have you tried to adjust it? it is about impossible to wear out a benz steering box. i have had good results adjusting them with 275k on them.

you need to loosten the 19mm lock nut then take the allen screw and turn it counterclockwise with the steering wheel straight ahead til you begin to get resisitance turning, then go back til it is free.

it will take some wd 40 to get it all free (the adjusting parts).

good luck

tom w

I didn't know you could adjust it. I don't know if this would help. This is becuase sometimes the steering is OK, other times you have to go all the way to the right to go straight.

How could the gearbox go bad, if it did?

[barry123400]

I am not sure what you mean exactly about all the way to the right sometimes to get the car to go straight. If it does this intermittently it sounds like something is really wrong . On the otherhand it might just be your way of describing a normally sloppy steering box. If truly an intermittent problem you should not drive the car until it is fixed. How about a good used steering box from a salvage yard or ebay if you can locate one. I see no reason why the box from a 123 gas car would not be identical and perhaps easier to get a lower milage used example than from a junk 123 diesel car. Also have a look at the rear axel rubber suspension mounts. If they are in terrible condition you might get a condition something like you describe as well. It is called rear steering and is a real pain to drive with if there. If you lived in the rust belt there could be more concerns even but fortunatly you do not. Not trying to scare you but if it is not happening all the time you should not delay in finding/repairing the cause.

[sokoloff]

The steering box is probably the last thing you want to look at when trying to take slop out of the steering. Mine has never been adjusted and I've owned the car since new. Any sloppiness was always caused by something other than the box. I have heard of a number of guys who went right to the box and adjusted it and a few thousand miles later were replacing the box because they over did it.

Len
'83 240D 346,000 miles

[Ara T.]

6 inches of play? Are you ****tin me? So you can turn the steering wheel 6 inches and nothing will happen to the front wheels?

[300SDog]

6 inches of play? Are you ****tin me? So you can turn the steering wheel 6 inches and nothing will happen to the front wheels?

Nope it means I've got about 6" of steering play before feeling resistance standing still and engine shut off. Try this yourself and you will find the same specs. Stevo's method with the car standing still produces the same results.

Originally Posted by Len

Spec is one inch of play, i.e. 25mm. Len

Once again - how in the world is this measured?? To hell with "25mm / 1 inch spec"..... nobody knows how this is measured so it's meaningless.

[Stevo]

Originally Posted by 240Dog

Once again - how in the world is this measured?? To hell with "25mm / 1 inch spec"..... nobody knows how this is measured so it's meaningless.

240Dog

I think your making too much of an ordeal outa this...just hold something next to the steering wheel, how far does it travel in either direction before it encounters any resistance?

[coolerelmo]

I took my 240D over to my friends Goodyear place and found that the problem was with the Idleer arm.

[coolerelmo]

Steering is alot better now with the idler arm repaired. The person at the shop said that the lower control arm bushings are poor. If I replaced these would this effect anything on the steering?