.. ball joints that is.

Its too cold to work outdoors on the cars, so I decided to get destructive with the failed UCA I replaced on my 300D turbo and find out what things were like inside it, maybe even understand why it wore out. The failure I experienced was visible vertical play -- I could move it vertically about 3/16" (2mm) by hand and could see it moving more under higher load. Others might not call that worn enough to replace, but I do.

Pictures (1-4 of 8):
1: The control arm, showing the MB logo. This looks to be a genuine MB replacement part.

2: Ball joint sans boot. Everthing is bathed in what appears to be good grease. I wonder why it wore out?

3: Boot and glued-on retainer ring. It doesn't show from this picture, but the boot is in good condition -- no cracks or tears. I took the ring off for practice, but because it was glued in place with that yellow stuff, it was a bear to remove. I also bent it a bit getting it off, so I don't know how well it would seal if I had to put it back on. With a glued on ring, this is definately the original boot.

4: Cutaway. There's the ball, surrounded by a thin grey plastic socket liner and a yellow plastic cap on top. Notice in this picture how the grey liner extends all the way to the hole in the arm.

Attached Thumbnails

       

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'83 300DTurbo http://badges.fuelly.com/images/smallsig-us/318559.png

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