Need help very scary and rough day today in 300d - Page 4 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

vstech · #46 08-23-2007, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kbenjamin0106

too late the car is done from alignment. all i need to do now is put in the new swaybar links. mom said its alot better for her since i tightened the wheel. mabey it was just the 4 inches of play in the wheel. so when she would turn right there that gap and she does like to turn the wheel alot. Making things short, 300d not made for females. She *****es about both the cars, i think she just cant drive one the way it should be drivin.

careful about this statement, others will disagree.
personally, I don't think ANY cars are made for females... they should all stay home or be driven.
wait, no females will be reading this right?... uh oh...

kbenjamin0106 · #47 08-23-2007, 11:17 AM

john im totally with you. i was praying when i was in the car with her. im not even kidding. i wish i was able to drive that day, never take pills that get you sleepy...when you have someone who cant drive a mb on the highway without the car drifting to the middle.

kbenjamin0106 · #48 08-23-2007, 12:10 PM

CONCLUSION TIME. went to the shop got it looked at and the alignment got done. still too much play in the wheel. my 83 is fine. this was all a loose steering wheel problem...well and i need to get under the car tonite to put the links on so it doesnt make that damn noise. well i thank you all for your time. but one last question. i just looked atthe car now, but waht is the correct safe temperature of the car...im feeling of a new problem coming on...

kbenjamin0106 · #49 08-23-2007, 12:17 PM

Alignment outcome.

Got it aligned the guy said theres still too much play in the wheel but mom said it got alot better but, ill throw up the hood again and tighten up the wheel some more.

I think the only problem was the wheel cause it was too loose, and it can turn by itself when there alot of play in it. i remember when we were on the highway she said theres a gap in the wheel when going to the right side. that gap is the play in the wheel. you know what i mean everyone?

Im so ready for them linkages out and ready for the new ones. anything i should look out for when doing that?

rrgrassi · #50 08-23-2007, 12:24 PM

Be careful of what you remove, or else you will be paying for an alignment again. Also be carefull of how much adjusting you do for the steering. IIRC, specs are 1/2 to 1 inch of steering wheel play.

Hatterasguy · #51 08-23-2007, 01:29 PM

Sounds like you need a new steering gear box. Its pretty commen with these cars around 200k miles they have a lot of slop.

patbob · #52 08-23-2007, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kbenjamin0106

Alignment outcome.

Got it aligned the guy said theres still too much play in the wheel but mom said it got alot better but, ill throw up the hood again and tighten up the wheel some more.

I think the only problem was the wheel cause it was too loose, and it can turn by itself when there alot of play in it. i remember when we were on the highway she said theres a gap in the wheel when going to the right side. that gap is the play in the wheel. you know what i mean everyone?

Im so ready for them linkages out and ready for the new ones. anything i should look out for when doing that?

You might want to check that the play really is in the steering gear, and not somehwere else in the column. There's a flex disk in there that could be worn, and I've heard there's bushings too that can cause excessive play. But yes, there will pretty much always be a bit of a "gap".

A worn steering damper also makes the existing gap feel worse as it's all that resists the wander within the gap. Its job is to damp the wander, not eliminate it, but when it stops damping, the wander happens fast and easily.

I think you can safely not worry about worn parts for now because the alignment guy will have checked them for play before doing an alignment. They make a lot more money off replacing the easy parts than the alignment, so it is in their interest to check them first. If nothing else fixes the problem, then check for them, especially the hard to replace ones that they wouldn't have made much money off of anyway.

kbenjamin0106 · #53 08-23-2007, 01:52 PM

yea i guess the loose steering wheel did all that...he did check all the shocks, links, etc. he said everything is fine. but the steering wheel still has little play. i had him do my 83 right after and he said everything is tight and the wheel is perfect. so i was tempted to go out and do the linkages but once i forgot its aligned in the back with the sway bar links, that was a stupid idea i was gonna do it after the appointment...oh well. thanks again.

LUVMBDiesels · #54 08-23-2007, 02:39 PM

I tightened my steering box by about 3/4 turn and it made a big difference.
Give it a try. One thing that helps is to jack the front of the car up. Then you can turn the wheel both ways and make sure you are not binding after you adjusted it.

I also flushed the power steering system and replaced the filter and fluid. not that that has anything to do with your problem, but if you are working in that area it is a good thing to take care of.

vstech · #55 08-23-2007, 03:11 PM

did you delete the original post?
all conclusions should be in the original post. this forum is not just for you. any problems with these cars get solutions and they should stay. really, don't delete questions once you have an answer, it ruins the forum for the rest of us.

jshadows · #56 08-23-2007, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LUVMBDiesels

I tightened my steering box by about 3/4 turn and it made a big difference.
Give it a try. One thing that helps is to jack the front of the car up. Then you can turn the wheel both ways and make sure you are not binding after you adjusted it.

Alternatively, pull the pitman arm and then adjust. This will isolate the steering box from the rest of the contraption so that some other component play isn't mistaken for steering play.

JimmyL · #57 08-23-2007, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kbenjamin0106

jimmy must not like me that much...

I don't dislike you at all. But you do annoy me! Don't worry though, I guess I'm easily annoyed.......

Oh, and your posts wander all over the road waaay more than your car does.

I can offer just the posts above and have a very solid case.

I'll leave you alone now. Sorry.......

**edit**
am I the only one whose head is spinning after trying to fight through posts 48 and 49, which amazingly are also only 7 minutes apart.

kbenjamin0106 · #58 08-23-2007, 06:33 PM

sorry i didnt mean to delete this. but your right this will be handy for someone that happens to next. i believe the car is alright now. no problems. thanks for all the ideas and help.

but this is short version of what i did. checked all tires, saw it was very unevened. tightened the wheel a good bit, and got an alignment. and so far my mom says its fine. but i need to see her tommorow on the road.