Greetings all,

Just a quick question for those that have changed out their steering stabilizer or steering shock. Does it improve the wandering effect you get going down the road or the constant left to right steering corrections? My 300TD seems to wander under medium to heavy wind resistance and constant correction seems to be needed to stay on the road. Any ideas?


Charles

I'm looking to do this too. The common "loose steering" problem can be because of a few things.

The steering damper, also known as the steering shock. About 20 bucks. These usually wear out by 100K miles. Good idea to replace it. The idler arm can also be a problem. This part is less than 40 bucks I beleive. May as well replace this too. Last but not least, the dreaded steering box. This is the most expensive, $500 for a new one. Hopefully this isn't the part that is worn out. It can be tightened for a temporary fix, but I had mine tightened and it got loose again after a couple months.

I replaced mine on both cars and it did make a noticeable difference wander and that annoying road steer when your car catches the grooves in the pavement. It was more noticeable on my 67 with manual steering than it was with my 74. Do check your steering coupler between the steering column and the steering gearbox. They have a habit of causing loose steering as well.
Regards,
Bryan

I replaced the one on my 300D and it made a big improvement.

I recently replacd mine and it made the steering effort easier. The one that was on there, and for all I know it was original, was all gummed up with dirt and oil. I could hardly move it in and out by hand, whereas the new I could.

Hi All,

On my car I tend to get the wandering as mentioned in this thread, I also have, I would say about an inch of "free space" I suppose you could call it. This is where I can move the wheel approximately an inch from side to side before I encounter resistance or load while on the interstate. Does this make sense? Is this a direct result of the wandering or the cause of it?

Thanks for the advice and input.

jeric

I guess it's under the car I crawl
 

Greetings All,

Thanks everyone for your input about the dampner. I don't really know if it can be a cause of a wandering front end or a solution to it. Seems like this effect just started after I had the rear tires replaced. I had adjusted the steering box slightly about a month or so and I basically got most of the play out of the wheel, about a 1/2 inch remains where it seems dead in the middle. Now it seems to require more steering movement around road curves to keep it from crossing the yellow line. Any particular linkage have a habit of going out first or should be checked for excessive play? I even had a thought that maybe the front shocks were letting me down. Anyone ever see this a cause for road wander? I keep blaming it on thick air and humidity, temps have been ranging in the 90's and humidity can be cut with a knife. I don't think the dampner will solve these problems will it?


Charles

Anyone knows how many steering dampers are there on a W126?
I may replace mine together with the idler arm.

Thanks and cheers!
:)

Mervyn
1983 W126 (280SEL)

Should only be one
 

Greetings Mervyn,

You probably only have one steering dampner attached to your center link, but to verify this look under the car and see if there isn't just one.

Charles

Hi All !


When I first got my car , it was doing the same thing that everyone is talking about in this thread. Mine had a least 2 inches of play in the steering wheel. I first replaced the Idler Arm and tried to adjust the steering box a bit, this helped some , but not quite what I had been hoping for. I then replaced the Tie Rods and had the front end lined up. This still did not take all of the play out of the steering wheel. Two weeks ago I replaced the Steering Damper or (Shock) and I can now go down the road without wandering all over. It is my belief that replacing just one of the above items will not solve the wandering problem. It takes a combination of replacement of all of these parts to completely make it drive like a new one.

My 81 240D Baby

http://home.mebtel.net/~joeb/MB1.jpg

Steering coupling
 

Channel1 has mentioned about the steering coupling.

How likely is this to fail as well?

Mervyn
1983 W126 (280SEL)

FYI, at least for W116 chassis cars, 1 inch (25mm) of play in the steering wheel is within spec. This would be the total movement from side to side. This is per the MB chassis manual.

Was there any diagnostics involved?
 

Greetings Suspension Friends,

I'm just wondering for those of you that replaced either couplings or tie-rod ends etc. Whether there was any indication that they needed replacement, or was it a process of elimination? I'd rather replace what's not working correctly instead of the entire moving suspension rod ends. The steering coupling doesn't appear to have any wear parts that I even notice, so correct me if I am wrong as to what part wears out on a solid plate coupling. I can see tie rods that have excessive play in their sockets that need replacement, but that's generally over time and not something that goes bad after just having the rear tires replaced with new ones. The steering dampner, I suppose could go at any time if it chooses to, but how do you check it to ensure you aren't replacing a good part with a like item? The idler arm I would think would have the same type of excessive play as tie-rods only in a wollowed hole situation. Anymore ideas out there before I crawl under the car?

Charles

[Edited by can-do on 07-20-2001 at 12:41 AM]

Can-do wrote:
----------------------------------------------------------Whether there was any indication that they needed replacement, or was it a process of elimination? I'd rather replace what's not working correctly instead of the entire moving suspension rod ends.
----------------------------------------------------------
Good question. Though parts like the idler arm and damper aren't that expensive, I'll still like to know when they are due for replacement.

I'm all ears.......

Mervyn
1983 W126 (280SEL)

Hi Yall,

Charles - I too am in the same position as yourself. I ordered last night from Fastlane a new steering damper. After a careful inspection of the bottom side of my car it does not appear that I have any "bad" or "going bad" steering components. The only questionable item I can see is the steering damper, which appears to be the original. I will replace mine upon receipt and let all know the outcome.

I don't know if I'm crazy or not, but, I checked the air in my tires, the rear tires were low so I air'd them up and it seems some of my "wandering" has dissipated, is this possible, or is it just wishful thinking?

Thanks,
jeric

Low tire pressure will cause some "wandering" in any car.

Yes, there are wear items in the coupler.
 

There are two or three bushings in the steering coupler. You just can't see them as they are sandiched between the coupler halves and the coupler bolts pass through the bushings. If those bushing are severely worn (or missing due to age) you will have a definite *clack* when wiggling the wheel side to side.

Another cause for wheel wander, at least with the 108's, bad front sub-frame mounts. Replacing these mounts plus the steering damper (along with a steering box reseal and new coupler bushings) got rid of all the wander.

Hi All,

This past weekend I replace my steering damper, it did "tighten" up the steering quite a bit. However, I'm trying to remove the "play" out of the steering wheel entirely (if this is possible). I've looked at all the associated parts that relate to the steering, while I'm not familular with the individual part names I can say that all the connections that have a little rubber deal on them appear to be in good condition, none are cracked, and all are very pliable. My question is: How would I know if any of the associated parts warrant replacement, I too, like Charles, would prefer to replace only the necessary parts. Is it a reasonable expectation to attempt zero "play" in the steering? I've attempted to adjust the steering box with no definite results, and I'm not real sure which direction I should proceed in to achieve the desired results.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

tnx,
jeric

The steering stabilizer will help with some bump steer. If you have wide tires then it will wander reguardless. The steering stabilizer helps more with absorbing some shock that the front end parts would normally take thus reducing front end wear.

I find my 81 SD very sensitive to tire pressure and balance (re balanced twice)with 6k on set of 205 Michelin Rainforce tires. I find 34 rear 32 front to be best combo for this car with two people and normal stuff like groceries....
William Rogers.......

William Rogers, I notice the exact same sensitivity to tire pressures. When I fill my tires, I use a trusted guage, and I try to get the tires to spec (28psi front/30 psi rear?) as closely as possible, no more than 1/4 psi variance. I need to check mine again because I think I might have a leaky left front tire. This Saturday I added 8 psi to it because it was squealing around turns, but I like to check tires cold.

steering damper installation
 

Just bought a new steering damper from fastlane to install in my 1982 280e. Does anyone know the correct torque for the bolts on this? Also, do I need to use the jack stands, or can I just use my ramps? thanks.

Ramps will work fine. Torque, well I couldn't find anything in the book so I opted for about a two grunt torque. Has worked fine at that specific torque ;).

Two Grunts will probably do it
 

Greetings Deeph8,

I think two grunts will do it but if you insist on using a torque wrench the torque value is 33 ft. lbs. Insure the front wheels are straight forward before removal of the old and installation of the new. No jack stands are required unless you aren't small enough to squeeze under the car while it sits on the ground.

Charles

steering stabilizer
 

iam about to replace the original stabilizer on my 89 300se does anyone know what the torque should be on the bolts?thanks ed

Greetings Ed,

The torque value is in the previous post and has been calculated for US spec torque wrenches. Do you need it in another value besides Lbs. ?



Charles

Here's what I've done/had done to my front end thus far:

Steering box tightened as much as possible
New drag link
both new tie rods
both new lower ball joints
new steering damper
idler arm repair kit
Alignment

After all this, the steering free play is much tighter...only about 1.5" left...rest is prolly in the steering box.

BUT...I STILL have that left to right wander and near constant re-correction from left to right. It's SERIOUSLY annoying. :mad:

Next on my list is replacement of the front shocks. Then, I'm going to have the upper control arms looked at and ensure that the upper ball joints aren't in need of replacement.

Then, as someone nentioned, Mike?, get the sub frame bushings examined.

Steering box is a little too much money for me right now but definetely on the list! I really want the front end TIGHT and 'wander-free'!!

On mine it made tons of difference. But the wondering can be due to many things esp bad allignment.
MVK

Welp...the alignment was done by Benzmac himself (with help of another tech) so.....what can I say?

I'm bringing the car back in next week anyway. I'll bring up the wandering crap and see if he has any suggestions.

Chris
'85 300SD

torque spec
 

thanks for youre reply can do.i kinda figured that the bolts might be the same size on different model cars but i just wasn t sure.33 foot pounds it is !!!! thanks again ed

Greetings CK,

I had the same problem on the '84 300SD and lived with it for about six months. Even after an alignment it seemed the same, and the tech even mentioned that the alignment wasn't out that much to cause the difference in handling. I finally got fed up with it and discarded the front tires and purchased new. Problem solved and it once again handles like a dream. Didn't think I was doing the right thing as no one could find fault in the tire tread or sidewalls, but somewhere within, they were defective. You might try switching out the rear tires with the front to see if drivability increases.


Charles

Can-Do:

Sounds like an easy and cheap possible fix...I like those kind:D

Once I get the issue solved, I'll def. be posting info on the saga.

Thanx

Chris
'85 300SD

FWIW dept.

Benzina would wander slightly, so I had a cheapo alignment done and they discovered less than optimal castor on one side. They corrected it and now it wanders worse! I don't think they re-checked the toe after they adjusted the castor. Fixing the bushings on the link took out the play and I now have about 1 inch. this is normal on a recirculating ball steering box. A rack and pinion box does not really have any play in it.
Also, tires can be surprisingly part of the problem!
My Avons are so so, but Dunlop D2's are really superior for steering.
Don't worry about getting all of the play out of the steering. Actually you must have the inch of play in the straight ahead postion. If you adjust this out with the adjustor , you will bind when you turn to one side or the other. You don't want this!

Jep Ed...I'm aware of the issue regarding tightening up the steering box too much. I think that MB specs only about 1/4" free play tho when everything is in spec.

One thing I'm gonna have done today is have the rear tires put onto the front. It's cheap and can't hurt and may even help.

Chris
'85 300SD

As I think I mentioned before, per the MB factory manual up to 25mm of play, left to right, is within spec.

Rick,

Ahh...I musta been thinking 25mm as in 25/100 = 1/4" doh.

Anyway...just got the tires rotated...rears are now on the front. Didn't seem to make any difference. :(

Chris
'85 300SD

tie rod end important.
 

I had a alignment shop do my car about 18 months ago.They said my front end was tight but I will need a steering box.Yesterday I was doing brakes,and found my drivers side outer tie rod end was bad.Replaced the end,alignment is good,and steering is tight,just spec play. So double check your shop.

Age may not play too much of a factor on the steering damper. Better is still removal perhaps of one end and checking the shock function is still present with it in a horizontal position. Still there it is probably okay. Most have probably leaked by the seal and lost their designed function over the years though.

On road instability the rear end suspension bushings should also be checked as they are also usually very old as well. Bad enough and the car will have unpredictable rear end steering.

The primary suspect usually remains the old steering boxes. If I ever saw a true low milage gas mercedes car at the salvage places. I would quickly check the steering box and remove it.