I noticed yesterday that while most of the tire is perfect, the inside edge is worn down to the metal belt. Even without checking, it's a pretty sure bet that the UCAs are both shot.

Probably should have aligned after replacing those shocks, though...

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1992 300D 2.5T 249k - Parked with a bad transmission
1981 300SD 142k - Daily driver

Thanks for bumping this thread! For some reason I did not find this one in my search! The photo description is great, but I'd really like to hear from the guy who did it in 10 minutes...how did you manage that?? From the photos shown, it looks like an extremely involved process! Please teach me!

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1987 300TD
1984 300D
755,000 KM and going strong
BC Canada

You'll need an alignment after a UCA change, not just shocks, though. You may want to replace those KYB's with Bilstein's when they fail. I replaced one side only, and supported the car by lowering onto the LCA.

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83 SD

84 CD

Actually, you may not need to do the alignmemt after a UCA change. All the adjustments are at the LCA and tie rod.

Toomany would be correct if the car was aligned prior to UCA swapping, and adjustments were made to compensate for the weakened UCA's.

While the swaping was not a bad at it could have been, It was a ten minute job, but multiple ten minute intervals need to added together.

There a a number of steps, but the work is not really all that hard. While one person could do it, I do recommend having a helper.

I'm glad the pictorial helped someone out. For a while there it just disappeared.

I wonder if this could be a wiki?

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RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

91 W124 300D Turbo replaced, Pressure W/G actuator installed. 210K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K

Lower ball joints and bad LCA's can cause the same wear pattern as bad UCA's, or the outer edge of the wheel can wear. Either way, bad ball joints are a catastophic accident waiting to happen.

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RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

91 W124 300D Turbo replaced, Pressure W/G actuator installed. 210K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K

unless you have to borrow a sawz-all and hack through the bolts that hold the UCA to the frame, from underneath. Otherwise, ya that's not too insane an estimate, maybe with air ratchet.

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1985 300D Gretchen (Astral Silver) 220k
1983 240D 4-speed Evelyn (Orient Red) 203k


TANSTAAFL

This job does not reqiure air tools, unless you are using them for wheel removal.

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RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

91 W124 300D Turbo replaced, Pressure W/G actuator installed. 210K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K

Er, catastrophic how? I know that my right BJ is knocking, however, there's so far no wear on the tyre. The left side though, the BJ looks good (or at least the shop did not recommend replacing it) but the wear on the inner tyre is really bad. Plus there was the quarter to half-inch movement that the guy could make when pushing on the tyre.

And yeah, as far as help is concerned, both Bens Lover and XDJIO have offered to help so yeah...shooting the breeze, beer and all that will be happening soon

I reckon I will be getting an alignment done after its all over.

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1987 300TD
1984 300D
755,000 KM and going strong
BC Canada

catastrophic as in wheel falling off while going 75 mph. I've seen it happen to a SAAB, luckily not at speed, haven't heard about any Benz owners losing wheels.

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1985 300D Gretchen (Astral Silver) 220k
1983 240D 4-speed Evelyn (Orient Red) 203k


TANSTAAFL

Sorry I haven't checked on these old threads in a while. The first time I did it , I'd say it took an hour but that was with no specific guidance (just years of previous mechanical experience). It doesn't take long to remove a 17mm bolt on the sway bar, 17mm at the balljoint, 5 good whacks from a sledge, a 19mm bolt at the body, insert arm, hand tighten 19mm bolt, insert 17mm bolt into end of sway bar (using help of pry bar to bring it up in alignment), 17mm bolt on ball joint, put wheel back on, lower car and fully tighten 19mm bolt at body. I used ratcheting gear wrenches, but no air tools... If you take your time and not in a rush plan for 30 minutes, but 10 minutes is totally doable if you don't have any stubborn bolts or balljoint.

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<insert>clever statement</insert>

Let me warn all you American Car guys.... you will need to look at the Mercedes Factory Shop manual pictures of the correct wear pattern on these old Mercedes to avoid automatically thinking your car has suspension problems...

You think ' Cars is Cars'.... no, there is Mercedes....then there are other cars....

They did everything different they could figure out how to be different at ...

The exception on American Cars might be some years of the Monte Carlo... after Delorean pulled his Mercedes into the GM design center and said ' copy what they are doing right' .... which gave the very nice ridding Monte Carlo... something about neg camber or something....

Jimmy, can't you reduce the size of those picture files... I can't even get to them to download in less than 15 minutes... have mercy on your country farmer forum members...