Does this happen to your w123? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Novice · #1 02-03-2009, 07:23 PM

I had the car jaked up on stands several times to get under it to work.
Later on I had problems closing the doors. They don't like to close easily usually going to the first position but not to the second. I lubed them up good and got them to close, but they take a little effort to close. It must be the body twisting that does it but will it work itself out?

79Mercy · #2 02-03-2009, 07:26 PM

My doors shut wierd when you have the right or left side front or rear jacked up at one time. Once back on the ground its fine.

POS · #3 02-03-2009, 07:26 PM

I've heard that the coupes tend to do some flexing when jacked or on a lift, but the sedans are supposed to be quite solid without any flexing. I would say the two are coincidental.

Jeremy5848 · #4 02-03-2009, 08:05 PM

Unless there's some serious concealed rust in the frame!

lutzTD · #5 02-03-2009, 08:10 PM

ive had mine up on stands for weeks at a time with no door issues, where are you putting the jack stands?

Novice · #6 02-03-2009, 08:27 PM

I tried to find something that appeared to be solid. My jack stands are for big trucks so i could not jack high enough to get under a axel with a stand. I think it was in area's that are formed into box shapes.

compu_85 · #7 02-03-2009, 08:37 PM

If you bent the car jacking it up consider it an early warning.... you probably shouldn't be driving the car! Unless it's super rotted there's no way you bent the frame lifting it up.

-Jason

Novice · #8 02-03-2009, 08:54 PM

The car has just a few surface spots of rust, nothing under it is bad.(that I knowticed) Using the old jack holes there is no bad sounds as it goes up. I did have one years ago where you heard the rust breaking when you jacked it up. Still as all objects go they must have some flex, hopefully some driving will flex it back out. ---I hope

pawoSD · #9 02-03-2009, 09:05 PM

I've jacked up all of our cars high one one corner before (real high) and was still able to open all of the doors with no difference. Some of the cars even have a little rust.

sd300td · #10 02-03-2009, 09:51 PM

worn out door check strap?

bgkast · #11 02-03-2009, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

I've jacked up all of our cars high one one corner before (real high) and was still able to open all of the doors with no difference.

Me too

RML · #12 02-03-2009, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Novice

They don't like to close easily usually going to the first position but not to the second. I lubed them up good and got them to close . . .

Did you lube the hinge or the door check strap? Unless you took the inner panels off of the doors, I doubt that you got any grease into the door check strap. The positions on each door are controlled by two large spring loaded ball bearings. The spring sits between the ball bearings in a cylinder and as you pull the door open, the balls seat in concave cup-like places in a metal channel. This may be hard to picture, but go to the parts section here and look under "body mechanical" and then "door check". You will see what I am talking about. Rust forms in this mechanism. If you catch it early, grease will keep it from binding up on you. In bad cases of rust, is possible for the door to open and not close. This is rather inconvenient if you are out somewhere away from home.

I may have had a very very slight change in how my doors opened when I had my cars up on jack stands but nothing I would worry about. I am careful to put the jack stands under the jack points. I also insert a small piece of 2x4 between the stand and the metal of the car, just so I am not digging into the undercoating. I jack it up from the middle with the cross beam or the rear end and carefully set it down on the stands. I don't think I am doing much flexing of the body this way. I may be overcautious, but this is how I routinely go about it.

turbobenz · #13 02-04-2009, 06:15 AM

W123's do this. If you jack up one corner, the doors will not close with the same sound (if you close it while its up). In my experience, its not permanent like yours. My 300sd doesn't flex at all

I had a 123 jacked real high on the drivers side jack point this evening. The door was different but it had no "memory" that this happened after I lowered it. My dads coupe does this too and I recall my first car did it also. Never tried on my blue car

pawoSD · #14 02-04-2009, 07:37 AM

The 300SD/W126 has an even stiffer chassis than the W123.....they used a large percentage of "high strength structural steel" in their design.....something not found on the W123.....they did the same thing with the W124, high strength steel.....those don't flex at all, they're like a vault!

Of course the "W123 flexing" is practically on the molecular level its so minute.

IndianaJo · #15 02-04-2009, 08:30 AM

yeah, my 80 240d the doors don't close after I worked on the brakes, they did when I bought it. I've been jacking it up using bottle jacks under the front mount of the rear suspension, also the front suspension a-arm. I made gadgets for the jack points but they don't hook in, I don't feel safe using them with bottle jacks. All the car has to do is start sliding sideways using the jack points and it will go all the way down, unless you have them caged with an electric 4 pt lift bolted to a concrete floor.