Q for W140 gurus - steering gearbox

[glenlloyd]

Ok, so my car needs a new steering gearbox. It is and has been leaking for quite a while since before I got the car and although I adjusted it and resolved a lot of the steering problems it appears as though it has gone on for too long.

My easiest solution is to acquire a used gearbox from a yard I'm familiar with and which happens to have a 95 S320 W140 and is reasonably priced, the problem is that there appears to be a cutoff in vin, at A166259, for gearboxes and the two cars are different because of this. A Benz tech told me he had never heard of this and thought they were all the same.

At any rate, I'm hoping that someone here knows what the differences are and whether or not you can interchange the supposed later gearbox in place of the earlier one, perhaps with inclusion of the pump itself.

The problem here is that I don't believe my pump can be fixed as it is, it seems to have been overlooked for too long, and second, there are so few of these cars in Iowa that I know of it makes finding replacement parts on the used circuit rather difficult. I can't entertain new on this item, I had read somewhere that a new one is $3800, I have a transmission to overhaul still.

Any advice or info about this would be much appreciated.

Steve A

[mespe]

you are correct at the cut-off, parts catalog doesn't go any further like use up old stock first ,,,

[tee51397]

Don't know about the interchangeability but can verify the new price. I need a new one for my 240d and was just quoted $3,500 yesterday (dealer), it made me very sad.

[noah brinkman]

can you find a working but a cheap one to swap in

then rebuild yours the kit is like 26 bucks then swap in rebuilt one

this is what I plan to do after I take care of some hardline crack issuse
and maybe timing stuff

[glenlloyd]

Originally Posted by noah brinkman

can you find a working but a cheap one to swap in

then rebuild yours the kit is like 26 bucks then swap in rebuilt one

this is what I plan to do after I take care of some hardline crack issuse
and maybe timing stuff

Thanks for the comments guys, I still wonder why the change and what the change actually was. So far I haven't been able to find a good answer on this.

Problem is there's no cheap replacement local to me. There are all of three S class cars in Iowa (that I know of), one that uses the same gear and two that use the later steering gear. The one that I know of that uses the early gear is expensive to buy just to overhaul mine and some driving distance away. Of the two later gears one is on an S320 that is past the VIN cutoff but very reasonably priced at a yard I'm familiar with, the other, also past the VIN cutoff is on an S500 at a local full service yard that only allows escort access into the yard.

From casual visual inspection these units look the same, I cannot tell the difference, but there could be one. That's why I've been struggling with what to do about this, but I cannot adjust further on this steering gear, it's too worn I think. The prior owners drove it too long with a horrible wobble and it's taken a toll on the steering gear and some other components. The car drives ok and it is aligned properly, but there's still a subtle vibration in the steering that has to be resolved.

If someone finds something else let me know, I still would like to understand what the difference is, but as I have tomorrow and Friday off I plan (sans rain) to go out and perhaps pull the gear off the S320.

Thanks
Steve A

[Junkman]

Originally Posted by glenlloyd

From casual visual inspection these units look the same, I cannot tell the difference, but there could be one. That's why I've been struggling with what to do about this, but I cannot adjust further on this steering gear, it's too worn I think.

I suggest calling a rebuilder. Someone familiar with these boxes would be preferable. I went through problems with my diesel Ram. There the main difference between 1/2, 3/4 & 1 ton trucks is the gear ratio. They all bolt up. RedheadSteering may be Ram specific but is helpful & knowledgable. http://www.redheadsteeringgears.com/ Start there unless you find something MBZ specific. You can't keep cranking on the over center nut and expect the box to work.

Or try these people. They have a good rep on another car (type) site.

https://www.carsteering.com/power_boxes.htm

[glenlloyd]

Originally Posted by Junkman

I suggest calling a rebuilder. Someone familiar with these boxes would be preferable. I went through problems with my diesel Ram. There the main difference between 1/2, 3/4 & 1 ton trucks is the gear ratio. They all bolt up. RedheadSteering may be Ram specific but is helpful & knowledgable. http://www.redheadsteeringgears.com/ Start there unless you find something MBZ specific. You can't keep cranking on the over center nut and expect the box to work.

Or try these people. They have a good rep on another car (type) site.

https://www.carsteering.com/power_boxes.htm

I'll check with your sources to see if I can find some information about the different steering gears.

As for adjusting, I have adjusted this box once and then backed it off repeatedly until the car corrects itself post-turns. It's not that I keep tightening it, it's that further tightening doesn't result in any meaningful change. As I said, I think it was ignored for too long by the PO.

Thanks
Steve A