W123 Alignment and/or Front Wheel Bearing - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

saludayaker · #1 09-09-2010, 10:36 PM

So I've been reading threads and posts about alignments and I've realized that I'm confused. My 300 has been pulling to the right and the tires are wearing badly on the inside. Recently there has been a noise coming from the front left/drivers side. The sound is almost like a rubbing but nothing is touching/rubbing on the tire. It only makes the sound when I'm turning to the left and even a little when I'm holding the wheel to the left to couneract the pull. I'm thinking that's the wheel bearing-correct? I haven't found a DYI on the front wheel bearings; is it the same procedure as the rear? Is this indeed the wheel bearing and if so would a new driver's side wheel bearing and alignment and front tires fix me right up? THanks for any help as I am lost.

Diesel911 · #2 09-09-2010, 11:35 PM

Sounds like you have seveal problems going on.
Scraping and pulling to one side could be sticking front Brake Pads. Jack the front end up and spin the wheels and see if there is a lot of resistance when you turn the.
Also pull the Wheel in and out and see if you can feel any play.
Grab the Wheel top to bottom and pul with one hand and push with the other to rock the Wheel. If you feel play see if you can see where the play is coming from
Do the same but on the sides.

I cannot remember if inside tire wear is upper or lower Control Arm Bushings. But, I beleive they should be changed before any Front End Alignment is done.

working on the Front compared to rear Wheel Bearings is way different.

The Front Wheel Bearing adjustment and changing bearings is in the DIY section.
DIY Repair Links
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diy-links-parts-category/

http://www.peachparts.com/Wikka/DoItYourSelf

In the past some alignment places used to give free inspections. As long as you have a lot of "sales resistance" you could have them check the front end and that would at least tell you what the think is wrong.
Othewise you have to check all the Tie Rods, Ball Joints, Drag link and so on yourself.
You may be able to see if the Upper Control Arm Bushings are Bad but unless the lower one are extremely bad it is difficult to see.
The Issue is that the Upper and Lower Control Arm Bushings pivot on the elasticity of the Rubber and depend on that to keek the in alignment. Whem my Lower Contol Arm Bushings went bad I got the Inner Tire Wear over the course of 3 days.
When I removed the Lower control Arm Bushings I found that the Stiff Rubber had actually sheard in two.
(See the Pic in post #8 in the below thread of one side of my Lower Control Arm Bushing.)
Bent spindle?

layback40 · #3 09-10-2010, 12:48 AM

Ditto with 911,

saludayaker · #4 09-10-2010, 11:21 AM

Thanks for all the good info. Bummer-no easy/quick fix.

saludayaker · #5 09-10-2010, 11:41 AM

After doing a lot more reading, could track rod bushings be a culprit? I'm curious b/c alot of people are saying that wheel bearing rarely go bad. The tires are wearing very badly on the inside, there is that vibration/noise coming from the front left and its pulling to the right. Could the bearing do all of this?

Ok-I got my car on the jack stands now. There is no play when wiggling the tire top and bottom but definitely THERE IS play from side to side/front to back.

vstech · #6 09-10-2010, 11:49 AM

nahh, everything is an easy fix.
jack the car up on stands. spin the worn tire, and see what you see. even better, have someone else spin the tire, while you inspect things with a strong light and see what you see.
whatever is torn or worn change it.
rubbing noise on turns in the front? that does sound like wheel bearings. but it would get bad on longer drives. brakes can drag and cause the bearings to loose oil due to heat, and cause noises. rear sway bar links can cause noises on turns.
motor mounts can cause noise on turns as the motor angles over and rubs on things.

take pictures!

vstech · #7 09-10-2010, 11:50 AM

oooh, I just got a deal.
advance auto has the color 4" screen wireless backup camera on sale for 59.00!~
I'm setting it up on strong magnets to look for noises and vibrations while driving!
cheap diagnostic tool!

saludayaker · #8 09-10-2010, 11:57 AM

OK I got the car on stands now. THere is no wiggle from top to bottom but definitely IS wiggle from side to side/front to back. Does this narrow it down?

tangofox007 · #9 09-10-2010, 11:57 AM

If your UCA's are original, it's a sure bet that the bushings are shot. That's a very common cause of inner-edge tire wear. UCA replacement is a fairly easy job.

The noise while turning is very consistent with a bad wheel bearing.

saludayaker · #10 09-10-2010, 11:59 AM

ALso, when i spin it it seems to be moving/spinning ok but there is a rubbing sound. Sounds like a pad rubbing on the rotor.

tangofox007 · #11 09-10-2010, 12:09 PM

Try kicking the tire in line with the caliper and again 180 degrees opposite the caliper. (That should push the pads slightly away from the rotor.) Then see if the rubbing noise stops when the wheel is rotated by hand. If it doesn't you might have a sticking caliper piston or pad. Also make sure the dust shield isn't contacting the rotor.

saludayaker · #12 09-10-2010, 12:15 PM

This is what I'm working with. WHen i push the tire from side to side the arm that the yellow arrow is pointing to moves too.

I can't get the pics to work. Do I need to link them to something online or can I just upload them from my hard drive?