hearing noises (in front end)

[triacon]

I lifted up the drivers side tire on my 1985 300SD. When I pull the tire at the 3 o'clock position (right hand pulling tire), I hear a clunking sound, but when pulling on the 9 o'clock point (left hand pulling tire) I really don't hear much...

lowered the vehicle,

raised the passenger side and when pulling at both points as I did on the right tire, I feel play, but don't hear that same sound, lighter sound but equal play...

I am waiting for my son in law to come over so I can view the steering parts while he pulls on the tires, but thought this must be some common trouble and figured i would post this message.

the reason i am doing this is because of a flutter type clunking while braking at around 40 - 45 mph. and a single clunk/tap sound when hitting the brake pedal at 10 mph or less......

thought a caliper might be loose, but they are not.

is this the sound you would hear if the center link or steering damper was worn, or perhaps the pitman arm. Do pitman arms go bad?

was looking at info on braking support link and also idler arm......

[124126140]

carrier bearing?

[triacon]

where is it located? are there 2 or only one?

[charmalu]

Originally Posted by 124126140

carrier bearing?

Are you refering to the center support bearing on the driveline?

I`ll place my bets on the track rod mount, the rod that runs from the lower control arm to the mount on the body. the mount might be worn and clunks. had that with our SD several years ago. my 85 300D does that now.

Here is a DIY from the Resources Tab above

http://www.peachparts.com/Wikka/W126GuideRodMount


Charlie

[vstech]

Originally Posted by charmalu

Are you refering to the center support bearing on the driveline?

I`ll place my bets on the track rod mount, the rod that runs from the lower control arm to the mount on the body. the mount might be worn and clunks. had that with our SD several years ago. my 85 300D does that now.

Here is a DIY from the Resources Tab above

http://www.peachparts.com/Wikka/W126GuideRodMount


Charlie

x2 AKA Guide rod mount/bearing

[triacon]

Well, the pictures tell it all, but not sure how to fix this problem...

So much rust under the battery base. Torsion bar bushing was loose because the cover plate was rusted through....

You can see the nuts are still 6 sided but not sure how the bolts will be if I try to remove nuts....

What's the best way to repair something like this?

Well, the pictures tell it all, but not sure how to fix this problem...

So much rust under the battery base. Torsion bar bushing was loose because the cover plate was rusted through....

You can see the nuts are still 6 sided but not sure how the bolts will be if I try to remove nuts....

What's the best way to repair something like this?

having trouble attaching photo's to this post, since I have attached them to another post....

what do I do? I deleted the second post as suggested....

[leathermang]

This will take a lot of patience..
you use a shop vac and pull all the loose rust you can from the area..
then you get a powered steel wire brush to everything you can reach... and vacuum again..

then , most important, you get a " PICK HAMMER " a body working hammer with a sharp end...and you start hitting the rusted areas and a little further out where it does not look rusted..

That is going to show you where your metal is GONE..and where you may have some strength to work from...

do that... get good pictures...and post them... we can go from there...

Pm me as soon as you post them in case I am not paying attention.... Greg

[vstech]

heh, need me to clean this uP?
I can move the first post with the pics to the end of the other thread.
If he had deleted the thread, he would have lost all the pics. this works better.

[triacon]

Based on past info, will I have the same problem on the drivers side, or it this a problem that happens because of the battery.....

Also, what kind of wire brush are you talking about? Is it a cup brush?

I did vacuum out a bunch of stuff. Some of the metal is completely gone, you can see the driveway or the road because of the total rot...

Can you give me some details on the steps ahead...

[leathermang]

It is very often a result of the placement of the battery....
but that is not an absolute given where you live and what they use on roads in the winter, etc..
Your question about the wire brush brings up the possibility that you are not in a position to do this repair safely... but we can discuss that more...
You have not posted the after vacuum pics.. but a forward looking steel cone brush, a flat side steel brush, and possible as cup steel wire brush which would fit a 90 degree angle grinder .. if you can fit it into these areas would be helpful...
You need to describe your past metal working and auto experience... and what tools you have available.... this will be the worst job you have ever done on a car.. part because of all the angles and tight spots...and because of the sealants which they have put in for sound deadening... a true mess... you could do a custom perfect paint job on this car for less hassle than this job.. if that is what you are getting at wanting to know more details...
If you do not do the investigative steps in order to help me understand the situation.. I will not be able to help you. I will not participate if I think a safe fix is not possible within your tools and helper's abilities...
and I will warn you ahead of time... there are whippersnappers on this forum who do not understand that a welded metal seam is less strong than the metal was before being subjected to that heat ( and potentially oxidation if not properly TIG welded )...
Therefor an appreciation of real steel rivets interspersed with plug welds, and safe practices to keep from setting the car on fire will be needed.
I can send you to references .... and you will need to study them and ask questions...
This is almost a structural repair on your car.... or it really may be ... depending on your investigation of what you have left to work from...
Greg

[Stretch]

I agree with leathermang you need to attack your car with an angle grinder with a wire brush attachment. This part of the car needs to be in really good condition - it needs to be structurally sound.

Although you will probably appear to be cause more damage to the car - by attacking it with a grinder - you need to know how strong it is. Weld any repairs that are necessary - don't be tempted to fill it with epoxy...

[leathermang]

Welding is often not an option when you have multi layers of ' things' some of which are petro based sound deadening, sealing, etc...
Often times overlapping into strong areas with new metal and then riveting is the only really strong safe way... and I am not talking pop rivets... LOL
A PICK HAMMER is the proper tool to assess structural soundness in this type situation....

[Stretch]

Originally Posted by leathermang

Welding is often not an option when you have multi layers of ' things' some of which are petro based sound deadening, sealing, etc...
Often times overlapping into strong areas with new metal and then riveting is the only really strong safe way... and I am not talking pop rivets... LOL
A PICK HAMMER is the proper tool to assess structural soundness in this type situation....

It depends where you are - in certain parts of Europe riveting is not permitted. You have no choice but to weld. I think this is daft as aircraft grade rivnut-type rivets are super strong... but rules is rules...

I think you might actually be able to get hold of a replacement panel:-

See post #10 and #11 in this thread for a bit that it close to it - if not it

W123 hood / bonnet spring pocket refurbishment

If you go down the welding route I would certainly get someone who knows what they are doing.

Whilst the PICK HAMMER is a certainly an appropriate tool for the job - I would at first try to keep the shape of the panel to help who ever will be fixing it unless you have another W123 you can copy shapes from...

[leathermang]

You are several steps farther along than the OP and I are....
I need pics of where this problem is before we can go to the next step..
This guy seems to be in NJ... lets not complicate the situation by applying Euro rules which make no sense....rivets are way stronger properly designed and executed than welding .. and the fact that this may be multi layers of flammable stuff pretty much eliminates welding...
A pick hammer will not change the shape of the basic metal... only show if it is structurally sound ( at a certain level )...
this is just to give an idea as to the Aread the rust has affected the firewall....

[triacon]

On this car, I have replaced the front and rear shocks, cleared up vacuum problems, dashboard bulbs, window regulator troubles, front end work ie: tie rod (drivers side) bearings, calipers, upper and lower ball joints rotors and brakes.....

My past work has been patternmaking, model maker. Made molds for replacement stones for older buildings, and cast the stones as well....

See attached photo of the largest model I have produced...

36' diameter (od) , 27' tall, round openings are 10' diameter

Will be my house someday....

Metalworking has not been a major experience in my past work, but fiberglass and epoxy and polyester resins, yes.....

I am in New Jersey. This car seems to have spent most of it's life in Georgia and Virginia. I bought it 3 years ago from a person who moved back to Jersey, brought the car with him....

There are 2 welders that I have locally to help out, or take this job on.

I was going to put some visegrips on the 2 nuts, to see if I can remove them from the bolts. Figured that if I twist off the nuts without ripping out the bolts, that would be a good sign regarding the integrity of that mount point...

I understand all the things you guys are saying about this repair job and I appreciate your cautions....

Was thinking of bringing the car to one of the welders. He is about 8 miles away from my home. I think that if I keep the speed down, I could probably get it over to him. I do have AAA so perhaps I can get a tow as well...

No new pictures as of yet... I did vacuum out all that mouse nest stuff. the photo's in earlier posts are both cluttered and clean.... I have not pressed hard with anything like a screwdriver or wire brushed anything just yet.

Anyone reading this post, living in Central New Jersey but way west (exit 15 on Rt 78) that has experience with these types of repairs would be welcome to check this out.