As I continue to observe my power steering, I guess what I'm observing is as follows: The wheel turns fine when I'm turning INTO a turn. But when I relax my grip on the wheel having made the turn and want the wheel to straighten out, I notice that I'm having to turn the wheel back into the straight position....as opposed to its doing it (mainly) by itself.

My parts guy suggests steering damper. A forum member suggests pump or gearbox. What are anyone's thoughts? It's a 1991 300D.

Thanks.

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14 E250 Bluetec 4Matic "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 158k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 177k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver on Tan, 144k mi, wastegate conversion, ALDA delete

19 Honda CR-V EX 72k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

When I have steering issues, its usually the alignment.

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1991 560 SEL / 185k miles
1992 750il / 17k miles - project car

Lower ball joint seized. I've seen more than one.

If it were a ball joint, wouldn't I hear something (like typical ball joint creaking)? Or not necessarily?

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14 E250 Bluetec 4Matic "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 158k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 177k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver on Tan, 144k mi, wastegate conversion, ALDA delete

19 Honda CR-V EX 72k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

agree.

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punkinfair

Since it looks like I'll have to get the alignment done at the dealer ($150), I'll just go ahead and replace the damper first just for the heck of it. At least rule that out as a possibility....can't hurt to have a nice new damper.

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14 E250 Bluetec 4Matic "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 158k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 177k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver on Tan, 144k mi, wastegate conversion, ALDA delete

19 Honda CR-V EX 72k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

X2 on the ball joint... Mine broke off in the grocery store parking lot this past Friday. Had the same symptoms.

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1987 300DT
2002 Ford F-250 7.3 Crew Cab Short Bed

Hmmmm......I have wondered about ball joints (mine are original). About a year ago, I heard what sounded like ball joint creaking. But it went away. I took it to my indie anyway and he indicated that they were fine. He essentially had a blank check to repair them but said they were OK. I have not heard the noise since. But now I wonder....

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14 E250 Bluetec 4Matic "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 158k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 177k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver on Tan, 144k mi, wastegate conversion, ALDA delete

19 Honda CR-V EX 72k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

In general, caster gives the steering its tendency to return to straight ahead. I go with those who suggest component wear or binding resists the self-centering force if it developed over time. Most MBs of that vintage should have the wheels aligned with the steering box locked. Too many shops align to the steering wheel which might have been repositioned during a previous alignment or other repair.

Sixto
87 300D

A binding ball joint probably won't bind with the front wheels off the ground but a steering gear or damper will. Don't count on a ball joint to make noise. Check for stiffness when returning to center with the front axle off the ground with the engine running and not running because a hydraulic issue in the gear could cause this in addition to gear mesh being adjusted too tight.

Caster does affect return-ability to center. More caster means more tendency to stay on center. 123's and 124's are spec'd with so much caster that the caster angles would have to be a mile off for return-ability to become an issue.

your car needs a correct mercedes alignment done with steering box lock and spreader bar on the wheels. The alignment on W124 seems voodoo to some sears type shops - change one setting and something else goes out.

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)

I learned about steering issues on a diesel ram. Steering threads for those trucks are surpassed only by cracked dash and injection pump threads. Return to center issues can be either hardware or adjustment. The only way to differentiate is to go through the hardware then adjust. The $8/hr monkeys assigned to the machines can't think outside of the box & usually don't understand how the variables relate.

I never ask for an alignment. Instead, I say that the vehicle is doing xxx & ask them to diagnose and price the repairs. If they diagnose alignment as the problem, I won't pay unless it fixes the problem. In other words, buy the hole, not the drill bit.

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

What kind of container do I need to transport the hole when taking it home ?

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1980 240d ,

chain elongation, cam marks reference:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/10414-help-i-need-check-stretch.html

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/305365-9-degrees-chain-stretch.html

evap fin cleaning:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/156207-photo-step-step-post-showing-w123-evaporator-removal-1983-240d-1982-300td.html?highlight=evaporator

A/C thread

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/297462-c-recommendations-mb-vehicles.html

You need at least a 1 ton 4x4 straight shift - diesel of course, preferably with Cummins 12V. Anything else may have trouble climbing the hills.

One can set toe with strings, jack stands & propre drill bit used as a feeler gauge. Good enough for Gubmt work but better used when you know everything is in good shape else you'll be questioning your toe setting.

I opt for lifetime Firestone alignments so I can use their machine frequently with impunity.

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

I have seen an improperly adjusted steering box cause this too.

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Jim