1987 190d 2.5 turbo front end shake around 60mph. Any ideas?
 

since i bought my 190dt it has slowly been showing its true nature. the new problem is that it will occasionally shake very violently at highway speeds. (the speedo doesn't work so i cant tell exact speed. +2500rpm in 4th gear auto.) the sake is not always there.

It first happened a few hours after i got some used tires. as soon as it happened i stopped the car and checked all the lug nuts. at this time the shaking went away.

A few weeks later I did the front brakes. As soon as i jumped on the freeway the shaking was back with a vengeance. Ever since this day the shaking has been more frequent and the car always feels a little "squirly" on the freeway.

just so you know. the first thing i am goin to try is to replace the rubber strut mounts. the ones in the car are very cracked and worn out. after that i think i will get a set of used wheels from a local junker. the wheels on the car are not atock and have alot of curb rash.

I would like to blame alignment or bent rim but the fact that is doesnt happen all the time has me doubting that.

any ideas?

strut mount pics
 

ok s i just went out to take some pics and realized just how bad the strut mounts are. the new ones are on order but in the meantime this car will stay parked. I will have to break out my old reliable "Daisy" 240d. :)

http://i336.photobucket.com/albums/n...4-19125737.jpg

http://i336.photobucket.com/albums/n...4-19125746.jpg

ok. i replaced the strut mounts and had the wheels checked for balance and bends. still not fixed. :(

on payday i will be buying new tie rods and idles arm rebuild kit.

One or both bottom ball-joints will have excess play.

If I had your problem and I didn't know the ball joints were recently replaced I would start there with new Lemforder (sp?) or genuine Mercedes replacements. Next, I would pull the car over a ditch such that I could lay down under it with a flashlight without the car running. Have a friend sit inside and slowly move the steering wheel back and forth. Observe all the steering components for play starting with the rag joint where the steering wheel shaft connects with the steering gear box. There are 8-10 moving spots that can be worn and require R&R. No need to replace them all unless they are bad. Do a search on the forum about which mfgrs to avoid as some folks have experienced some poor results from specific companies.

The violent death shake is mostly caused by extremely worn ball joints and distorted tires. New Lemforder brand parts (who are also OEM to MB) are very rightly priced about 20 per side, but its quite a chore to install if you dont have a proper press. Dont choose any other brand or you may expereince a bad accident. The ball joints on a W201 and W124 are under tension at all times

I replaced the joints on my car - and here is a thread for it.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/335259-w124-ball-joint-press.html

I agree with the diagnosis...had similar shimmy on my car a year ago. Definitely go with the factory ball joints. You also might want to replace the steering damper as well.

Old Tires + worn suspension parts
 

It's the older tires (poorly worn due to worn suspension) that initially set the wobble into action. You can put new tires on + maybe a new steering shock to help mellow out the effect of worn suspension parts for a quick short term remedy.

But without a suspension refresh i.e. ball joints, the tires will soon begin to shape like your old tires and the death wobble will return before you know it.

So as you know the suspension parts mentioned by other members need to be refreshed and you're going to need new tires afterward to complete the fix.

I've temporarily "cured" the death wobble with new tires & new steering shock only to wreck the tires (nice michellins) within 10,000 miles and having the wobble start up again.

I have paper work saying that the ball joints were replaced two years ago. (But that doesn't rule it out in my mind because I don't know what brand they used.) The paper work says the p.o. had a balance joint completely fail. (Terrifying thought) the boots on my ball joints are not torn.

I have scheduled an appointment with a trusted mechanic/ family friend to have a full inspection done on the front and rear suspension and driveline. Since I scheduled it through his shop it is going to cost me 40$. I fell it well worth it. I don't want to start throwing money at it with out a better idea of what I'm getting into.

I really hope its not ball joints. :( I just have the ball joints done on my previous 190d before I traded it for this one. If it is the ball joints I think I will invest the money into a Merc spring puller and do them my self.

Thabk you for all the responses BTW. :)

Don't need to pull the springs to change the ball joints.

X2
 

X2 on tires (or at least swap for rear tires after ball j. change)

.

clean the ball joint boots and look carefully if they are black rubber ones they are not lemforder joints, lemforder joints (which is the ONLY joint one should use in these cars) have white plastic boots.

If the joints are not lemforder you can be assured they are worn out in 2 years. - use a large channel locks to check for up down play - you are supposed to hook the pliers on the bolt and the ear on the joint boss in the arm, squeeze hard - if you see it move even a hair your joint is shot.

I took it in to a friends shop. He did an inspection knowing that I would be doing the repair myself. Also let me watch and showed me all the worn parts.

He said he would bet the tie rods where the problem. The driver outer had lots of play and was after market. The passanger inner had a little play but was Mercedes. Also the rear lower control arm bushing has a lot of play. The center link was good. He recommended steering dampener and struts based on age. The ball joints are good. He said he gave them hell. White boot in perfect shape.

After I left I went to a local junk yard and pulled both tie rods off a 90's 190e. The tie rods had good boots and were very tight. They are Mercedes branded. The swap was a nightmare because the aftermatket tierod was not pressed in properly and did not have the hex socket like the Mercedes one. I had to cut the end off the bolt to get it out.

Point is. New strut mounts, tires checked and swapped, newish tierods and the shake is still their. It seems less severe and frequent but its there none the less.

I don't know what kind of reputation Kent Bergsma has around here, but i found this video on youtube very helpful in understanding where different components are and how to test them. I am guessing since you already replaced some parts, you know how they are connected to each other. But, it never hurts to have another look and see if you missed something ... check out the video i linked at the bottom.

Front Suspension Component Location & Troubleshooting on a Mercedes Benz 126 Chassis - YouTube