I replaced the left and right tie rod assemblies along with the center link now the steering wheel is turned the left. If I hold it straight like it should be the car goes to the right. Is there any way I can correct this before I take it for the alignment? Should I take to the local MB dealer for the alignment or a shop that has been recommended to me that I can do it?

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'85 F250 6.9L diesel 2wd XL XC LB Centurion, Gone
'95 Mercedes E 300 Diesel W124.131 with a OM606.910 and just over 200k on the clock, needs top end engine work and a transmission.
2000 S500 W220 with a 5.0L V8 gas power.

Anytime you replace steering or suspension components you need a professional alignment.
The best way to get close is to count the turns out on the old part, and put the new part in the same number of turns. That usually gets you pretty close and lets them just adjust it into place rather than completely realigning it.

Hi Stuiie
I'm not sure about your car but the W123 has a process in which you put a centering bolt in the bottom of the steering box to center that up, which might set your steering wheel straight. Then you move the tire both rod ends to correct for the left or right alignment One should be made shorter the other should be made longer, threaded in or out respectivly.

Check alignment specs for the 123. I can speak from experience with the SD that you want a person with more Benz knowledge than the local crap aling everything places. The SD has ~ 1-* of caster and changing caster or camber affects the other adjustment.

I had one shop give the SD back with wheels tilted (actually maxed) to 1 side. The tech noted that the car "couldn't be adjusted." Apparently he'd set camber, move on to caster, set toe then check settings and camber would be off. He then went through the process again moving further away from specs.

There is enough adjustment that a competent mechanic can use discretion and make it drive well. Not simply "adjust to specs". The key word is competent.

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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 will only use my dealer for alignments. In addition to the bolt to lock the steering box in place, there is also a spreader bar that is supposed to be used. Most shops don't have the spreader bar and as some posts above indicate, getting a good alignment at a run of the mill shop is a crap shoot. Even a lifetime alignment is no bargain if you have to go back every month and ruin a set of tires in the process.

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'88 560SL 41,000 miles - totaled and parted out
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'99 E300 turbo 227,500 miles
'03 SLK320 40,000 miles - gave to my daughter
'14 Smart electric coupe 28,500 miles
'14 Smart electric cabriolet 28,500 miles
'15 Smart electric coupe 28,000 miles

Agree. Dealer. Find a good one. My local dealer was crap at aligning Mercedes. It was a combination Ford and MB dealer.

I went to a dealership up in Cleveland and they did a wonderful job. It was pricey though. $200 about.

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82 300SD 145k
89 420SEL 210k
89 560SEL 118k
90 300SE 262k RIP 5/25/2010
90 560SEL 154k
91 300D 2.5 Turbo. 241k
93 190E 3.0 235k
93 300E 195k

You can adjust toe-in at home with a tape measure. See youtube and some web writeups. Bad toe-in is the main thing that will make it wander and wear tires. That will let you drive it safely to the shop. At the same time you can center the steering wheel, but you have to think about it, and might take a few attempts.

I do my own alignments. My cars drive perfectly straight, no tire wear, and the steering wheel is straight. Easier for me than dealing with shops.

I use a chunk of 3/4pvc slid inside a chunk of 1" pvc with a screw all the way through each end, and some duct tape to hold it together...
mark the space between the center line on the front of the tires, then the same line on the rear of the tires, and adjust until they are the same...

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Why bother? Aligning the steering wheel is (or should be) part of the alignment process.

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I hope you used lemforder or meyle tie rods....anything else the boots will crack in a matter of months.....

We don't have a dealer here....I went to big O....he did a perfect job...

My steering wheel had to be held at an angle to go straight...it now tracks perfect...it doesn't pull and no odd wear to the tires.....well when I can find a level road here

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The way I set tie rods to length that are replacements are to take the old tie rod assembly and set it on a piece of 2x4 ,draw an up and down line on the back of the old tie rod ,then make a mark on the board ,same step with the new assembly to set the length .If you try to set the length with the bolt side it will never be exactly right ,2 turns of either out to far or in to far will create wear patterns on the tire.

Toe in has to be set correctly. There are ways of doing this at home, but they are at best approximate. Tie rod adjustment is no different than any other car, and any alignment shop can do the job.

Camber and Caster is not affected by replacing the steering rods.
Unless you loosen parts that you should not have or you go frequently up and down the curb, hitting it sideways, there is no need to focus on camber and caster.

The toe in is specified by the manufacturer and does exist because of the vehicles tendency, caused by caster, to run the wheels outward while driving. Since there is a play necessary within the ball joints to operate freely,
it is transformed and amplified and must be compensated for by toe in. The slower you drive the more toe in you'll get.
The toe in is usually about 1 to 1.5 degree depending on play in the tie rods and should be close to 0 degree, at highway speed. Manufacturing tolerances in the tie rods dictate the toe in value.

To set this in your garage, it is rather tricky because of the lack of precision tools.
It can be eye balled by starting with a reference check to the rear wheels e.g. set the front wheel exactly in line and degree to the rear wheel.
Some newer and race cars have a toe in on the rear too, depending on type of suspension..
Do both sides, you may draw an exact line parallel to your vehicle and / or use a long piece of non flex material attached to the front wheel.
Now set your front wheels to 0 degree as precise as possible.
Once done, you can go ahead and measure the distance between the two front wheels and turn them slightly inwards precisely the same distance an both sides.
Then go to an alignment shop and have them check your work.
You'll never get as precise as a well trained tech using $50,000.00 worth of optical alignment equippment.

Good luck with the project.

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95 W124 E320 M104.992 - Because, I love to repair, naaaah!
Over 221,000 Miles
Cheers,
Norbert

To me, I'd rather just pay the $$$ to have the dealer do it even though I could do it myself. Makes it so much simpler. Also, don't even consider any place but the dealer. When I had 24/7 access to the dealer on my time, my alignment was never off. You really CAN'T beat that equipment. Anyway, if you ask Sears they won't even touch these cars and act like it's NASA.

Agree 100%. I do most other work on my cars, but alignments? nope. I dont really have the interest in learning how to do it.

However you need to find a dealership with experience on these cars, I took my car my local MB dealer (which is also a Ford dealer) and, while they did a significantly better job than the independent shop, it was still not perfect.

After talking with a few people on here that were from the Cleveland area (I work south of Cleveland) I was referred to Mercedes-Benz of North Olmstead. Significantly different atmosphere than the dealer local to me. Much bigger.

They did a very good job on my 300D. I got to drive a C300 4Matic for a day, which was fun. I've gotta take my 420SEL up there and have them do it. I think I'll take back a E class though, just to see.

__________________
Cruise Control not working? Send me PM or email (jamesdean59@gmail.com). I might be able to help out.
Check here for compatibility, diagnostics, and availability!

(4/11/2020: Hi Everyone! I am still taking orders and replying to emails/PMs/etc, I appreciate your patience in these crazy times. Stay safe and healthy!)


82 300SD 145k
89 420SEL 210k
89 560SEL 118k
90 300SE 262k RIP 5/25/2010
90 560SEL 154k
91 300D 2.5 Turbo. 241k
93 190E 3.0 235k
93 300E 195k