Does anyone know if I can swap an early power steering box (87)with a late one (90+?)in a 124 and will the pump from the diesel work with the newer style box or what the cutoff year is? I've got a bad leak in my 87 and want to swap with whatever I can find at the junkyard on the cheap. I know the early vs late have way different steering feel.... Ill probably reseal the original box eventually but want to take my time and have one to swap in so I can drive the car the same day. I found the awesome tutorial for resealing but that looks pretty involved and the sort of thing that shoulnt be rushed.
Thanks

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1990 300e 230k (old reliable) sold
1987 300D 230K sold
1987 300D 232K 5 speed
1998 E300 140K

AFAIK, any steering box from any W124 or W201 should work. I've pulled sportline steering boxes out of W201s with W124 housing parts numbers and checked the internet and it said it should fit the W201 or W124. They both have the same pattern for mounting bolts but different length mounting bolts so reuse your old ones if you get a box from a W201.

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Current: 1975 450SEL, 83 300D, 88 Yugo GVX, 90 300D OM603 swap, 91 F150 4.6 4v swap, 93 190E Sportline LE 3.0L M104 swap, 93 190E Sportline LE Megasquirt, 03 Sprinter, 06 E500 4Matic wagon.

Pitman arms might be of a different length for W201 and W124 combinations.

In the W201 FSM there's a list of differences in chapter 46-010

I haven't checked the W124 FSM but I guess there's more information there too - it will be the same chapter number

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

From the 124 FSM, 46-0001 Survey of steering gears, crossed to MB US model chart from StarTekInfo website, all the following used the same steering gear:

Model Chassis
260E 124.026
300E 2.6 124.026
300E 2.8 124.028
300E 124.030
E320 Sedan 124.032
300E 124.032
300CE CONV. 124.066
E320 Conv. 124.066
300TE 124.090
E320 Wagon 124.092
300TE 124.092
300D 2.5 124.128
E300 Diesel 124.131
300DT 124.133
300TDT 124.193

Other models have steering gear geometry that is different in some way, usually the pittman arm angle/length, so I would avoid those if possible. Some pittman arms can be swapped, but some cannot due to a change in the shaft diameter as of 1.6.1989

Please share!

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Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

It might be this one I did a while back

W201 steering box refresh and adjust

Problem I had was the need for a special tool that I couldn't afford to gain access to one of the seals. If I had the time I would have built one myself but I've been in a rush for the W201 fun I've had...

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Thanks! I was wondering if that applied to a 124 box.

__________________
Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

Thanks for all the awesome info. Looks like I can pretty much grab whatever looks clean.
Here is the procedure I was looking at... says its for a 126. I'm not sure if it applies to a 124 but I was thinking it was pretty similar.
How to reseal a MB steering gear

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1990 300e 230k (old reliable) sold
1987 300D 230K sold
1987 300D 232K 5 speed
1998 E300 140K

Just reading through your procedure stretch... bummer the 126 is quite different. Great write up! Thanks.

__________________
1990 300e 230k (old reliable) sold
1987 300D 230K sold
1987 300D 232K 5 speed
1998 E300 140K

I believe it does

If you want one for the W123 / W126 that's here =>

What a feeling it will be! A properly adjusted W123 / W116 / W126 power steering box

(But in your case stick with the W201 one I wrote)

It is always best to read the W201 FSM and or the W124 FSM which are available via www.startekinfo.com (see link in my sig) before doing a job like this

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Can someone verify this? I understand there are plenty W201s with W124 steering box housings, but are they interchangeable?

What I want to know specifically is if a '92 W124 steering box can be fit into a '92 W201.

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Watch him go!!! link

#dontdealwithkahlil