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

[Stretch]

Here's what I did recently to try and regain that fresh out of the box feel for my W123 power steering.


The power steering pump had long been resealed and cleaned out (see W123 Vickers type 24 power steering pump questions) but as I was busy cleaning up the engine bay during an engine rebuild I thought I'd have a go at doing the steering box as well. I mean why not? I obviously didn't have enough to do...


I was influenced by this DIY (see http://www.davidpetryk.net/Mercedes/Steering.htm) that has been talked about quite a bit on Peach Parts. I like this DIY but I think the adjustments can be done a bit better.


When I looked at the FSM I found that the chapter is split into two PDF files on the CD. Reading through this chapter you could be mistaken for thinking that adjusting and resealing a W123 power steering box is really complicated – a bloody nightmare in fact – but I now think otherwise.


Performing ALL of the adjustments specified in the FSM does take time and you need to be patient but I think it is a straight forward DIY job with the exception of one bit => tightening the working piston. This does need a difficult to replicate special tool – but I've got a solution for that too; but it isn't a quick, easy or a really cheap one.