HI MB COLLEAGUES,

RECENTLY PURCHASED THE ABOVE AND NEED ADVICE ON A VIBRATION ISSUE WHICH WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY.

AT 40/50 MPH YOU BEGIN TO FEEL A CONSTANT VIBRATION ON THE STEERING AND SOME ON FLOOR PANEL.

TIRES ERA NEW, BRAKES ARE NEW AND INJUST REPLACED THE DRIVE SHAFT WITH A USED ONE IN GOOD CONDITION PURCHASED TO ANOTHER MB COLLEAGUE. I ALSO CHANGED ENGINE MOUNTS BUT PROBLEM PERSISTS.

ANY ADVICE FROM THE EXPERTS ON HOW TO TROUBLE SHOOT ??

OR, DOES ANYONE KNOW SOMEONE WHO SPECIALIZES ON THESE W123 s ??

IF YOU CAN EMAIL I D APPRECIATE IT AS I AM STILL LEARNING TO NAVIGATE THIS SITE AND MAY MISS YOUR RESPONSES.

MY EMAIL IS : jarr56@gmail.com

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE

have you tried re-balancing your tires?

sometimes they balance them wrong

or was the vibration there before you changed the tires?

As suggested try a re-balance on the tires, they may have been done incorrectly or thrown a weight off. Vibration in the steering is usually tire related. Does one wheel get hotter than another, this would indicate a sticky brake which can cause vibration.

Good luck!!!

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"Rudeness is a weak man's imitation of strength" - Eric Hoffer

Dragging front caliper is always the first check I do on older vehicles. As mentioned a heat comparison between both sides usually identifies it.

It could be time for a suspension rebuild. My 350SD shook starting around 60mph and got worse the faster you went. Tires were checked, rims were checked, tires rebalanced, alignment checked, shocks were already new. Lower control arm bushings were the ultimate culprit, they'd collapsed completely. After rebuilding and replacing, the car drives like it's on rails. Totally smooth.

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Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

I 3rd the wheel/tire balance. In my experience imbalance there starts at around the speeds you mention. Also, no bent wheels?

I would watch them while they balance the wheels on a quality machine (Hunter Road Force would be nice, but I get good luck with any Hunter balancer), and if it balances there and no bent wheels, I would check the suspension as Diseasel suggests. Have had suspension issues cause shakes for me too.

+1. Made a major difference on ours, but I did upper inners and subframe and sway bar too. With each new rubber bit, it seemed another vibration at some random speed was eliminated. Sway bars made a surprising difference; the old ones weren't even cracked, just not quite as tight as they could have been. All new rubber bits now and everything aligned. Had valves adjusted this week. It's like riding on air.

Henry

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1976 Mercedes-Benz 300D, Colorado Beige / Mahogany
www.hmclever.com

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR RESPONSE AND SUGGESTIONS; WILL TRY THEM - ALL MAKE SENSE.

BEST

JORGE
JARR56

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR RESPONSE AND SUGGESTIONS; WILL TRY THEM - ALL MAKE SENSE.

BEST

JORGE
JARR56

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR RESPONSE AND SUGGESTIONS; WILL TRY THEM - ALL MAKE SENSE.

BEST

JORGE
JARR56

And 3 times is the charm!

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'83 SD, 2x '85 SD
You are entitled to your own opinions, you are not entitled to your own facts.

Can you balance the driveshaft? I had that done once about 25 years ago.

I'd be looking at tires, front end wear, and rotors being warped combined with a sticking caliper. At 254k miles I had the '83 front end redone after hitting the brakes and having the front end start shaking. The Benz shop took it for a test drive and called me to ask what the issue was. I told him to take it out on the NY State Thruway, get it up to about 75 and lay on the brakes, and call me back.
"Oh ya, she shakes like hell!!" was his conversation starter.

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95 E300D working out the kinks
77 300D, 227k, station car
83 300CD 370k, gone away
89 190E 2.6- 335k, no more
79 VW FI Bus- 145k miles, summer driver
59 VW Beetle ragtop- 175k miles
12 VW Jetta- 160k miles

What was the outcome on this?

My 82 300cd gets the same type of vibration around 40-50. Minimal if any of it is in the steering wheel. It feels like it’s from underneath. It tends to go away somewhat with use.

All tires are properly balanced….

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Current Diesels:
1981 240D (73K)
1982 300CD (169k)
1985 190D (169k)
1991 350SD (113k)
1991 350SD (206k)
1991 300D (228k)
1993 300SD (291k)
1993 300D 2.5T (338k)
1996 Dodge Ram CTD (442k)
1996 Dodge Ram CTD (265k)

Past Diesels:
1983 300D (228K)
1985 300D (233K)

When asking for help finding a good/honest shop, it helps to mention where you are....

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better