I hope to replace the stabalizer bar bushings on the C230. I have the parts but need some help getting started.

Has any one done this themselves? Can you point me in the right direction?

Thanks in advance. Best regards,

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Michael

1988 300 SL (5 Speed)
1994 E320 Wagon
1997 C230

I assume you mean on the front. I did mine a couple of weeks ago. I have some notes at home about what size sockets I used etc. It was pretty straight forward. My only fear was that it would be hard to get the new bushings on the sway bar and that turned out to be fairly easy. My Haynes manual had a good suggestion to make some marks on everything to aid in reassembly. I used little white paint dots and found this very comforting as I was reassembling so I knew I had not gotten anything screwed up. The rear nuts on the outer brackets were a little hard to see and had some debris on them so that was a little challanging and getting the whole thing back in position and getting the brackets tightened was a little bit of work but in the end I had no real problems other than I initially had the wrong bushings and had to wait to get the right ones.

Mike

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1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

For anyone who's interested it's a relatively simple, if physically taxing, job and well worth it. The front stabilizer or torsion bar is between the front wheels and connects the control arms. It's accessed from under the front end and is held in place by four clamps utilizing eight nuts/bolts. Four of the bolts are pressed into the control arms and have 13 mm nuts, two are 13 mm bolts held on by 17 mm nuts, and two are 13 mm bolts held on by 13 mm nuts. The tools needed are a tall 13 mm ratchet socket and 13 mm and 17 mm wrenches (the car's tool bag has a 13 mm/17 mm combination wrench and the lug bolt wrench is 17 mm, but I found it much easier to use wrenches from my Craftsman set) (and, if you want to get a better look at things, use a 6 mm nut driver to remove the plastic tray under the engine). Parts are four new bushings about $20. This job would be easier on a lift, but can be done with ramps or stands (or, if you're really tiny and limber, probably without lifting the car at all). The trick to accessing the outside clamps is to turn the wheel in the direction of that side. While it's not necessary to access the outer clamps, I found it easier to remove the wheel on that side. I also used the car's jack to ever so slightly lift the front, opposite side of the car and "massage" the bar into position to refasten the clamps. The first side took me about three hours, and the second side took about thirty minutes. The old bushings had deteriorated severely and were a bear to get off. I had to cut the inner ones out with a utility knife. With a little lube, the new ones slid on easily. I broke one of the bolts and had to replace it.

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Michael

1988 300 SL (5 Speed)
1994 E320 Wagon
1997 C230

The factory nuts on the outer bushing clamps are slightly crushed to make them lock when tightened. They should be replaced. BEWARE!! They sometimes develop a burr at the top when tightened down. When handling the old ones, be careful. The burr, if present, can open up a finger rather badly, as I found out.