124W Shocks-Struts-Suspension Question - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

#1 10-22-2005, 08:08 PM

1994 124W with 72K miles. As far as I know, the shocks and struts are original. I purchased the car in 1999 with 30K. The car is still solid and handles well but I am noticing a little drift and/or bounce now a days when going over bumps. Does any of this point to something I should be maintaining? I know nothing about suspensions and would appreciate some help.
TIA
HINRG

haasman · #2 10-22-2005, 09:59 PM

This is a rather large topic-

If it were my car I would start with making sure the tire pressures were set to at least what is calls for under the fuel filler cover. Always check when tires are cold.

For the front suspension, check the following:

-Check the struts for oil leaking. Not necessarily an indication of failure but could indicate it. Push the front fender down and notice if the car rebounds and bounces or just stops. Excessive rebounding indicates worn shocks, regardless of mileage.

Check the upper shock mounts that are easily view from inside the engine compartment. In my experience, ANY cracking seen from above indicates severe cracking below. Since these bushings locate the upper portion of the strut and thus your suspension, any movement while contribute to a weird handling, funny bumping sounds etc.

-Check or simply go ahead and replace the front sway bar inner and outer rubber bushings. I will replace mine every 60k or so. Cheap and easy to do. Makes the car corner flat and improves the handling.

-Go to one of the front wheels and grab the tire at the top and make the car rock on its tire. You can quickly tell if a wheel bearing is grossly out of adjustment. If you get a clunking you need to adjust the wheel bearings right away. Every have a front outside wheel bearing fail in a turn at 75MPH? I have …. Not nice.

-Jack up on wheel off the ground. Grab it at the 9 and 3 o’clock positions and rock it and work it. Then grab it at the 6 and 12 o’clock positions and rock it and work it . You are looking for any clunk or unnatural movement. Listen and feel for clunks.

-Pull off a wheel and dislocate one end of the steering dampener. If it compresses and extends easily it is shot. Replacement is easy and this site has great deals on them.

-While there, have someone gently move the steering wheel (key in and unlocked). Hold each of the tie rod ends an see if you are getting movement. If so, not too hard to do.

-Ball joints could easily be worn on your car. -Hard to check but very much worth doing on worn suspensions is to replace the idler arm bushings. This is the locating arm opposite the steering gearbox arm. These worn will contribute to a general vagueness especially on center.

-On the later 124 series the ball joints seemed to not last as long. It could very well be that yours are shot. The lower A arms are located in rubber bushings that wear and fail over time. Locate yours (they are what allow the arm to pivot) and are found towards the engine under the car.

As Larry Bible would say: Push, pull, shake, pry and try and move any of these parts. Often if you look very carefully you can see where the dust boot has failed. If torn or failed you are guaranteed of replacing soon.

Anybody want to do the rear?

Haasman

t walgamuth · #3 10-22-2005, 10:09 PM

with the above post, but if your car were mine, i would not suspect bilsteins at that mileage. i would take a look at the little linkage that goes from the front of the rear wheel lower suspension to the body. the rubber bushes on it are fragile and often go out at a fairly low mileage. when they do the rear of t he car floats and steers the car left and right when the gas is applied or let off.

tom w

POS · #4 10-22-2005, 11:52 PM

I always believed mileage and time are factors. Certainly a 180k mile car will have a more worn suspension than a 75k mile car, but the 75k mile care will still have a worn suspension after 10 years.

Mine has 111k miles on it and the suspension is a little mushy, but not enough to bother me at this point. I plan on redoing the entire suspension around 150-160k miles - for me, that's one year away.

#5 10-23-2005, 06:00 PM

72K miles is nothing on these shocks and springs. As for suspension problems after 10 years due to age, I ain't buyin' it. My 300E is 17 years old with 286,000 miles and suspension is SOLID AS A ROCK and TIGHT AS A BANJO STRING. All that has been replaced is steering linkage pieces and the shocks.

That said, you can have loose suspension parts at 500 miles or 500,000 miles. There's no way of knowing without getting the car in the air and checking everything using the four P's: Push, Pull, Pry and Prod.

What I would suspect first, if the car feels squirrelly, would be loose links in the rear suspension, but you should not stop your inspection there. Use the four P's on every suspension joint in the whole car.

Good luck,