I don't think the box has to come off to replace the lower seal. Definitely nothing to do inside the cabin.

Sixto
93 300SD

You get the lower seal from under the car. Pop the pitman arm off the gear box spindle and its right there. With a lift its pretty simple.

__________________
2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

After experience exactly your findings, and determining that it was my steering pump which was leaking, I just re-sealed it.

Pump kit and front shaft seal were about $25, from Mercedes. A bit of work getting it all back together correctly, but...

It's now running like a new car - steering is better than it's been in 10+ years!

(1983 300 SD - about 330K miles...)

Lou

Thanks. It sounds simple enough. He should have it done by tomorrow evening, if he does not have a bunch of other cars to work on. He said it looked like a 2-3 hour task just from looking at it. Charging $30.00, so it should not be too bad.

This is changing the subject a bit, but should my steering be as easy as being able to turn with one finger when stopped? I noticed on an episode of "Dallas" tonight that "Bobby", who is driving a "new" 1981 Mercedes 380SL turns the steering wheel very easily at a stop. Mine seems to be a little stiffer than that. Should they all be that easy, or is it where my car is now 22 years old and this is something I should expect- like a weaker pump?

Well- taking longer than I thought. Its been 8 days since I have taken it and still has not even started on it. I will report back when I get it done though and.....

Most, not all, but most shots involving driving are shot with the car on a trailer.

It provides more stability for the shot and gives something for the camera (and cameraman) to hang off. Therefore, the wheels are often not even touching the ground which would make turning with one finger very easy.

Cheers

__________________
1988 W126 420 SE

beware of fundamentalists!

Thanks. Yeah that makes sense, but in this particular shot/scene I was referring to, the car was actually on the road driving away. The camera was up off if the ground- about 15 feet and you could see inside the car- with it being a convertible. One thing about the older episodes of "Dallas" (from about 1978-1986), is that they did not cut many corners and most outdoor scenes were actually filmed outdoors. However starting around 1987-88, they started getting cheap and doing most filming in LA instead of Dallas.

It just seems like my 380 requires more effort to steer from a stop.

BTW- car is ready! I just have to wait for someone to come home to take me over there.

Thanks again!

Well - to update- I got the car home and all is well. It drives beautifully once again. No leaks! Everything that was told to me here, he said the same thing. The huge bolt that had to come off and the puller for the pitman arm, etc. Strange, there was an "extra" seal in the package that he could not find the old seal to replace. I suppose it was deeper in the box? ALL of the seals, save for that outer seal were in good shape. He showed me the old seals. He said oddly, the seal did not harden and crack, but it got very flexible. He showed it to me and it was as loose and soft as a jello.

He ended up charging me $50.00 - which was worth it to me not to have to crawl under there, search for tools, fight the grease, etc.

Many thanks again to all!