rack and pinion leak... Am I a dead man?
 

Well, my wife has told me "spend any more $ on that car and you're a dead man!" Should I be checking into burial arrangements?


I noticed, when I went to install the new studded snow tires for the '96 E300D that the bellows for the rack control arm was torn. "No problem!" says I... I'll just order a new a new bellows, install, and be done with it!" Wouldn't it be grand if life were so simple? Yesterday, I pulled off the old bellows and was a bit dismayed to find it full of oil, water, gunk, and the like. I cleaned things up a bit and had the wife start the car and turn the wheel back and forth a bit and watched as PS fluid oozed from around the ram (piston... what ever it's called.) Luckily, the phone rang (which distracted my wife) and I (in a cold sweat) tried to look like the situation was under control. The wife thinks that there is a minor problem and I can fix it without much ado... No Problem!-- says I...

So... my question is this: Do I need to hide under the porch, or is this something that can be (somewhat) easily remedied? I am hoping that this doesn't mean "It's new rack and pinion time!"

I have the shop Star manual that states that when you change the bellows, you should check and replace the O-ring... I saw no O-ring (please tell me it's as easy as installing an O-ring!) The shop manual is lacking in the exploded view of the steering assembly... I can't even see where an O-ring would go. Near as I can tell there is no external adjustment for this leakage... I am assuming (being rather pessimistic) I need to tear this whole assembly apart and rebuild (Please...say it aint so!)

So... do I need to rebuild my R&P? Is this even do-able? As I've stated in the past, I'm a cookbook mechanic... i.e. I can get the job done, but only if I have explicit instructions. Is this beyond my ability?

Any help on this would be GREATLY appreciated!


Thanks in advance!

-l-

I will get flamed for this but here goes anyway. Usually a rebuild kit is not available for a R&P. First I would try "Lucas Power Steering Stop Leak". It won't hurt anything and may fix it. I have seen it work many times on R&P systems. It doesn't seem work on regular steering gear assembly tho.
Just remove as much fluid from the resevoir, put in the Lucas, and top up with clean fluid.

First, we need to fix your biggest problem, your wife. Women don't understand men spending money on cars. They buy handbags and shoes, we buy air bags and brake pads. I have all [arts shipped to my office, load them in the trunk and unload them as I'm ready to work on the car. I have all that stuff billed to a credit card that doesn't have a paper statement, and I pay it online once a month. I buy alot of stuff online, and through eBay.

As far as the leak, I'd drain and fill with the stop leak stuff, then try the o-ring, then do a rebuilt rack. Never done the o-ring, but it make sense that there is an oring you could replace. See if you can find a blow up picture from the parts catalog.

I believe this diagram represents your model:
http://www.detali.ru/cat/oem_mb2.asp?TP=1&F=210020&M=606%2E912&GA=722%2E438722%2E600&GM=717%2E446&CT=F&cat=45P&SID=46&SGR=022 &SGN=01

From what I can tell, the o-ring is #50, they call it a seal ring. I'm not sure, but this seal appears to be part of the boot jacket system and not the hydraulic seal, which is your root problem.

I'm troubled by your wife's attitude. Any problem on a car needs to be fixed. What constructive criticism does she have to offer?... or in other words, what's her position with your car? Does she just want to sweep this problem under the rug and hope the problem goes away?... not gonna happen. Or is her solution to "get a new car" as is the knee-jerk reaction of many women? Or perhaps she wants a car that is more utilitarian and less "hobby", as many older MBs can be.

use some berrymans brand "Power Steering and Transmission sealer", takes a fews days to completely seal up...it worked for me...

To get back to this much belated thread...

I ordered a rebuilt rack from mercedessteering.com. They give a 3 year warranty and it "only" cost me about $375 to get the job done. Seems to work just fine... no more leaks or noise! I highly recommend them if you need to replace your rack!

-l-