creaking and groaning suspension
 

My suspension on my 190E 2.6 seems dry and is creaking/groaning at low speeds (parking lots, driveways etc...)

I would like to attempt to lube parts of the suspension with heavy duty axle grease. I'm hoping I can do this with the jack supplied with the car. Right now I can't afford a high lift jack. I have my oil change ramps as well so, do I have a shot???

Since winter is only 2 months away (I'm in Canada) I'll be oil spraying the car aswell.

Any other tips??? Any things to watch out for?????


I might also put the car away for a couple of months this winter. I'm a student so things will be tight until my summer co op placement....

Thank you for anything you guys can offer me.
Mike McKinney

Please???

I would really appreciate this.

Thank you guys!

Mike McKinney

I believe there is some special lube you can use.

Wont grease attract dirt?

Alon

Outside of sway bar pivots, I can't think of where you could put lube. However, it will be hard to get grease into anything without disassembly of the component.

Try a little diagnosis - take some 2X4 blocks to an empty parking lot and drive over them selectively at very low speed, to determine the source of the noise. You mau be able to carefully disable the sway bars to isolate them from the test.

Steve

Do you guys know which components could possibly be making the noise(s) at low speeds??? Does anything sound like it needs replacing???

Even the steering rack screeches sometimes when I'm really throwing the wheel around at low speeds...

What do you think guys???

Mike McKinney

I think your car doesn't have a steering rack, nor anything in the steering that would screech. It DOES have a belt-driven power steering pump, and if the belt tension is low or the belt contact surface is deteriorated, you will get a screeching as it slips on the pulley.

You will have to do some diagnosis, or take it to someone that can do it for you. There is no one answer that can be divined remotely.

Steve

Check your ball joints for wear.

"Since winter is only 2 months away (I'm in Canada) I'll be oil spraying the car aswell."

Sorry, I live in Hawaii. What's the purpose?

Jeff

jfujimoto:
 

In Canada we oil spray our cars to prevent rust and corrosion underneath the car (chassis). The winter here is isane and it seems to never end.


sbourg: Thank you for the tip on the rack. I should have described the noise further or better than I did. The steering gear is fine the pump is fine as is the belt. The noise isn't a screeching you'd associate with steering (I always hear them on GMC Safari/Cheverolet Astro vans) That noise is due to belt slipping and low fluid in the pump right?

All I can say is that there is an occasional squeeking/groaning sound up front in the car at low speeds, and there is a groaning from the back end at low speeds. I'm betting it is suspension related, as the suspension is all original.

Sub frame mounts?
Shock tower bushings?

I'm confused!!!!!
HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!

Thank you for everything so far guys, I have tried the 2X4 test and the noise isn't made when going over the boards. It seems to be on uneven surfaces where the suspension is working overtime.

Any ideas???

I don't know where to start....

I thought I replied earlier but its not shown so if you get two from me......

my car squeaked when going over bumps at low speed. I thought it was old rubber (subframe mount) or one of the steering/suspension connections.

turned out to be a front shock. the shocks looked fine (no leaks) and appeared ok when taken out (still hard to compress) but new ones make ride much better and the squeak is gone.

Nic
'85 300CD

Shyne,

I have a severe "creaking" sound that is attributable to a worn ball joint. The ball joint is attached to the steering knuckle. Did you check it yet? The symptoms you describe are similar to mine. When you turn the steering wheel back and forth, say, at a stop, it creaks like hell.

Jeff

Nic,

I replaced my front strut assembly and rear shock with Bilstein HD's. Now when I go over speed bumps, there IS a squeak. :mad:

Anybody looking for a original/used set of struts/shocks for a 190E? :p

Jeff

OK
 

I've had a good look under the car and have come to the following....

Most of the suspension looks as new.
The problem area seems to be where salt has penetrated into the bushings in the rear suspension...

How much would it cost to get a set of new bushings installed on the five link rear suspension on my 2.6????

Any ideas how much it could cost????

Please help!

Mike McKinney

Mike:

I used to live in Sault Ste. Marie -- the salt ate my K-car in about three years!

Sorry to tell you that there are no replacement bushings for the rear suspension, the links must be replaced. They aren't horribly expensive, but this isn't really a DIY project if you don't have jack stands and a hydraulic floor jack -- not safe.

Your front end squeak could be the upper pivots on the suspension (a variation on McPherson struts, I think) -- they go bad and creak. Have your ball joints checked for wear, and check the rubber boots on them for damage -- it's fairly easy to get salt inside the grease boot, and it will eat the ball joints. Same goes for the tie rod ends (they turn the wheels, again fairly obvious). These will also squeak if there is salt in there.

And oil that car!!!! The only cars I saw up north that didn't get eaten up were oiled at least once a year!

If you cannot get to this shortly, try to find a decent independent MB mechanic to check things over so that you are sure you don't have a safety problem -- stuck steering or a broken ball joint isn't all that much fun!

Peter

I was told, to which I believe, that the MB undercarriage does not require any lubing.

If there are squeaks and creaks from the under carriage, it might mean that some things are just wearing out. It might be better to have someone look at it for a more thorough diag.