I am just starting to sort out the issues on my new-to-me 87 190d 2.5td. It has a really bad alignment issue.

Looking at the wheels from the front of the car, i noticed that the driver's wheel was pointing more "outward" than the passenger side wheel.

I looked underneath and noticed that the connection between the wheel assembly and the actual sway bar had moved (part of the sway bar is shiny metal where the connection used to be). I suspect the previous owner hit a curb or a pothole in a bad way.

Question- what is the best way to correct this situation? If i raise the wheel, will I be able to push it back to the proper position by hand? Perhaps I could park the car against a curb and turn the wheel to the left using the curb as a lever. What do you guys think? Any other ideas? Thanks

maybe if i took it for an alignment, the shop will have the proper tools to force the wheel back in the proper position?

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Ben
1987 190d 2.5Turbo

The sway bar that runs across in front of the suspension?

If so you need to first look at the other side of that bar and determine if there is an almost equal length displacement sticking out to far on that side. Is so the entire sway bar has been shifted to one side and you might be able to loosen everything and shift it back. The sway bar acts sort of like a spring attached to the LCA.

As far as the position of the wheels, there are two factors which determine their relative positions, the first is the position of the LCA to the frame and the second is the tie rods/drag link that links them together.

From the sound of it your vehicle may have gotten its front corner tweaked, you should give the LCA itself a close inspection and the frame mounts it attaches to, then assuming that appears normal you need to check the tie rods and the drag links as well as the short arms that they connect to the wheel carrier by.

Things might be just tweaked a little and minor adjustment can compensate for it or you might need a new/good used LCA if that is bent.

And it could be the opposite side that got "pulled" out rather than the side that you've noticed first, that would cause the wheel fronts to splay apart. Also damage to either tie rod or the drag link could cause this condition, if the car was ever towed and winched up, often times the tie rods are a "too" convenient attachment point.

comparing the driver side versus the passenger side sway bar ends, the passenger side has more "fat" beyond the connection point. the driver side has no "fat" and is flush with the "clamp".

what do you recommend?

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Ben
1987 190d 2.5Turbo

Your best course of action would probably loosen up the connections at the LCA and the brackets that extend down from the frame's box channel and try to shift it back into a more centered position.

That will likely have little effect on the issue with the wheels, unless you can find some obvious damage that would point to the "how and why" the wheels are positioned as they are your best bet might be to get things as straight as you can by eye and take it to an alignment shop where they can lock it in place and establish some reference points to measure things from.

If you explain to them what you're after they might be willing to help you figure out if something is within the range that can be compensated for or something is too far out of position. Usually you've got to pay first but if they can't get it done you'll get some percentage credit if you bring it back afterwards.

If you have a lift or the ability to get the vehicle up off the ground where you can get on a creeper and skate around underneath freely and some time you could possibly measure things yourself, you'd need a distance bar or some reasonable facsimile, but the Mercedes literature for Group Index - 40Wheels, Chassis Measurements has all the specs and the measuring points for the chassis. This info I know is available in the TDM-Technical Data Manual and it might be in the Body and Chassis FSM also.