W201 Steering Oddity. Suggestions?
 

Hello everyone,

I've been daily driving my 93 190E now for about two weeks and I've noticed some inconsistencies in the steering system.

At low speeds, say less than 40.. Steering is fine, nothing weird. However at speeds around say 60-80mph the steering feels loose in the center. I feel that I'm making more "steering corrections" than I should be. I feel that the center is a bit too loose/spongy/gapped..

The tie rods are relatively new compared to the rest of the steering system. To my knowledge the center drag link, idler arm bushing, and steering box have not been replaced/adjusted. I'm at just about 226,000 now.

I was considering replacing the center drag link and gear box but I figured I'd see what more knowledgeable folks had to say.

i had that exact thing with my 190d. at high speeds, i found myself making more steering corrections especially during lane changes.

i replaced the shocks and the problem went away.

An interesting idea... I thought about doing that a few years ago but wasn't really sure how to tell if mine were bad as my 190 is lowered and the ol bounce test isnt really useful.

I suppose replacing the front shocks wouldnt be such a bad idea. I think they're like a buck thirty or so.

It sounds like it's due a set of shocks and it might be the source of your problem, but as any good electronics troubleshooter knows, diagnose before you act.

Since your multimeter won't do much for you when it comes to suspension/steering diagnosis, use the 4 P's instead. Get the car up safely, then Push, Pull, Pry & Prod on all suspension and steering joints. If you find slack anywhere, replace the offending part.

You also need to check the steering box for slack.

Hope this helps.

I think you both might be right. I bought this car in 2006 with 190k on it.. Its got 227k on it now. So ~40k was from me, the shocks were on the car when the previous owner bought it (I'm pretty sure) and that was around maybe 140-160k? So the shocks have now, AT LEAST 80k..

I had the car in the shop before I started this new job to check over everything and they didnt notice/mention anything about the shocks or steering...

I'm not against buying new shocks, I've wanted to for a good while now.

Since my car is lowered and I currently have MB Sportline shocks, I should probably get the Bilstein Sport models?

Checking for freeplay is the most important thing!

Seems like it could be all of the above on a car of that age. Recirculating ball steering gear boxes aren't going to be as tight as rack and pinions to begin with even when new. With that many miles there is probably a perished rubber suspension bushing or three as well. The factory manual has a spec for steering wheel freeplay, and as I remember it's generous. By all means replace the shocks if required but don't expect that alone to solve your problem.

First thing I would do is drive the car over a ditch that would allow me to lay underneath. Have someone else get in without the engine running and turn the steering wheel back and forth until the wheels turn a bit. Observe each of the steering componets and replace any with excessive play. Drive again to see if problem is resolved.

The problem with a 20+ year old front end: Everything. Changing shocks may help. but will not solve your issue. Everything is worn, (assuming you havent replaced anything yet) so the little bit of play that all of the components have are giving you one big symptom.

Control arms (with bushings)
tie rods (all of them) 3?
front shocks
sway bay bushings

the control arms are pricey, but are worth it whole when you consider bushings, + ball joints+ getting them pressed in.

Good luck

My 87 190D had similar issues. I changed my front control amrs and it made a huge difference. Even though the rubber looked ok it was soft. On windy days it was worse. The soft rubber allowed the control arms to move slighty thus changing the toe and causing the car to wander.

Well, last night I decided to break out the crows-foot sockets and adjust the steering box. Amazingly enough unlocking the lock nut was super easy. The Allen headed bolt was more difficult but I gave it a 1/4-1/2 turn and locked it back down.

On the road up to work this morning it felt better. It felt more solid. We'll see how it goes on the way back though. That's when I really notice it. I suspect that the adjustment will help but not cure the overall problem that is my front suspension needing some re-doing. I did the rear a few years ago (all new links). I've got bushings for the front control arms but haven't put them in yet..They're probably not easy.

Replace the steering damper on one of those and W124s. They're little money - relatively - and make a difference.
A friend had one spill its oil while on the highway some years ago and with the caravan on the back, the car wandered all over, apparently.
Our S124 doesn't wander and it sits on the 22 years old 210k miles dampers, but it does have a replacement steering damper fitted.

I did those on a W124 a few years ago and they were replaced on the drive with a hammer, levering chisel, and block of wood. Soap up the rubber really well so that it is slimey to the touch and they slip right in.
Compressing the road springs was a nightmare. In the end I had to borrow the factory tool from the Mercedes dealership (amazingly, not one that I had frequented before either - I must have an honest face, I guess. Rofl).

Let run a quick cost estimate here:

Control arms (with bushings) = $188/each = $376
tie rods (all of them) 3? = 40+40+50 = $110
front shocks = 120/each = $240
sway bay bushings = $10 (not sure, i have a 500E front bar)
steering dampener = $26

So $800 total.

My tie rods are young, shocks seem ok, i dont feel any motion indicative of bad shocks...but then again my overall suspension setup might be drastically dampening that effect to the point where its hard to notice.

Dampener is young as well.

S124300 are you saying I could use a 124 steering dampener in place of my 201 unit? Are they stronger/better?

I'll have a more definite answer on if my steering box adjustment made much difference on the drive home today.. Thats when its really noticeable. The road is not as perfect as the west bound side

Well the return home trip was good. For once I didnt think about gutting the entire steering system and replacing everything. Aside from my bottom side being a little sore from the drive and everyone wanting to go considerably faster than I was (75mph) it was pleasant.

So I picked up a 300D this past weekend... Its steering is SIGNIFICANTLY better than the 190E's.. There is no dead spot in the center. Its got 240k on it and most of the front end components have been replaced... Shocks, Mounts, Control Arms, Tie Rods..Not sure about center drag link or steering box..

I was wondering how a bad center drag link would effect steering exactly.. I don't think its my shocks/mount as I still have that dead space in the center.. I mean it could be but center drag link is cheaper than two shocks and mounts..

If it was my car,I'd check for play in wheel by adjusting steering box.Teeth might be wore there as favorite driving posistion.

I think thats what I'm going to do...

But I'm going to jack up the front and physically watch the pitman arm move and have someone move the steering wheel. That way I can see how bad it is...

If its bad enough, I might just buy a rebuilt box and have the shop put it in...

Alright, I crawled under it just now and... lots of surface rust.

My control arm bushings look unsavory.

I didnt have a partner to move the steering wheel so I did the best I could by myself. I grabbed the driver's wheel at 9 and 6 o'clock and felt how easy/difficult it was to move the steering. The passenger side definitely had some extra jiggle in it. The driver side was tighter.

The idler arm/bushing is on the passenger side right?

I'll see if I can convince someone to move the wheel around while I watch the linkages.

I've got pictures of the bushing and underneath. Album soon. Its not pretty.

I called my shop today just to see how much it would cost to change out the bushings (labor only as I'd procure the parts). They said $315 for front control arm bushings, $350 for the 4 rear subframe ones. I didnt think those were horrible prices. I think I might just buy new control arms though. That way I get nice new ball joints. Lemfoerder has some sport suspension units for $150/each. Can I run those, whats the difference? I always thought it was just a more beefy bushing?

Here's the photos:

W201 Steering/Front Bushings. - Imgur

I also found a spare steering dampener. Not sure which cars it applies to just says Meyle 026 022 7949 on it. That's about the only thing I heard making any noise down there. It seems to be OK though. Bah seems like a non-124/201 part.

Anyways,

Aside from that "passenger side is easier to manipulate than driver side" thing thats all I found steering wise. I dont know if that means anything or not. The idler arm bushing looked OK to me. Nothing obvious bad on it, I had my dad turn the wheel and the bolt in there rotated and what not...

Alright,

Guess what I found:
http://i.imgur.com/JV8CZ.jpg

Thats the driver side. Amazingly enough the passenger side was in better shape. Not nearly as good as the new Bilsteins. These were original MB Sportline Sachs struts that were on the car.