I have been hearing a knocking sound from what appears to be the stabilizer bar mount on my '79 450SEL 6.9 with 203,000 miles on it. I began picking in there and found the firewall to have rust. I don't know if the half moon bracket has broken loose from the firewall yet, but after 20 years of living with (and loving) this car, I'd hate to find out that she's no longer serviceable. So my question is: If this mount breaks loose from the firewall while driving, would I loose control of the vehicle or would it just make a horrible banging? The car is in superb condition mechanically and (for the most part) body-wise (meaning no visible rust anywhere on the car). Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I do not know exactly what bracket you are speaking of. If you want you can take a digital pic and send it to my e-mail (found on the links page). I'll give you an idea of what you are dealing with.

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Benzmac:
ASE CERTIFIED MASTER AUTO TECHNICIAN
SERVICE MANAGER FOR 14 BAY FACILITY
MERCEDES SPECIALIST 8 YRS
PARTNER IN MERCEDESSHOP.COM

I think I know what you are refering to. It is also on the 123 and 126 series cars. One is located under the battery and the other on the side of the car. If that is it the if it were to break while driving(most likely on a turn) your car would roll more and not be too stable going down the road, needing constant steering imput, but it should be fairly drivable. If it does break then im sure the rusted panel could be cut out and a new one welded in its place, just about anything is fixable. Ive had the front swaybar mounts break on my 16v many times, and the car rolls more in turns and feels twitchy driving strait down the road. Take a look at it and determine what about it is loose, maybe the bushing is worn out, or a screw. The 6.9 creates a lot of torque and is heavy so the sway bars(rubber parts too) work harder than in another mercedes, putting more stress on the parts. So after 20 years and 200k miles the rubber or other parts may be worn out. Hope this helps.

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Bart
1987 300SDL-T
1985 190E 2.3-16
1978 240D
1957 220S(running one day, I hope!)

[This message has been edited by AMGmercedes (edited 07-20-1999).]