Scared to death - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

#1 04-30-2003, 07:26 PM

i took my car for an use and abuse test drive, and when y reached 230 km/h i applied a normal amount of force to the brakes and holly sh/&t they felt like a crappy disc, the peddal felt like if there was an obstruction, really weird, the peddal would up and down a little if i applied more force, slowed down like to 180km/h and they worked like they work everyday , perfectly.

i have a bent steering knuckle so my drivers side tie rod end is touching the rim

oh and one of the screws holding the a/c compressor to the compressor base broke and my compressor was hitting the sway bar and the udercarriage ( aftermarket a/c) i almost didnt sleep that night thinking of what could be the loud and hard clunking when the revs went down.thats all , whats happening to my bakes, they work just fine all the time but not a really high speeds im not sure but i think it happened when i was at a curve and applied the brakes

cbdo · #2 04-30-2003, 08:11 PM

If I'm understanding your post correctly, you've got a bent steering knuckle allowing a tie rod to contact a rim, and a partly detached AC compressor contacting a sway bar. If that's the case, you've been betting your life on damaged parts at over 100 mph.
With respect, I might suggest all of that get properly repaired before you try the car at speed again.

Southern · #3 04-30-2003, 08:18 PM

When the brake rotors start to warp there is a noticable "chatter" which occurs when braking at a highway speeds. When braking at slower rate of speeds it is not noticable until the brake rotors become more warped.

It appears that your car has several problems which may affect your steering and braking systems. If it was my car I would not drive it (expecially at highway speeds) untill the problems are fixed.

#4 04-30-2003, 08:19 PM

no, the compressor broke of the base when going 230 km/h and when i got home i took it off and im still waiting on my steering knuckle

#5 04-30-2003, 08:23 PM

thats the point of driving a those speeds, see whats wrong with the car that ou cant notice on everyday driving, imagine the compressor would have fallen out in another ocassion and damaged something. explain brake warping, what happens, i think my dealer swapped the rear ones.

Southern · #6 04-30-2003, 08:54 PM

Brake warping is when the brake rotors are no longer flat and usually is caused from heat from the brake pads along with the rotors getting too thin. The warping is usually not visable with the eye, a slight warp can cause brake chatter at highway speeds. The cure is to replace the rotors with new ones and normally the brake pads are replaced also.

I prefer to perform a visual inspection of my cars first before I attempt to drive at highway speeds.

blackmercedes · #7 04-30-2003, 10:38 PM

You are very lucky. Your car sounds to be in need of quite a few repairs, and yet you hammer it out to 230 km/h? (That's 142mph for the metric impaired)

Here's what I suggest:

1. Go through the braking system bit by bit. With your poor state of repair, there are many things that could be wrong. Check the calipers, lines, master cylinder, pads and discs. If these parts fail, you will probably crash. You are having interference problems, and that's NOT good.

2. Get all your steering and suspension components repaired ASAP, as these parts could break and cause you to crash.

#8 05-01-2003, 12:45 AM

my car is in perfect condition, only minor stuff going on, worn flex discs, and one or two bushings that needs to be replaced, can the weird braking be caused by the bent steering knuckle?? i know for fact that my rear rotors where replaced, should i replace the front ones??,should i get oem or aftermarket?? the clucking when the revs went down was the compressor hitting the swaybar and the undercarriage protection, maybe you guys got the wrong idea of the car, its in exellent shape, not perfect but exellent, the brakes work perfectly every time , everyday , and yes i visually inspected the car beafore the test, checked lug bolts , suspension arms , fluids and tyre preassure, its all good.

thanx a lot

400E · #9 05-01-2003, 07:47 AM

That's your subject line ...

You SHOULD be scared (but hopefully NOT to death!)

What the fine members of this forum are politely trying to tell you is that your car is NOT in excellent shape and does not sound like it is actually fit to drive at this time.

It is not responsible behavior to drive this vehicle at those speeds with the kinds of problems you have. A bent steering knuckle causing the tie rod end to touch the rim? An AC compressor poised to become a 142 mph projectile for the car behind you? Bent suspension components are a sign of trouble. MB suspensions are well engineered and don't readily bend. If a steering knuckle is bent, I would bet there are other front-end problems as well.

PLEASE do yourself (and others around you) a favor and DON'T drive this car until you have the front end and brakes looked at by a trusted mechanic.

#10 05-01-2003, 08:05 AM

Oh Man, it is post like this that I pass around for the other techs to have a gut busting laugh about!

Come on! Lets all say it together! MORON!

#11 05-01-2003, 10:15 AM

Hey, No need to call anyone MORON.
djjeant but you could try applying for the "Fear Factor" tv program.

sbourg · #12 05-01-2003, 10:32 AM

"my car is in perfect condition, only minor stuff going on, worn flex discs, and one or two bushings that needs to be replaced, can the weird braking be caused by the bent steering knuckle??"

None of these are minor problems, and your car is not in good shape. As others pointed out, these known problems are also a good indicator that you have more. All these major issues might normally not result in noticeable problems at low speed, but at 230 kph they could kill you and anyone you take out in the process. Until you admit the issues, you will not find advice here useful.

Steve

sbourg · #13 05-01-2003, 10:54 AM

BTW, is this the same 16V where in another post you describe the steering box as being 'completely worn'? Exactly which part of this car is in 'excellent condition' anyway?

Steve

arif · #14 05-01-2003, 11:57 AM

MORON!!

#15 05-01-2003, 12:57 PM

its not the steering knuckle itself, its the steering knuckle arm, and the steering gear is completely worn, but still good for many miles until complete rebuild, i went to a safe road so if anything occurs like an ac comprresor coming off it wouldnt hurt anybody, or the post would have been, "killed someone when my a/c compressor broke off the base". anyways i only post for people to give me advise and those are the only ones i pay attention to, i bet the ones calling me a moron have done worst stuff.

thanx anyway.