Steering box hell!!! URGENT

so i was pulling out of a gas station and my steering started making a horrible sound so i turned the car off and i had no p/s fluid in the pumps reservoir so i topped it of and it spitted it out again so i went under the car for instepction and the seal thats on the steering boxe's arm the one the attaches to the pitman arm the one with the splines, the seal went out of place, you see the seal was replaced by the dealer like 3 months ago because of a small leak, and it was fine until now, see its not like a little damaged, i topped of the reservoir and in less than ten seconds it was empty, i can even see a piece of the seal out of its hole, ok so the dealer is an hour away and a tow truck is very expensive, can i do a temp fix so i can get to the dealer or what? i was going to remove the pitman arm and try to put the seal back into place so i could get to the dealer but i wanted youre advise first, do i have to take out the steering box and have the seal pressed in again? or can i get it back in again myself?

please my car is sitting in a gas station and i dont want to leave it there.


1985 190e 2.3 16v euro

BUMP

[JimSmith]

djjeant,

edit: I just noticed you have a 190E 2.3-16 which has a serpentine belt, so the suggestion here does not apply. Sorry.

The first choice should be to have the car towed but you made it clear you are not happy about that option. So, depending on what car you have the following may prove useful.

If this is an older car without a serpentine belt, I would cut the power steering belt and drive there without any power steering. I would fill the reservoir, and check it after a few miles to make sure there is still some fluid in there to keep the mechanism on the older machines (recirculating ball) lubricated. If the fluid still leaks out pretty quickly (I suspect it would) I would bring enough fluid and stop often enough to keep the steering box covered. I would not parallel park or do a lot of steering when the car is not in motion.

If you have a serpentine belt, it is not clear to me that you should even attempt driving the car. Good luck, Jim

thnx for the reply jim, but the problem is the steering box or gear not the pump, and the eal that went out of place is the one above the arm that moves the pitman arm, the one coming out of the steering box with splines, the seal is known for small leaks over time so i had it replaced by the dealer, the seal fell of its housing.
thats the problem

so if the seal is in good condition can i just put it back in?

any advice if i have to remove the steering box?


1985 Euro 190E 2.3 16V

[JimSmith]

djjeant,

I understood where the leak was, but the source of pressure that causes the fluid to leak out really quickly is likely the pump. Shutting the pump off by cutting the belt (you can't do this because all your accessories run off the same belt) makes the situation a little less likely to have the oil just pour out. There is still the pressure caused by the elevation difference though.

I have never had the problem you are facing so I cannot offer any worthwhile advice. I would be inclined to take it back to the dealer though as a Mercedes Benz part installed by a dealer has warranty for something like 12 months and/or 12,000 miles. I would tow the car or flat bed it there and have him pay for the tow as it is clearly a case of poor workmanship.

Good luck, Jim

sorry jim, i misunderstood you

ok thats what im doing first thing in the morning, any advice on what i should tell them? that dealership isnt very userfriendly. i doubt theyll pay for the towing.

[erubin]

Have you tried MB's 24 hour roadside service for a suggestion?

I just noticed that you listed Columbia as you location; is that a city in the US? If you are in the República de Colombia you may not have MB roadside.

they only have road side assistance in certain citys

[davidmash]

Just had my steering box rebuilt on my 87 euro 16v. The shop that I bring it to replaced the seals last Oct and it held for 9 months or so then blew the seal out again. They tried to replace them but it did not work. He said the best hope was to yank it and rebuild it. He said over time that the insides can get scored and what have you and that the presure will build up and blow the seal out. They did not charge me for the R&R since they already did that back in Oct. They just charged me for the rebuild which was $700. I guess I should be happy they were able to rebuild it. A new steerig box for my car is over $1800.

Car runs great now.

ill tell the mechanic about what happened to you to see if theres a fix without having to rebuild, i really dont have the money right now

thanx for the advice