74 450SEL, 250K miles. Driving the other day and when I braked, the car
pulled to the left. Suspected it was a sticking caliper or something.
When I checked it out I noticed that the frame had broken-
separated right above the front cam bolt on the lower control arm.
I guess it's metal fatique. It looks like a big deal to replace that frame
member (Is it called a K member?). Can it be welded by a frame shop
or is it all over? The car is becoming a beater, and probably only
worth $500, if the frame was o.k. I've learned alot from this car, esp. about
fuel injection. Would like to save it, but I'm afraid it's gonna be a wallet
emptier. What do guys think?

Can the crossmember be replaced?

__________________
Regards

Warren

Currently 1965 220Sb, 2002 FORD Crown Vic Police Interceptor

Had 1965 220SEb, 1967 230S, 280SE 4.5, 300SE (W126), 420SEL

ENTER > = (HP RPN)

Not part of the in-crowd since 1952.

Warren- I'm sure it can, but at what cost?

One doesn't weld suspension components casually.

W116 cars pretty much litter junk yards. Replacing the suspension assembly is relatively trivial if you're doing the work yourself. Find a donor car and look at John's recent threads about getting a 450sl back on the road. -CTH

__________________
- cth350@gmail.com
http://www.111lakeside.com/

CTH 350 - who is John and how would I access those threads?

Had a 114 myself with cracked rear subframe, the wishbone looking piece that straddles the rear axles. Went to the boneyard to buy replacement parts and using a blowtorch the junkie cut what i needed in 20 minutes from one of their cars, total cost $150.

Then I went home and installed the brand new wishbone over the weekend with new rubber bushings thrown in for good measure. The worst part of the operation was dealing with frozen bolts on the old rubber bushings and compressing/pulling coil springs. Otherwise it was no big deal.

Dunno front subframes on the 116 but tie-breaker for me might be whether or not the job can be done without pulling the engine, if you go the replacement route.

Or if you take the welding option without replacing the cracked subframe, about the only thing you need to know is the weakest part of every weld is where the blob of new metal meets the old metal - so you might want to ask the welder if he will also add a few stitches or a patch of new metal brazed across the crack after he's joined the edges. But my guess is that welders will say its better to replace the subframe. And of course suspension geometry might never be the same unless you replace the entire piece.

Thx 240 DieselDog. Relacing the piece is not an option for me.
An M-B mechanic friend of mine quoted $1400. I could do it myself
probably for less but it is pretty difficult- have to support the engine to the
fenders up top, take the coil springs off etc etc.
The mechanic said that most frame shops aren't going to want to weld
it because of liability issues, which I can understand.
So, altho I'm certainly not a professional welder, I have done some and have a MIG wire welder (flux core) and am going to take a shot at it
to start with, really nothing to lose at this point.
Thank you for the reminder about the welds. After tacking I will try
to put some reinforcement type brackets in there to strengthen it.
If it all holds, I know that it could let go under a hard stop or hard hit
a bump or curve situation, so I will only drive this thing for the short
stop and go- grocery getter so to speak.
Happy to hear other suggestions etc.

Wasn't it the 116 chassis that had a recall for this? If this problem was never fixed in the first place, or if you can prove it wasn't fixed right, you might be able to get this done free of charge. Or was that another chassis/issue?

__________________
Current:
2021 Charger Scat Pack Widebody "Sinabee"
2018 Durango R/T

Previous:
1972 280SE 4.5
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited "Hefe", 1992 Jeep Cherokee Laredo "Jeepy", 2006 Charger R/T "Hemi"
1999 Chrysler 300M - RIP @ 221k

I have been told by Tech friends that the recall is still in effect..........Doubt it , but that is what they say........

Well I did kind of a hack welding job yesterday, but it is holding so far.
Wish I'd seen TomGuy's and Arthur's posts firsts. It would be hard for me to
believe that a recall repair would still be done on a 31 year old car, and of
course now that I have done a shadetree type "repair" it would probably give
them even more of an excuse not to want to do the work.
Wish I had a friend at a dealer. Would be funny driving my beater into a
Beverly Hills or Encino dealer for this. The parts department at Auto Steigler
has MB designer wear and apparel. All the real parts are undercover.
Any other thoughts on this?

I would take it in and see if they will honor the recall.

I do know for a fact that there was a recall on early 450 SL's relating to the frame or sub-frame assembly.

They still honor the recall today.

__________________
Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

< Beverly Hills or Encino dealer for this. The parts department at Auto Steigler
has MB designer wear and apparel. >>

That would be perfect..
Drive in there with Joplin blastin' @ full tilt and tell them you would like to try/size some Apparel to kill time while they did the Recall......

..don't offer to burn one with the SM , though !!!! ...

The only recall I have ever seen mentioned was for the 107 chassis.

Anybody out there better informed?

Kevin

__________________
"Dangerous with a wrench...and not smart enough to know it"

Stable (in order of acqusition):
'84 500SL, 280SEL (Euros)
'77 280SE. '90 560SEL
'79 450SEL 6.9,
'95 C280 (totalled by daughter 8/07)
'81 280SL (rescued) '88 300CE
'86 560SEC '95 C36
'01 CL55

DD's: '04 S500 4Matic (SWMBO)
'04 F150 Crew

I'd be amazed to see MB crap out on any service agreements with owners that have already gone into effect. Even the 1-800-222-0100 (mb roadside repair) number on my 1979 glove box door is still good. And picking up fiddly bit parts at the Louahville dealership they treat me like a celebrity for having a car that's more than 25 yrs old. Nobody cares if I bought it for $500 on ebay three yrs ago.

Knowing MB i'm thinkin once they blackball a part for recall, then the part can be recalled for life of the car. It's not like folks will be swamping MB repair bays with perfectly good 116 subframes demanding replacement.... more like MB will be happy to replace *cracked* subframes. I think thats the kinda recall they had in mind when they put it into effect.

Naturally, there might be a little resistance at some of the dealerships for honoring this freebie recall repair........ But i'm thinkin if photos were sent of the cracked subframe, even with temporary welding repair, along with a decent letter asking about the recall, then it shouldnt surprise anybody if MB USA provides quick approval for subframe replacement on MB letterhead that can then be taken to the local dealership. Or heck, the problem could even be solved over the telephone in 5 minutes with authorized recall/repair order number given over the phone.


""Mercedes-Benz would like to hear from you. If you have a question that isn't answered in our FAQ or if you'd like to get in touch with a Mercedes-Benz Representative, this is the place to do it. Please do not hesitate to:
· Call us at 1-800-FOR-MERCEDES (1-800-367-6372)
· Contact us by e-mail
· Send us a letter:
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
Customer Assistance Center
3 Paragon Drive
Montvale, N.J. 07645........"

http://www.mbusa.com/brand/container.jsp?/contactus/index.jsp


Give it a shot, says me

__________________
'80 300SD/ w116
'79 240D 4-spd
'71 750cc Guzzi

previously owned:

'83 240D 4-spd
'77 280SEL 4-spd
'74 280/8
'72 250/8
'65 220Sb 4-spd
'63 220Sb 4-spd
'63 190c 4-spd
'61 220Sb 4-spd
'60 190b 4-spd

The fact that you hand did a repair may void the recall, then again, it may not. Can't hurt to try. And yes, recalls pretty much last forever. -CTH

__________________
- cth350@gmail.com
http://www.111lakeside.com/