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#1
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76 300D Idler arm rusted off!?
Greetings,
I have a 300D here. It's looks as if the idler arm assembly has rusted off the car. The bushing looks fine and all, but that entire deal is disconnected from the frame. It's OBVIOUS it need to be welded on, if not a new assembly bought and welded (the entire thing is rust.) My concern is safety. It's an (ex) girlfriends car. She originally took it to firestone. They told her to scrap the car, as the frame is beyond repair. The rest of this (uni)body car is in decent shape, the only major rust is upfront. It's a good excuse for me to buy a little welder, as the miller mig and tig we have at the machine shop is a bit to far out of the way. Thoughts/Suggestions? Pics to follow.
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-1983 VW Rabbit LS Diesel (5speed, VNT/Giles build) |
#2
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Pics, apologies for them being from a cameraphone, at night and with the car on the ground. It just got towed to my area.
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-1983 VW Rabbit LS Diesel (5speed, VNT/Giles build) |
#3
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can someone with a nicer 116 post a few pictures up?
Preferably with a scale/ruler in this area. I wanna keep this car on the road, it's to pretty.
__________________
-1983 VW Rabbit LS Diesel (5speed, VNT/Giles build) |
#4
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The problem is not the rust you see, it's the rust you DON'T see!
Get to digging around there with an ice pick or something pointy. See what you find. Nobody is going to give you a safety opinion by a few pictures. |
#5
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Answer
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A factory new assembly is no longer available. If you want a mig welder, we can discuss it tomorrow. Thanks for the pictures Monomer, it helps define the issue. We must fabricate a jig for the idler arm mount position. The two easy options are the W116 or W126 going to scrap. I will look over the W126 in the morning. We can cut off anything you need, and weld it into the W115.114. Grinding off the bad metal is going to be nasty. The time consuming option is to machine a new part. .
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ASE Master Mechanic asemastermechanic@juno.com Prototype R&D/testing: Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician. Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH). Dynamometer. Heat exchanger durability. HV-A/C Climate Control. Vehicle build. Fleet Durability Technical Quality Auditor. Automotive Technical Writer 1985 300SD 1983 300D 1984 190D 2003 Volvo V70 2002 Honda Civic https://www.boldegoist.com/ |
#6
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I guess the limits on the height of the idler arm on the W116 are going to be just as strict as they are on the W126 / W123. Make sure that whoever welds on a new one gets the relative height with the Pitman arm on the steering box right... and the angle too...
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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver 1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone 1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy! 1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits! |
#7
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Ahh c'mon Roy, a WELDER? No "handyman's secret weapon" repair is available?
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#8
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There used to be a kit for this--a tube that was re-welded or bolted to the frame--I had it done on a couple of my 114 280's years ago--perhaps the folks at Adsitco or one of the older Mercedes dealerships would know--it cost a couple of hundred dollars installed twenty-five years ago
Tim Kraakevik kraakevik@voyager.net Four 114's, Four M110's |
#9
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FYI
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I found the superseded repair kit/part. MB verified 100 in Germany. Trunnion bearing MB# 1154600738 $155.00 |
#10
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You guys are in America, there are thousands of cheap mercs there. I would junk that car in a heart beat and use it's better parts in a better body. If the idler has rusted off, the inside of the chassis rail is rotten .And every where else where you cannot see too i'll bet.
If you know a plumber,ask if he can look inside the chassis rails with his pipe cam to see if it's worth persevering with ...and what if the ex demands her car back after you fix it? LOL! . |
#11
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Answer
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Thank you, but this an easy issue to fix. I have replaced 80% of the floor, and any serious areas of the uni-body sub-frame. . |
#12
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In OZ we must be spoiled for choice because it's easier to simply get a car without rust,and that is mercedes not any of our home grown carp. The only ones to get rust repairs are coupes ,cabs and nicer SL's .Everything else gets sold for scrap . We get around $400 for a scrap car here now. (thank you China!) .It's a W115 300D?
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#13
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Answer
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#14
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I wouldn't even give you 400 for it. Not worth fixing relative to the value of the car. The idler arm is a critical part and once that's been damaged by rust it's not something you can really count on. Attachments to the car aside, do you really want to put that much time and effort into a $2,500.00 ( at most ) dollar car. |
#15
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