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  #1  
Old 11-30-2011, 08:42 PM
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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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Old 11-30-2011, 08:51 PM
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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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  #3  
Old 11-30-2011, 09:05 PM
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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.
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  #4  
Old 11-30-2011, 09:31 PM
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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.
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  #5  
Old 12-01-2011, 01:34 AM
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Answer

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike D View Post
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.
Fortunately I can, having worked on this car many times.
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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  #6  
Old 12-01-2011, 03:22 AM
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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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Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!
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  #7  
Old 12-01-2011, 06:12 AM
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Ahh c'mon Roy, a WELDER? No "handyman's secret weapon" repair is available?
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  #8  
Old 12-01-2011, 11:10 AM
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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
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Four 114's, Four M110's
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  #9  
Old 12-01-2011, 06:08 PM
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FYI

Quote:
Originally Posted by kraakevik View Post
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
You are correct.

I found the superseded repair kit/part.
MB verified 100 in Germany.

Trunnion bearing
MB# 1154600738
$155.00
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  #10  
Old 12-03-2011, 05:44 AM
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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! .
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Old 12-03-2011, 03:14 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mercmad6.3 View Post
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! .
I have been watching for a replacement body.
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.


.
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  #12  
Old 12-03-2011, 03:56 PM
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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  
Old 12-04-2011, 12:25 AM
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Answer

Quote:
Originally Posted by mercmad6.3 View Post
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?
Yes, it is a W115.114 chassis 300D.
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  #14  
Old 12-04-2011, 12:49 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mercmad6.3 View Post
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?

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.
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  #15  
Old 12-07-2011, 12:47 PM
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Adsitco has an idler arm repair kit listed for 114/115 cars


Tim Kraakevik
kraakevik@voyager.net

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