PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post - for those who have replaced the steering box

JHZR2 · #1 03-31-2004, 10:09 AM

Hi,

My 83 300D has a bit of play in the steering box. Ive adjusted it to the point where the play at the center is about 12mm. That is just about where the spec says it should be.

I just made a 2500mi trip to FL and back. The steering was fine for the past month of use, but by the time I got down to FL, the car was wandering quite a bit.

I thought it was cross breezes in FL, and I think a lot of it was, but there still was too much wandering going on. A couple friends drove my car and commented on how funny the steering was, and they understood why I was wandering side to side when going down the road. Granted, these old systems are not like a steering rack setup, but still, a little play is ok; wandering and constant adjustment side to side isnt.

All tires are fine, most all of the front suspension components are new, and so Im thinking that at 222k, its time for replacement. Turning the wheel allows for a lot of movement of the input shaft, but no movement on the output end...

I saw one, sold by carsteering.com that had ended on ebay, no bids. It had free shipping, and the bid was $289. I think I will contact them to see if theyll put another one up, or give me that deal. But I need to know what Im getting into.

How tough is it to replace the steering box in a w123 car? Does the car need to be lifted so the wheels are off the ground? What is involved in removing the pitman arm and then getting it back on in the correct centered location?

Thanks very much!

JMH