I'm trying to get rid of my steering play, need advice.
 

Ok I need some advice, ever since I bought my SDL it has had a lot of steering play. Over the last month I noticed it getting a lot worse. So after a little checking and pulling I found that my outside tie rod end on the drivers side had a lot of play in it, the passengers side didn't have much. So I ordered two new tie rods and replaced them on Friday, this helped a lot but their is still a lot of play. With the passengers side wheel off of the ground I can still feel some movement but I can't tell exactly where it is coming from. I was wondering if I should replace the center link? Do these ever go bad? I also have an idler arm rebuild kit, Sunday I will do that. I also repleced the steering damper back in July.

Now I know my steering box has a lot of play in it, adjusting it doesn't seem to help. But I have a better box from my 420 parts car. It has 174k on it and a lot less play, I bought a re-seal kit and will clean it up next week and install it. I would like a rebuilt gear box but don't have the money now, maybe next year.

Any other sudjestions? Do the pitman arms go bad? My center link seems ok, but it is original. I would like to get as much play out of the system as possible, next summer when I replace the box I'm hoping to have no play.

Btw the suspension is very tight and in very good shape for 240k miles, I am in no rush to do a front end re-build. Maybe in a few years, but everything is still very tight, except the shocks their all leaking like crazy.

First be sure your wheel bearings are tightened to specs...
otherwise they can make finding looseness in other things hard....
When they are tight if you go under the car with the engine running and someone slightly moving the steering wheel back and forth you can put your hand at the point where two items come together and feel movement in one compared to the other one....
So your hand would typically be spanning a ball joint type socket... you can feel movement/(lack of ) much finer than you can see it....
I would start at the wheels and go in feeling for play....

After you eliminate the steering links and ends for play, take a good look at the rubber flex joint that is just above the steering box, inline with the steering shaft.

Also try to make and adjustment on your steering box.
It is true that the steering boxes wear rather quickly in relation to the rest of the vehicle. However one thing I have encountered is that we have the tendancy to subconciously compare steering to cars made in the last ten years.. The technology is different and make very noticible changes when comparing them.

Measure the actual play at the steering wheel for how much play you really have.

I should messure they play, it is way out of MB spec, probably 2in.

FrankM I was looking at that rubber thing, it looks pretty good, I would say half of the play is from the gear box but their is something else contributing.

leathermang the bearings are real tight, I just checked them in April and repacked and sealed them. They are in very good shape, I was going to replace them but they looked so good.

I decided to do the idler arm tomarrow I will look around more and report back, maybe the idler arm will help.

Is their bushings in the pitman arms? Do they ever go bad?

hatterasguy, have you checked your steering damper? If this is old and week it will show up as play alot cheaper and easier than your steering box.
m

When you adjusted the steering, did you loosen the allen? Tightening it will make the steering worse.

Not sure if you knew this, but I've had experience with mine!

Be sure you know which direction moving the allen head works...
On many of these cars tightening the steering involves counter-clockwise movement of the allen.... counter - intuitive... so be careful...and only turn a slight amount and do a road test.... like 1/8 th turn at most....

finding steering play is one of those jobs that pretty much requires a helper. As Greg said, you can feel the play better than seeing it. Get a good helper moving the steering wheel and direct them to change the frequency and amplitude of motion

If you really really really can't find a helper.... there are dial indicators which can be clamped in place which will " keep" the max reading they get... like thermometers for greenhouses can do....
They are the cat's meow.... but are expensive.... and likely most people at the desk won't even know what you are talking about...
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edit...ok... found this better name for it..

"One more related feature is "hold/reset." This is used primarily where the readout is difficult to observe; for example, where the entire gage is inserted into a part to measure an awkwardly placed internal dimension. The hold feature allows the indicator to retain the reading so that the operator can extract the gage and view the readout, then clear it with a reset button."
from:
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3101/is_n4_v66/ai_14469677

Wow leathermang I'm not going to get that serious, I will look and feel my way around and see if I can find anything else thats lose.

mhingram the steering damper was replaced in June/July.

I want to replace my steering box anyway because it is leaking, so I will try to adjust the "new" one. It has 70k less miles on it so should be a little better.

I had my box changed and the play is gone. If you know the box is bad, change it then check it again. YOu just eliminated one possibility.

BTW, I need the wood piece for my center console. Got anu ideas?

Thanks

"Wow leathermang I'm not going to get that serious,"

Steering is pretty serious no matter how you look at it....
and many times those steering boxes are very expensive....
anyway, I thought I was just helping out by giving you an excuse to add a neat tool to your collection.... LOL

Don't tempt me into buying anymore tools :D Then I will need a bigger tool box, then a bigger garage to house said toobox. :eek: Then I will want more old cars, that will piss my parents and neighbor's off. :D I take steering and brakes very seriosly and spare no expense in making sure that they are perfect and operate they way they were ment to. However I know most of the play is coming from the gear box, and I would prefer to order a rebuilt one but don't have the money now. Next spring or summer I will replace it.

I rebuilt the idler arm today, it was a pretty simple job. The hardest part was getting the big nut off of the bolt, I didn't have a metric socket big enough but a 1in standard socket fit nicely. I needed a 3ft breaker bar and a small sledge hammer to break that sob lose. Damn winter road salt. :mad: But after that it was an easy job, it took me a little over an hour. After I did that my dad pushed and pulled the wheel as I looked and felt around the steering. All of the play that is left is in the box, their might, might be a slight amount from the drivers side center link end. I will replace that this week, it is the only original part other then the gear box that could cause play.

The steering is much much better then it was before the 2 tie rods and idler arm. It is tighter and there is less play at the wheel. The idler arm didn't seem to take much play out but it did make the steering feel tighter, and just better.

Boy, looks like we hit the enter button about the same time. :-)

How much does a rebuilt steering box go for and is it something Phil can order? Is it ridiculously hard to replace? Idler Arm Bushing rebuild. I used a big metric socket (22mm??) on an electric impact wrench with another socket and breaker bar up top. Came off VERY easily. Tightened the new by hand though, as tight as I could make it.

How on earth did you get your idler bushings out? ON my 116 I had to use an electric drill, with small bits and continually drill into the rubber around the metal bushing until most of the rubber was gone. I tried hammering it out using a punch, then I even used an air chisel with a punch fitting on it then a chisel fitting. All that was on a lift. It was at my uncle's car lot where I work, so I do all work on a lift. Lucky me, eh?
Thanks
David

rmmagow I know I have a 22mm socket somewhere but I can't find it. :D I have an impact gun but the bigest socket I have for it is 17mm, I didn't want to use a regular socket. Won't it break one? I tightened it by hand first with a 1/2 drive then with the breaker bar, that sucker is tight.

Want, I just used the old bolt. I stuck it in the bottom bushing and pulled sideways, I worked it down slowly. I shot oil on them and they came out better. For the top one I used the head of the bolt, to push against the bushing and whacked the bottom with a hammer, this drove the top one out. They didn't fight to much on the way out, if I had a lift it and could have used my impact gun it would be a quick job. I bet I could do one in less then 1/2 with those tools.

The new ones I oiled up and tapped in with a hammer and block of wood.

Maybe I got lucky I didn't have anywhere near the problems you had. :eek:

A rebuilt steering box is $617.67 from Fastlane. A new box is $1,500 from the dealer! :eek:

I know these are Mercedes and all, but man.. Come on..

Rebuilt boxes are about $325 at carsteering.com. I haven't ordered one yet, but they've been good with emails and an explanation of what they do to rebuild them.

Hatterasguy,
Ok,, let me describe what I think I have read here.... and you correct me if I am wrong....

You know you have more play than you think you should have in the steering system...

This is even after the tie rod ends and stuff you have replaced....

Some very responsible people have suggested you ' adjust' your steering box...

But you don't feel comfortable adjusting it... and thus are planning on doing a complete replacement next summer instead ?

I do not have SDL chassis books.... only 123.... so I will not offer any specifics concerning how to adjust your steering box... but will say this...

The engineers made the steering box so that it could be adjusted periodically... when needed... in a simple fashion... typically this means loosening the lock nut and using an allen wrench to move the center bolt a very small distance ( typically 1/8 th turn or less ) ... and then testing it on the road. You are not trying to get it back to NEW status... you are only trying to get it to safe and within legit margins for movement...

Your box will wear faster in the improperly loose condition....and excess pressure is put on stuff inside it... compared to proper setting...

So I recommend you do the research... and consider adjusting your steering box.... or take it to someone after you have done all the other steering replacements you plan on doing ( so you can tell what if any improvements were due to adjustment ).....

You got most of it leathermang, I tried adjusting the steering box. It didn't do much, I adjusted the screw out it helped a little but not really. I think my box is just worn out. What I am saying is that I have a better box sitting in my basement that I got for free out of my parts car. I am going to adjust the play out of the "new" box and install it. Then next year when I have the money I will purchase a rebuilt box. This way my steering will be 80% better then it was before unitl I can afford to fork over $500 for a new box.

"much, I adjusted the screw out it helped a little but not really. I think my box is just worn out. "

Until you adjust it out enough to take up the slack from normal wear.... you don't know if it is worn out or not...

It is very likely that your steering box has never been adjusted in the life of the car until you tried it...

Why not , a little at a time, try tightening it just to see if it is ok,,,, or you are just assuming it is worn out... ?

And keep notes on how far out you wind up adjusting it... others might benefit from that information...
We are here to SHARE .... aren't WE ? :D

I'll play with it tommarow a little and report back. Yes I will record my results for the betterment of Mercedes everywhere. :D

I did use all impact sockets for the idler arm bushing replacement. I've actually got a full set of impact sockets for just about everything. They just work better and I never seem to run into rounding off the bolts problems (I do bust a few though). I don't use the impact wrench so much but if you have to use a breaker bar, you should use impact class sockets I've learned. I don't worry about the impact socket when I have a three foot pipe over the breaker bar. In fact, I had to remove a SEVERELY cross threaded caliper bolt one time, could not reach with power wrench, put an impact socket on the bolt, a two foot breaker bar enhanced another foot with a pipe. I then jacked the car up as high as I could with a block of wood to allow extra height, stood back and dropped that sucker. Ended up doing this three or four times before I could bet the bolt out but it did come out. Hi-End satisfaction !!