96 E300 55 mph shimmy - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Bodgit2 · #1 06-15-2006, 10:33 PM

My E300 1996 has developed a 55mph shimmy. It goes away at higher and lower speeds. On my kids BMW it was control arms. Any advice?
Milage 112k, new Michelins 10k ago, recently aligned.
TIA
Steve

POS · #2 06-15-2006, 10:38 PM

Start with getting the tires rebalanced on a high quality machine. That seems to solve the problem 70% of the time and it doesn't cost much.

Discount Tire here in Texas has an excellent machine that they charge more for, but it works.

shoe · #3 06-16-2006, 07:41 AM

In addtion to the previous post if your tires are more than 70% worn they can make that same shimmy. On my 96 and 97 when I replaced the tires myine went away. But do try the balance job first.

F18 · #4 06-16-2006, 09:54 AM

Steve,
The 55mph speed related thing is almost always a symptom of worn factory Lower A-Arm bearings/bushings. You just had an alignment so they would have checked tie rods and ball joints so those must be OK or they would not have been able to do the alignment. If your new tires were not balanced properly or a balance weight flew off you would feel vibration through a longer range of speeds.

On all three of the MB's I have owned including the current 98 E-300TD they all had the same problem. And I tried new tires, rebalancing tires, alignments,
new shocks and they continued to have the 56-60MPH shimmy. The factory MB Lower A-Arm bearings are the culprits and they are crap! They were crap when they left the factory!

97E300D · #5 06-16-2006, 10:26 AM

They are lower Control Arm Bushings, I'm looking to replace mine this weekend. I just hope they press out ok....

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=83729&highlight=W210+lower+control

F18 · #6 06-16-2006, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 97E300D

They are lower Control Arm Bushings, I'm looking to replace mine this weekend. I just hope they press out ok....

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=83729&highlight=W210+lower+control

97E300D,
Let us know how long the job takes....its been a while since I've done one myself and really was not looking forward to doing one again! ..keep us posted.
Thanks

97E300D · #7 06-16-2006, 01:01 PM

I'll take some pics of the process....My press is only rated at 11 Tons so I hope that will do it. My car is shaking like a wet dog when I get to 55-60. It's funny how it get better when the cold weather is here an worse when the summer heat makes the rubber softer. I wonder if this "LCB" issue contributes to the spring perch failures?

DieselAddict · #8 06-16-2006, 03:59 PM

My car has the same issue even though my tires are fairly new and balanced, but I'm kind of reluctant to do something about it because it seems like a big job, I don't have the proper tools and it doesn't bother me very much or most of the time. Is an alignment required after this job? I'd hate to have to do that again because the local MB dealer had trouble getting it right last time. I noticed that the road surface also affects the extent of the shimmy. On rougher roads it's a lot less noticable. But on a very smooth road, on a hot summer day and around 55 mph, the shimming is embarrassingly noticeable.

F18 · #9 06-16-2006, 09:12 PM

DieselAddict,
I think the random bumping and bounce on a rough road does not allow the shimmy to start. The shimmy is a uniform oscillation like a swing of a pendulum. Why it starts at around 55mph and ends at 60mph??? There must be some sort of harmonic trigger associated with the speed.

The one time I replaced the A-Arm Bearings on the 84 300SD the shimmy returned in about 45K miles, which was about 14 months worth of driving at the time. That was not worth all the fuss so I learned to ignore it and drive above 60 or below 56MPH.

Bodgit2 · #10 06-18-2006, 10:35 AM

Thanks guys! I just ordered the rebuild kit from Phil at Fast Lane. I hope the 20 ton shop press I own will do it! I also have a Klann spring compressor set and that should do it .
I'll get to it soon and will try to post pictures for you all to see.
Thanks for you advice, I knew I could count on you guys for help!!!!
Steve

DieselAddict · #11 06-19-2006, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by F18

DieselAddict,
I think the random bumping and bounce on a rough road does not allow the shimmy to start. The shimmy is a uniform oscillation like a swing of a pendulum. Why it starts at around 55mph and ends at 60mph??? There must be some sort of harmonic trigger associated with the speed.

The one time I replaced the A-Arm Bearings on the 84 300SD the shimmy returned in about 45K miles, which was about 14 months worth of driving at the time. That was not worth all the fuss so I learned to ignore it and drive above 60 or below 56MPH.

I have the same understanding of the problem as you do. It is an oscillation like you say that requires certain conditions to start and keep going. I guess around 55 mph the wheels are rotating at the correct frequency to trigger this oscillation or resonance. Theoretically and much the same way, you could blow out your neighbor's windows with a gentle sound if you could find the correct frequency that matches the structural resonance of the glass.

I'm surprised your '84 had the same problem. I thought this problem was limited to the W210 chassis. Of all the cars that I've had in my life, this is the only one that has this problem and it is indeed a bad design.

97E300D · #12 07-12-2006, 11:05 AM

Ok I did the Lower Control Arm Bushing replacement over the weekend. Not such a bad job if you follow the correct procedure. I don't know where others have had problems removing or installing these. And what's all this about a special tool and tools breaking...I guess more disinformation and hearsay..

I actually knocked one of the larger bushing out with just a hammer and a socket to see if it could be done without a press. I also would recommend installing the 2 smaller bushing by clamping then in a vise and squeezing them together on each other. I did this on the second Control arm just see if a press is essential. But a press seems to be required to install the longer single front bushing.

I only took 2 pictures of the process since my camera battery went dead, and if I re-entered the house for a new one, my 2 year old would be sticking to me like glue. Not the type of job I want anyone around, I hate leaving a car up on jacks.

I'll post the pictures as soon as I get a chance. Three important things to to note:

1. When compressing the spring put the spring compressors in place then apply the cars weight to compress the spring most of the way, instead of killing yourself tighting the bolts in such close quarters. Then you can easily take out the slack.

2. When install the bushings, install the larger one 1st, since you will need access through the hole where the two bushing go, in order to press it into place. My 2 pictures show this.

3. Once the arm is bolted back in place keep the hinging bolts loose so it can swivel until wheel hub is in place again. Then place a jack under the hub and apply enough weight to the wheel hub mimic the normal driving position of the control arm. Once the spring is compressed at this position go ahead and torque the bushing bolts down. This is to ensure the bushing are not over twisted. They should be in a non twisted position when the vehicle is on the ground.

Oh yeah she runs smooth at all speeds.........

DieselAddict · #13 10-07-2006, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by POS

Start with getting the tires rebalanced on a high quality machine. That seems to solve the problem 70% of the time and it doesn't cost much.

Discount Tire here in Texas has an excellent machine that they charge more for, but it works.

I just had my wheels rebalanced and much to my surprise the 55-mph shimmy is gone! This tells me my wheels were not as precisely balanced the first time as this time around. My control arm bushings are still probably worn, but this does confirm that a properly done balancing can cure this problem. Certainly having your wheels balanced is much easier and cheaper than replacing those bushings and should be tried first.

nhdoc · #14 10-08-2006, 08:25 AM

I've thought about just replacing the lower control arms when mine need it next...both can be bought for about $500-$600, and while I know this is a lot more than the bushings cost it means you can do the job fast and have a spare set of control arms to rebuild when the car is not "out of commission". Then, next time the bushings are worn in a few years you can just plug and play again without having the pressure of getting the job done while the car is immobilized.