Car wanders on freeway, what to replace??? - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

bigbillyboy · #16 12-28-2006, 04:17 PM

I had the same issue. Wandering at highway speeds, especially in a wind. I just replaced all of the busings, ball joints (upper and lower) and complete tie rods (the old ones were so corroded I doubt that they would have loosened up enough for an adjustment). I cannot believe the difference it made. my '85 300d now tracks straight and true, and there is no longer a vibration in the steering wheel. I did all of the work myself, except for the alignment, and it was fairly easy. I had 340K on the original supsension components. It was the best $250.00 I have spent on the Benz. FYI.

captainmonk · #17 12-28-2006, 04:39 PM

hatteras is prolly right at that mileage it is all worn and I agree with Walganuth too a GOOD shop for alignment will spell it all out for you My 126 hugs the road in all conditions but I have the reciepts to prove it

pawoSD · #18 12-29-2006, 12:17 PM

I've been thinking about the subframe bushings...the kit for replacing them is $128....are they difficult to do yourself? isn't it...risky undoing those huge bolts that hold up the subframe?

I don't want to do my tie rods myself because I live a good distance away from the dealer and by the time I got there for an alignment by brand new Michelin's would probably be destroyed, and I got the deal of the century on them, so I want to keep them preserved.

Are the upper control arms that hard to replace? I think I could tackle the guide rods myself...and may order some soon.

My suspension (even the shocks I believe) is all original at 250k...so just about everything could stand replacing.

PatricdeBoer · #19 12-29-2006, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

I've been thinking about the subframe bushings...the kit for replacing them is $128....are they difficult to do yourself? isn't it...risky undoing those huge bolts that hold up the subframe?

I don't want to do my tie rods myself because I live a good distance away from the dealer and by the time I got there for an alignment by brand new Michelin's would probably be destroyed, and I got the deal of the century on them, so I want to keep them preserved.

Are the upper control arms that hard to replace? I think I could tackle the guide rods myself...and may order some soon.

My suspension (even the shocks I believe) is all original at 250k...so just about everything could stand replacing.

Upper control arms are a breeze. I spent 45 minutes on each side. Subframe bolts are pretty safe to do yourself. Even if the subframe is not supported it will only hang down so much. There isn't much downward force at the mount points. Getting the bolts back on is a bugger. I used a bottle jack with a swivel head right underneath the bolt. I got both my subframe mounts for $48 bucks from Inter Auto San Diego. OEM too.

pawoSD · #20 12-29-2006, 01:38 PM

So what exactly is the process for replacing the upper control arms and rear subframe bushings....?

I was looking at the explanation of it in the shop cd and it looks mighty complicated....I couldn't even understand parts of it....

I think I might be able to pull off replacing the guide rod bushing assemblies....but the rest of it I am not sure.

PatricdeBoer · #21 12-29-2006, 05:09 PM

Upper control arms are pretty simple. Make sure you hose down the UCA bolt w/ penetrating oil a every day for a few days before the job (it makes it a whole lot easier). It just bolts right on. Normally the UCA rest against a suspension stop to limit the travel so make sure the jack is not gonna slip, if it does, the spring will come flying out. I jacked the wheel off the ground with the jack under the lower control arm. Then everything else is straight forward. There might be a little downforce on the UCA from the sway bar, but nothing you can't muscle out of the way. Make sure you order 4 sway bar bushings too. Torque all three bolts to spec too, it's pretty important up there. It's really an straight forward job, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Good Luck!

pawoSD · #22 12-30-2006, 06:31 PM

Well, today I was going to head out for 75 miles on the freeway, so I checked my tire pressures and one was about 4lbs low...so I put them all up at 39psi, went on my drive...and it handled like it was on rails!

Very cool indeed. So I guess I will leave my suspension alone for the time being....

I may still get an alignment sometime in the next few months....just because it has been over 20k since my last one.

Knightrider966 · #23 12-30-2006, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

My car has gotten to the point where it drifts quite a bit on the freeway, especially if I am hit by a crosswind.

I am assuming I should replace my tie rods (all of them) since they are likely 100k+ in age at least. On the parts site I noticed that there are "tie rod ends" and "tie rod assemblies" with a significant difference in cost. Which one should I buy? On diesel giant's pictorial I saw he used the entire new tie rod... all three for my car would be $180. I'll be having the dealer replace them because I don't want to work on steering components.

Any tips or advice on this potential project? I am getting sick of my car wandering all over the freeway, its getting hard to keep it in a straight line!

I would start with ALL the rubber suspension bushings first and work your way up from there! Mine was doing the same thing when I bought it and I also had to replace a tie rod end on the passenger side. The rubber bushungs were more worn than anything else!

pawoSD · #24 01-05-2007, 12:29 AM

Well, I had to drive back to GR, MI today from Lansing MI, (74 miles) and it was very windy....needless to say, the issue I thought was gone, is BACK, and its BAD.

I could barely keep the car in a straight line with tons of counter steering when wind gusts hit me! It was swerving all over the place.

SO, I brought it right into the dealer, and low and behold, inspection was FREE!

They took my car for 3 hours and had their top MB tech inspect everything to figure out the problems. He says: Replace left ball joint, its in bad shape with lots of play, right is fine (left front makes a thump now when turning, so I am getting it replaced ASAP) Also found: bushings tight and ok, steering ok, steeringbox had never been adjusted/tightened, so he tightened it up, eliminated almost all play in the wheel! Mind you, they did this free! He says I should replace the rear springs and shocks, which they told me before (my car sits low), and to have it realigned. So I ordered all the parts, two springs, two shocks, two spring bushings (14mm), and a ball joint for $337 They want $300 for the ball joint labor, and about $200-250 for the rear springs/shocks. Sounds fairly reasonable....I am going to talk to an INDY I know in Lansing tomorrow, if his price isn't much better, off to the dealer it goes. Considering they did 3 hours of free analysis and inspection + adjusted my steering, for FREE, I think I may just give them my business. I was amazed!

Also taking place tomorrow morning, Valve adjustment, by me!

Stevo · #25 01-05-2007, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PatricdeBoer

Man, that could be a number of things. Subframe bushings, ball joints, lower control arm bushings, track rod mounts, and the list goes on.... I've been tracking down a steering vibration and replaced all the rubber in the rear and almost everything up front, vibration is still there. The w126 has pretty complicated suspension.

That little guy (the living Ronson add) wouldn't burn up so quick using diesel as an accelerate.