Need help very scary and rough day today in 300d - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

kbenjamin0106 · #1 08-21-2007, 03:26 PM

first time my mom goes on the highway in my benz in years. we are going back and the car started to scare my mom alot....we are in the right lane and the car moves by itself in the median and im flipping out because theres a truck coming. it would just keep on moving by it self. i get home alright, very nervous cant tell if my mom cant drive or is it the car. she says the alignment needs redone and the steering wheel has play in it. so theres about 3 inches of play in the wheel. and im not sure if thats the problem or its in need of an aligmnent? Thanks for reading. this day was pretty scary, for me and the benz. wouldnt want to lose her in a second.

LUVMBDiesels · #2 08-21-2007, 03:32 PM

On a straight level piece of road take your hands off the wheel. If it pulls in one direction, you need an alignment. I would also look into the three inches of play in the steering. Three inches might be normal for a 1957 Chevy, but not in a Benz. There is an adjuster on the steering box that could tighten some of that up. If that does not work, then take it to a good shop and have them check out the steering.

kerry · #3 08-21-2007, 03:40 PM

The car should never be able to 'move by itself'. Are you sure your mother didn't have an inattentive moment? If the car does move by itself, it's most likely that there is a failed suspension component of some kind. Even with a bad alignment, the car will never move by itself.
Jack it up and start pulling on the steering and suspension components to see if anything is loose. I wouldn't drive it until a got an answer as to what happened.

Stevo · #4 08-21-2007, 04:01 PM

Has anyone adjusted the steering box, or worked on the suspension lately? That sounds frightening

kerry · #5 08-23-2007, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LUVMBDiesels

On a straight level piece of road take your hands off the wheel. If it pulls in one direction, you need an alignment..

Have you conducted this experiment yet? I don't see any results posted.

kbenjamin0106 · #6 08-23-2007, 11:10 AM

too late the car is done from alignment. all i need to do now is put in the new swaybar links. mom said its alot better for her since i tightened the wheel. mabey it was just the 4 inches of play in the wheel. so when she would turn right there that gap and she doesnt like to turn the wheel alot. Making things short, 300d not made for females. Too many complains. im happy enough to let her drive one of my benz and she keeps on complaining. new car now are junk. all the damn part are chinese imported garbage that breaks fast. nothing like a 300d. there tanks, king of tourque, and not a gas hog "im at the gas station atleast every 20 days" im thinking of some good mpg alright!

One thing i saw on my insurance car it has w124 not 123 for some reason. ill look into that. im confused because the car is pearl black and it looks like anthracite. whats up with that?

vstech · #7 08-23-2007, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kbenjamin0106

too late the car is done from alignment. all i need to do now is put in the new swaybar links. mom said its alot better for her since i tightened the wheel. mabey it was just the 4 inches of play in the wheel. so when she would turn right there that gap and she does like to turn the wheel alot. Making things short, 300d not made for females. She *****es about both the cars, i think she just cant drive one the way it should be drivin.

careful about this statement, others will disagree.
personally, I don't think ANY cars are made for females... they should all stay home or be driven.
wait, no females will be reading this right?... uh oh...

kbenjamin0106 · #8 08-21-2007, 04:07 PM

she would have the hands on the wheel the whole time. but since there is play in the wheel it will move. when we went to the place we were fine it was coming back, it just wanted to move to the left for some reason. but i am getting the alignment done for sure, and i will take a look in tighting the play, all you do is loosen that bolt and turn that alan key i belive counter clock wise? could i use wd-40 to loosen that bolt by chance?

KCM · #9 08-21-2007, 04:15 PM

Sounds like a bad combination of a very loose steering and somebody driving it who is not familar with the car. Here is something I wrote in response to another loose steering gearbox issue. I would try adjusting the gearbox (and checking for any other loose components) before having the alignment checked. Hope it helps.

First step, check all tie-rod ends, steering idler arm, and the steering coupler between the steering shaft and gearbox for any looseness or damage. Replace any parts that are bad. While under there, check the steering shock/damper by unhooking one end and pushing/pulling to check for resistance. If none, replace it too as it does affect the driveability of the car.

If you have checked all the steering linkages and connections and still have 1" or more movement measured from the outside of the steering wheel at the centered position (around 1/2" is normal), then try adjusting the steering gear box. This is done by loosening the nut on the top of the box and turning the set screw with an allen wrench counterclockwise. This will pull on the pitman shaft and tighten the steering box. Best to jack the front end off of the floor and turn the steering wheel to check for any binding after each adjustment. If you feel binding, you have gone too far. This is the quick and dirty method, as the dealership method is with a torque measuring device on the steering wheel and the pitman shaft arm removed.

If that fails, then replacing the box is very easy on those cars, three bolts, loosen the steering coulper, and remove the tie-rod ends on the pitman arm. If you need to remove the pitman arm, you will need a pitman arm puller and those arms can be extremely tough to get pulled off. The only trick is getting the steering box and steering wheel in proper synch, as the coupler is splined. There is a plug you take out of the box and a special tool is screwed in to center the box, then you center the steering wheel and install. The tool is helpful, but not necessary, as you can visually line it up by looking into the hole. You probably should check the toe-in after a job like this.

kbenjamin0106 · #10 08-21-2007, 05:55 PM

nope my mom has been driving the 85300d for atleast 3-5 months, im on the 83 for now.

estod · #11 08-21-2007, 06:58 PM

You might want to check the steering box for broken bolts, too -- my father had trouble with that in his 115 ...

toomany MBZ · #12 08-21-2007, 10:32 PM

[quote=kbenjamin0106;1598496]but i am getting the alignment done for sure, and i will take a look in tighting the play, all you do is loosen that bolt and turn that alan key i belive counter clock wise? I think so. could i use wd-40 to loosen that bolt by chance? That nut is pretty tight. quote]
Check tires for uneven wear too.

kerry · #13 08-21-2007, 10:53 PM

Don't ignore the fact that broken suspension parts on the rear wheels can also steer the car in unintended directions.

JimmyL · #14 08-21-2007, 11:22 PM

When you read a post like his first one, that should alert you to advise him to take it to someone and have the suspension checked out. Most young kids don't have the experience to properly diagnose something this potentially serious, and we really need to try and be aware of who we are answering by the verbiage they utilize.
Just my opinion, and certainly no insult intended to the original poster.

Cervan · #15 08-22-2007, 06:50 PM

[quote=toomany MBZ;1598775]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kbenjamin0106

but i am getting the alignment done for sure, and i will take a look in tighting the play, all you do is loosen that bolt and turn that alan key i belive counter clock wise? I think so. could i use wd-40 to loosen that bolt by chance? That nut is pretty tight. quote]
Check tires for uneven wear too.

CCW the alen screw when you get that 17mm nut loose. That nut is pretty tight as he said, i would throw everything i got at it WD-40, torch if needed But not too hot, because the case is Cast iron. the cast iron will crack/become real brittle if its heated too much.