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  #16  
Old 01-05-2016, 12:46 PM
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Thanks for psting the links.

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  #17  
Old 01-05-2016, 12:58 PM
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I just realized that the OP has 2 vehicles 1991 560SEL and 1984 300DT. Which one is having the Ball Joint Issue?

On a W123 3 months after getting my Car on the left side going 45 mph I hit a 3.5 inch tall Curb dead on; on a Traffic Island going up and over it.
That bent both Aluminum Wheels and cracked my Rear Control Arm.
I still have the original Ball Joints that came with the Car on it.

Also the Car came out of Missouri and there is rust on the underside of the Car and all of the lower parts of the Door so it did not come from a S CA environment.

You would think that if the Ball Joint was going to break or get damged that would have been the incident for it to happen.

I don't think a 1991 560SEL or SDL would survive as well. Since it seems that the models after 1990 have issues with the front frame and spring towers rusting out. Perhaps their Ball Joints are not as sturdey as the W123s.
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  #18  
Old 01-05-2016, 05:07 PM
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I also popped my tire and bent a rim on a curb, and I said "I'm so surprised the ball joints didn't break" and the tow truck driver said "Don't jinx it."

You'd be in deep trouble...
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  #19  
Old 01-06-2016, 01:50 AM
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I did not just hit the curb I ran up and over the curb at 45 mph and both left wheels ended up on the Traffic Island and the Right side Wheels were on the normal Road. When I slowed down enough I drove it off of the Traffic Island.

You won't find me driving 45 in an unlit industrial area again.
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  #20  
Old 01-06-2016, 03:08 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vstech View Post
I assure you, if the ball joint lets go, you are not steering the car anymore.
I searched and found actual incidents on-line w/ photos, which I posted ~1.5 yrs ago. Do similar for the failure scenarios you imagine and we might be better assured of your claims. I imagine any scenario that breaks a ball joint will also destroy the wheel and probably crack the K-frame LCA mount. Others have posted such where the ball joint was the part not damaged. Nobody here suggested rebooting a muddy, rusted ball joint, just a good tight one.
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  #21  
Old 01-06-2016, 06:54 PM
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I have had a LBJ failure on an 88 or 89 Merc (had two, grey and white, the grey one failed, don't remember which year.) After driving all over the Chicago area expressways, I pulled into my drive, put it in reverse and swung it into the turn-around & clunk. It had pulled the ball & stud assembley out of the cup assembly. It was the outboard wheel of the turn. I've had many different cars towed into the shop with ball joint failures (bent, pulled apart, squeakers, and snapped), even more with tie rod end failures. Maybe its the potholes, I don't know. I suspect lubrication failures - that's what mine was. I don't take unneeded chances, & if I took the time to jack up the vehicle & split the joint, I'd probably replace it. Especially on an older car with a squeak. Good luck.
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  #22  
Old 01-06-2016, 09:36 PM
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A couple of years ago i sold our 91 300D to a neighbor and about a month or so ago he was turning right off a 60mph road so probably not going very fast and the left front ball joint pulled right out.This control arm does not have a replaceable ball joint so the whole control arm will have to be replaced.Good luck that it did not fail on the 60mph highway. i looked at it but did not examine it closely, looked like there was little damage,tire unrolled some of the fender bead,probably damaged the tire some.The car is coming up on 300k miles, he says he is going to fix it and continue to drive it.
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  #23  
Old 01-06-2016, 11:28 PM
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It's nice to see that others agree that ball joint failures are dangerous and scary at the least, and must be prevented.

If you have a torn boot, replace the joint.
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  #24  
Old 01-06-2016, 11:42 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mannys9130 View Post
................

If you have a torn boot, replace the joint.
From that statement, a ball joint is immediately shot the moment after the boot is torn and therefore must be replaced?
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  #25  
Old 01-06-2016, 11:49 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by funola View Post
From that statement, a ball joint is immediately shot the moment after the boot is torn and therefore must be replaced?
If you are under the car and witness the exact moment it splits open, go ahead and reboot it.

If you weren't under the car as you were driving when it split, you don't know how long it was broken, how much dirt got in, how much water got in, and how much grease is left.


See what I mean? It's the same for CV axles, tie rod joints, etc. Once the boot is observed to be broken, the joint is bad.
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  #26  
Old 01-07-2016, 02:39 PM
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Obviously different philosophies on vehicle maintenance. I spend enough time fixing things that are truly broken, or truly need replacing - brake fluid (until I switched to silicone), coolant (until I switched to Evans), ... One guy on a Mopar site said he used to swap engines between summer and winter for some esoteric reason, until he got too old to keep doing so. You can change your wiper blades every month if it pleases you. No, I don't keep my Xmas lights up after Jan 1.
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  #27  
Old 01-07-2016, 03:23 PM
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Don't forget, he is a paid mechanic. But this is a DIY forum.
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  #28  
Old 01-07-2016, 04:47 PM
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We are talking about the 1984 300DT. Between the two cars, the 560SEL is more complex to work on than the 300DT. The 1984 300DT is the closest thing to a bullet proof car I"ve ever driven. You just can't kill it; it is perhaps one of the best overall designs Mercedes ever built. If I were to choose a car to stake my life on, it would be a 1982 - 1985 300D.
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  #29  
Old 01-07-2016, 11:17 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by funola View Post
Don't forget, he is a paid mechanic. But this is a DIY forum.
Well besides the issue of more work = more profit.

Liablilty; I have seen on one of those people's court shows where a Mechanic did what the Customer ask and patched something. The Customer was in court trying to recover $ because the patch failed.

The Judge said that the Mechanic should have fixed it right or said no.

So if a Mechanic gets paid to re-boot a Ball Joint and it fails they are likely liable.

Unfotunatly the other end of this is that Service Writers and or Mechanics like to play on the Customers fear and use that as leveage to have unecessary work done.
That is why eve if you do not DIY you need to take the time to get yourself some knowlege about your vehicle to protect yourself from being victimized.
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  #30  
Old 01-07-2016, 11:20 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mannys9130 View Post
It's nice to see that others agree that ball joint failures are dangerous and scary at the least, and must be prevented.

If you have a torn boot, replace the joint.
Actually it evidence that the later Model Mercedes are not as well made as the older ones.

I am curious to know if on the vehicles where the Ball Joints Failed the States had Vehicle Inspections.
One would think that if they were inspected that a bad Ball Joint would be found out before it broke.

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