I thought the adjustment was to set the gears and ball bearing clearance to each other in the tighter meshing area of the steering box. Technically then the adjustment could be used if the wear is in certain components that support the ball bearings wear.

Now if one of the end of a sector shaft bearings for example has worn enough allowing play it probably cannot really improve a situation much.

Or if the gear teeth that support the recirculating ball bearings have worn to a shape they do no longer really support the recirculating ball bearings well enough as they process through the gears .

So I have always suspected that real heavy wear in certain parts cannot really be corrected much. Minor wear perhaps otherwise depending on where it exists.

Also I forgot to mention that you should look for any wear in the coupling between the steering shaft and the steering box as they can wear as well. Producing the same effect.

Also look for the strength of the metal frame rail that supports the steering box. Up here in eastern Canada there were more than one 114 type that I had to install a plate to support the steering box when the old support rail was getting pretty rusty and weak. The box itself would rotate or flex a little creating the same symptom. You have to be observant and examine many things with older cars.

Again steering boxes are not my strength if I have any. Other posters on this thread have much more experience with the little darlings.

To think of all the low milage steering boxes I could have pulled out of low milage scrapped Mercedes cars up here at one time because of the rust.

There is a mechanical lock down method on these boxes that is used to establish the true center of their range where by design the designed mesh is the tightest I suspect as well.

I also own a 114 coupe that was set up for short track racing in Germany. I know the steering box that is a differant European design as it is not the same as the ones I saw in the 114 import cars.

It has a badly worn steering box but the car still drives very well. I have often wondered if excess castor was dialed in at one time. I pulled a spare box from a local low milage rust bucket for it but never installed it.

None of my friends that drove the car mentioned it either. Yet I am certain it has excess slop in it. Perhaps someone fitted a similar non Mercedes box in there. I just do not know. Never really investigated it.