Dear friends,

I've just bought an old 1981 Mercedes 240D (manual transmission) that is very hard to start. I plan to move it to some nearby place for storage until I have some time to fix it. I would like to know whether it is possible to rotate the steering wheel of this diesel car WITHOUT starting it? I tried to rotate the steering wheel while pushing the car, but it seemed almost impossible (extremely hard).

Do I need to depress the clutch, the parking brake or anything else while trying to rotate its steering wheel and push it (neutral position) at the same time?

I haven't had any experience with diesel cars and this 240D is my first diesel.

Thank you very much for your precious help.

Best regards,

Eric

It appears that your 240D has power steering which is of course not operative with the engine off. You can pump up the front tires a little higher than usual and that will help some. I am assuming that you have released the steering lock by turning the key clockwise a notch or two. The clutch, parking brake etc will have or should have no effect on the steering difficulty.

__________________
1961 190Db retired
1968 220D/8 325,000
1983 300D 164,150

you could also place some dollies (sp?) under the front tires. Of course then you'd have to actually *push* the front of the car in the direction you wanted it to go because steering would have no effect.

__________________
Chris
1985 300SD - 'Grace' (198K mi.)
2018 Honda Civic Sport
2018 Honda CRV LX
2010 Honda Fit Sport (RIP)
2013 Honda Accord Sport (Sold)
1996 Lexus LS400 (Retired)
1995 Ford Contour SE (Retired)
1976 Porsche 914 (Sold)
1972 Datsun 240Z (RIP)

Thank you all for your precious help.

Best regards,

Eric