I am noticing my 83 300D w/185K is pulling to the right. It seems to have happened "maybe" around the time I put in a new set of front pads. I can't detect any great difference in the amount of drag from side to side. Tire pressure is fine and the tires are worn evenly. I am bringing it to a garage next week for the state inspection. My thoughts are to have them check the front-end and set what needs to be set to stop the pulling. My question, is there anything esoteric about these front-ends? Can any competent shop set all what needs to be set? Should I go to a dealer for this (not in this lifetime !!!) Should I bring specs with me? The shop I'm using inspected the car last year and didn't play any games with me. From a quick wandering around the shop they seem pretty competent. They are also a small town set-up in a building about 100 years old that's been used for wheeled vehicles since it was built. Needless to say, I'm nervous. I haven't had ANY of my cars touched by anyone but me for more than 15 years. I don't even have a clue how to tell who's good and who's not anymore. Hopefully it's just a toe setting, if not, I do have a set of tie-rods to put in. Thanks for any advise.

Unless you used different pads on lft and rt fronts, I would not expect any pulling to to be caused by the brake change. I thought pulling, if not suspension/steering related is often caused by calipers grabbing. Athough, if you have been taking care of your own cars for 15 years now, I am sure you considered this. My first thought was the tie rods too. How so they look?

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1996 (W210) E300D 86K - Traded in for a Lexus
1992 (W124) 300D 2.5 Turbo 202K - Sold
1983 (W123) 300D, 146K - Sold
1970 280S, 263K - Sold - Beginning of addiction

Drive the car for about 30 minutes in stop and go traffic. Then feel the front left and right caliper. Are they the same temperature. If one is hotter than the other then that one is dragging. And may be causing your pulling. If they both feel to be the same temp, then you may need a front end alignment. Mercedes requires a 4 wheel alignment. Not all shops are equipted for this. Make sure they have experience with Mercedes. If you do need an alignment be ready for possibly some front end work.
When was the last time the cars front end was rebuilt? At 185,000K you may need some front end work. I just did mine at 175,000k All the bushings, upper and lower control arm were in pretty bad shape. So don't be surprised if they talk about bushings. The raising the car on the lift to do the brake work may have allowed the bushings to shift on the upper and lower control arms and put the suspension out of alignment. If you have worked on the car all this time you may have the knowledge to tackle a suspension rebuild.
Do a search on "front suspension rebuild" and "rear suspension rebuild" I did a detailed description of my rebuild.

Dave

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1970 220D, owned 1980-1990
1980 240D, owned 1990-1992
1982 300TD, owned 1992-1993
1986 300SDL, owned 1993-2004
1999 E300, owned 1999-2003
1982 300TD, 213,880mi, owned since Nov 18, 1991- Aug 4, 2010 SOLD
1988 560SL, 100,000mi, owned since 1995
1965 Mustang Fastback Mileage Unknown(My sons)
1983 240D, 176,000mi (My daughers) owned since 2004
2007 Honda Accord EX-L I4 auto, the new daily driver
1985 300D 264,000mi Son's new daily driver.(sold)
2008 Hyundai Tiberon. Daughters new car

The 123 chassis only requires a two wheel alignment. I would swap tires left to right to see if that makes a difference.

Peter

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Auto Zentral Ltd.

I have the car up on a pair of jackstands right now. Spinning the wheels, they seem the sameish, will test again after a drive. Looking above the wheel I see two big support things, upper whatevers I'd guess. Anyway, both look new and the rubber is definitely new as there's absolutly no cracking or stiff feel. I grabbed each tie rod to see if there's any play. Don't know if this is valid with the car up off the ground. No wiggle, in fact I couldn't move them with mere hand twisting. I'm gonna try swapping the tires from side to side and take it out for a ride to see what's up. I run 32~33 lbs pressure in front, about 34~35 in back. Is this too high? Would it make the car more susceptible to road crown effects? I run 'em high due to nearly 100% highway driving.

More work. After removing the wheels and turning the rotors by hand one of them is making a distinct clanking sound. I am pretty sure it has to do with rust rubbing against the backing plate but want to make sure I'm not maybe overlooking a failed bearing, The rotor turn smoothly other than the clanging noise. The noise characteristics change after I bang on the backing plate a bit. Both rotors have a slight hiss which I suspect is the pads dragging ever so slightly. Thanks all.

"Can any competent shop set all what needs to be set?"

Wherever you go - gotta ask for Hunter diagnostic suspension allignment equipment...... It's state of the art - electronically measures and runs diagnostic of camber/caster and toe-in for perfect allignment.

Doesn't swapping the tire rotation direction harm a radial after they have gotten a set the one direction?

Hope not, cause they're swapped. I notice that when I make a tight turn to the left that the car then pulls a little to the left, tight right, a little to the right. Doesn't stop pulling with a little course correction. Fron-end looks pretty good. Is there a caster setting for the w123??

If the rotors were not turned during the brake job then you may just have uneven "break in." Be patient and they will even out.

If the rotors were not completely smooth this could be the case.

M.

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He's wild and free and so close to it only Gunk will clean his fingernails!

When radials first came out ( guess that dates me ) it was suggested that they always be kept on whichever side of the car they start out on....
That they took a " set"...
I don't know if that is still true....

Pull your front brake shoes--an easy job--and see if they are worn the same on both sides. If the wear area is different, then you need to either turn the rotors, or wait for full breakin to occur. Hard stops from high speed will help accelerate this process.

M.

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He's wild and free and so close to it only Gunk will clean his fingernails!

Some radial tires are unidirectional and must be rotated from front to rear on the same side only. Other radials can be rotated in the modified cross pattern. I have had only one set of unidirectional tires, made by Goodyear. They came with the car new. Wore fine.

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Mike

2000 SL500 22,000 miles
1981 300CD 188,000 miles
1979 450 SEL 266,000 miles
2005 Cadillac CTS 25,000 miles

Leathermang is correct. When radials first appeared on the scene, you had to keeo them on the same side of the car, because the belts took a set. Michelin was the pioneer in mfg a tire that could be swapped. Today all radials can be swapped side to side. Radials are superior to cross ply tires, because they don't build heat like the scissoring action of a cross ply. As far as alignments go, a good two wheel alignment on any machine including any good machine that is 30 years old will do the job. All the hype about the new technology is what is called smoke and mirrors. If you have a multilink suspension or car that has been in an accident, that is a DIFFERENT STORY.

Yes, you have a caster setting or you would have to drive your car like a kid's pedal car. Caster is what keeps the car tracking straight and returns the wheels on turns.

Peter

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Auto Zentral Ltd.

I'm inclined to think it is all due to my brake pads needing to wear in a bit more. Altough I changed 'em about a month ago, I nearly always use the car just on the hiway so they've gotten little use. This week I used the car for everything and the front end isn't pulling much at all anymore, a little to the left but hardly noticable. The upper control arms look new, these are the one attached to the sway bar I think. On the hiway this afternoon it tracked evenly for about 1/4 mile hands off driving. The car was destined for sale at any rate BUT I love it again and it can stay. !.59 a gal at a truck stop today, reg gas is 1.89. The camper is happy again!!! The car has new tires on the front and swapping didn't hurt or help. T8ire pressure is probaly too high, 35lbs, making it too sensitive to crowning. I'm dropping to about 30 to see what gives but essentially, I think it's OK now.