last week i purchased an 85 300sd for 3k. this baby is a cream puff. tonight i took her on a short trip to my parents place. i promptly realised cruise control is going to be first thing fixed. my foot was numb by fort mill, sc and felt gangreenous by columbia. i had to be careful stepping out of the car here in hilton head.

248 miles in 3 hrs 40 minutes and a half tank of gas. i think with cruise control i could have shaved 10 or 15 minutes off the time. and added 2 or 3 mpg.

the steering gear box will need replacing at some point to get rid of the slack and tighten the handling.

tacked about 3200rpm at 80 mph. nice smooth drive. i feel ceretain when the stearing is restored 90mph cruise speed will be a cake walk.

from mile marker 81 to marker 70 on I95 there was debrit strewn across the highway. big frikken boards. 4X4s to be exact. i had to put her in the median at 70mph to avoid the first one. but this leviathon handled it with ease. as i played a slolem game of cat and mouse with lumber over the next 12 mliles. she hung in there like the dreadnaught she was designed to be, less than perfect steering and all.

all in all i am happier than hell with my new ride.

Congratulations!

BTW, there is a way to adjust the steering box to remove the play, if that's where the play really is...

Careful, these things can be addictive!

Jerry

funny, i talked to 3 different merc mechanics about this very thing (see my thread on the tech board) the did not have a clue as to taking the gear box off the car and ajusting it per MD specs. they each talked about some screws on the exterior of the box. i am assuming it is the gearbox as i just had the alignment done and the steering looked over.

Does the wheel rattle on gravel or rough pavement? If to, it's not the box, it's missing the bushings in the coupler between the shaft and the steering box. Have to replace it on newer (post 72) cars, bushings are replaceable on older ones.

Otherwise, if tie rods are OK, drag link is OK,a nd the idle arm bushings are tight (you shouldn't be able to move the idler arm up and down), the adjustment is a large nut with a threaded shaft in the center on the side of the box. Loosen nut (its TIGHT) and turn threaded shaft OUT a quarter turn, tighten lock nut down and test. Should take some or all of the play out.

Do not adjust to the point where the steering won't self center anymore! Some play is required, and MB tends to leave a slight "dead spot" in the straight ahead position -- insurance against un-intended steering movement at high speeds!

You've discovered what I like the most about all my Benzes -- the utterly unflappable handling. The older ones corner flatter, but they all take sudden evasive manouvers flawlessly!

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

no kidding, two wheels on grass meadian at almost 80 mph after an abrupt emergency maneuver convinced me 100% and boosted my confidence immeasurably.

no chatter like you talked about in the steering.

i have a buddy that is on his 2nd 126. the first an 81 model had very "loose" steering. his 85 has tight steering. he commented that mine is halfway between his 81 and his 85.

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85 300sd 210k

williamj ,

imagine if you were in a geo metro or something similiar when you are up there on I95 with the ''big boys''. when a semi rolls by you get would get pushed 2 feet to the right!

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1984 300D Turbo - 231k....totalled 11/30/07 RIP

i was in the left lane and a duse in a new acura was ahead in the right lane and we were both swerving to avoid the lumber. i slkowed he kept going. two miles later i see him easing to the should with an 8' 4X4 wedged under his car.

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85 300sd 210k