Went to get my 83 300D turbo for alignment and was told that the idler arm has too much play.

Need to replace the bushings. Anyone done this before and any tips ?

Ooops ! It is the Idle Arm not the Idler Arm !

Any help would be appreciated.

Heres what I put in my post on the front end rebuild.

The idle arm required some creativity. To knock out the old bushings I used a 1/2 X 8 inch brass punch. This allowed me to remove the top bushing. But to get the bottom bushing out there was not enough room for the hammer, punch and enough swing room to strike the punch. To remove the races from the wheel hubs I had bought a 2 foot long piece of 1/4 inch brass ( which I did not use on the races ). From above the engine I could use the 2 foot long brass rod to drive out the lower bushing. I then cleaned the interior of the idle arm assembly with degreaser and a brake cylinder hone. The bushing were pressed in using the universal ball joint press
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ct...temnumber=38335
The idle arm assembly went together and I attached the center and both tie rod end assemblies.


Heres the link to the post.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?threadid=60560&highlight=front+end+rebuild

Do a search on "Idle arm" and you will get a lot of info

Dave

__________________
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

My bushings came out very easily. If I remember correctly it only required hand pressure to push them out. Simple procedure. Remove nut, bolt, washers, and dust boot. Remember their orientation. Push out bushings. Clean old grease out of the barrel. Apply clean grease to new bushings and barrel. Insert bushings (by hand in my case). Put the hardware back together. Should be good for another 150-200K.

Hopefully the bushings have not siezed in your case.

I just got washed up after doing my idler arm bushings on my 83 300SD. A couple of hours including a trip to the store for some grease. I had no trouble getting the old bushings out, I had heard of the "from the top of the engine" routine and was ready but all went well. I pulled the new bushings in with the old bolt, nut and some washers rather than a press. Did have some trouble getting the new bolt back in, had my son move the steering wheel back and forth to align the bolt. Glad its done we had snow last night, all gone today but more to come I'm sure and I don't like laying in snow. Too old for that crap.

Brad

1983 300SD
2001 Camry

I ordered the idle arm bushings and a steering damper (for my 83 300D Turbo - W123) from benz part store. They arrived yesterday.

The steering damper was easy. Two 17 mm bolts and nuts - unscrew and screw on new part snug.

The idle arm bushing - one - is on the passenger side. The bolt holding the 2 bushings requires a 15/16 " (same size as the big bolt on the rear subframe bushings).

I managed to persuade the top and bottom bushings out, using a flat head screw driver. They must have been really worn out. I pushed the top bushing in as hard as I could. For the bottom bushing, I used a piece of wood and tapped it until I could get the nut on the bolt. I then tighten it to 120 Nm.

Both items took me about an hour. I managed to get my car in for alignment the same day.

By the way, I replaced the rubber cap on the Transmission modulator and there is a difference in the way it shifts. Smoother.