steering box problems??
 

I have a 1989 560SL with 90,000 miles. I've been having a few issues recently with 'play' in my steering & some clunking sounds underneath. My mechanic is telling me one of the things to replace is my steering box, among others. I have only owned this car 6 years & have already replaced the steering box two times. (I do not know if they replaced it with a rebuilt or new one- my assumption is rebuilt because it was NOT a huge amount of $$). However he's telling me that it's something that goes bad on these cars quite a bit. Has anyone else had this problem 'frequently'? Just wanting to be sure before I spend LOTS of $$ on a new one! Thanks

There is nothing wrong with the recirculating ball steering boxes on any Mercedes.

They will leak after a while because they get cooked by the down pipe.
Seal rebuild is relitively easy and seal kits are available.

Adjustment is difficult due to location but lots of folk mess up because they 'tighten' the allen screw instead of 'loosening' it to reduce steering wheel free play.

Box has a tight or high spot at dead center and must be set for free play at this position.


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Your symptoms sound like a worn-out steering shaft coupler... Like the fellow said earlier, the boxes are not noted as a failure-prone item. I suggest you look elsewhere before changing the box out yet a third time. I have 107,000 on my 560SL, all with the original steering box and shaft coupler.

1989 560SL sterring box adjustment
 

I just traded my silver blue 1989 560SL that had 80K miles.

Just before I traded it I replaced the tie rods, they will make a clunk sound when turning hard in either direction, and I aligned the front end. I still had sterring play that made it uncomfortable to drive.

Multiple independent shopes suggested that I replace the sterring box at about $750. I was not leaking any oil from the box so it appeared that my seals were fine. I finally found an indepedent that was willing to adjust the sterring box via the adjustment screw. He told me that he wanted the car the night before so that it would not be hot when he worked on it. He told me that the space is very tight and close to the exhaust. So he replaced the adjustment screw and adjusted the sterring. The cost was well worth the $85. I then decided to repace the 30K mile Michelins and set the tire pressure to 28 lbs.

Man what a great ride with the suspension tuned.

I now have a black/black 2000 SL500 rocket ship with 20K miles and a Sport package. What a ride difference. Very positive with the 18"ers.