Front suspension question

[oso]

I noticed rather harsh thump whenever going over spedd bumps, railroad tracks,etc. (front wheels especially). It does not feel like a Mercedes level of comfort. I have a '87 300 TDT with less than 200k on it.
Is it mostly shocks or worn out bushings or something else entirely?

[rrgrassi]

Check the UCA and sway bar bushings as well as LCA bushings. Then move on to balljoints, etc.

Basically check everything.

[oso]

So basically check the undercarriage before focusing on shock absorbers?

[Phil]

Check the track rod mounts. If they go bad it will cause a klunking noise when you go over bumps.
That said, yes check everything while you are under there.
Unless you know what if anything has been replaced then the common things are track rod mounts, upper ball joints and control arms, lower ball joints and all kinds of bushings.
The attached is a good diagram of parts

[babymog]

Fortunately, the 124 has a much simpler front suspension. The illustration is not for your car, don't let it scare you ;~)

Check the ball-joints, they can dry out and get stiff. Push down on each front corner to see if it binds and creaks, or moves easily and smoothly. If popping and creaking, likely ball-joints.

The strut bushings at the top also get old. Put your location in your sig, it helps, but if you're in a warm part of the country especially, and the strut bushings are original, they're probably separated from the mount and need replacement.

Usually the control arm bushings hold up well, I've not seen any bad ones yet, but others' experience might be different. Look at all of the bushings and joints in each side.

If the ball joint is creaking, but the boot is in good shape, I've had good success with injecting some high-pressure grease in the boot to lube it. I have used MoS2 grease, CV-Joint grease is a common MoS2 grease, and inject it with a needle attachment for your grease gun available at many auto-parts stores.

The rear suspension is much more complex, wait until you start replacing parts there! Lots of bushings and links.

[Phil]

I kinda missed that 87 part.
I just looked at a picture of the front suspention on your car and it is very different from the 126.

[oso]

Originally Posted by Phil

Check the track rod mounts. If they go bad it will cause a klunking noise when you go over bumps.
That said, yes check everything while you are under there.
Unless you know what if anything has been replaced then the common things are track rod mounts, upper ball joints and control arms, lower ball joints and all kinds of bushings.
The attached is a good diagram of parts

Forever thankful! It makes a world of difference to see it all nice and neat!! Now I might even be able to formulate a question...

[babymog]

... except that diagram is the 126 front suspension, you have a 124.

[oso]

that's true but at this point (many hours under the car)I can tell what's on my car and what is not, the bonus being I've got the names of the components now.