!988 190E Strut mount replacement........
I did a search only to get confused... do I need to elevate the car and rest the lower control arms on a jack stand to be able to just replace the fromt strut mounts?
I am help a freind and they want $375 to change just the top strut mounts( not strut) on this vehicle... this was a independant MB shop.
The reason I asked is that I read where someone did it in under 20 minutes for both top strut mounts??
I am not concerned about time as much as doing it righ and safe.

thanks

great forum btw

Jack the front of the car up. Place jack stands underneath the front subframe (not on the suspension). Remove the front wheel(s). Place a floor jack under the balljoint to support the control arm. Remove the nut on top of the strut shaft (goes through the strut mount). Lower the floor jack to allow the strut shaft to come out of the strut mount. The floor jack is needed to keep the spring from fully extending.

Replace the strut mount, raise the floor jack, replace the nut on top of the strut, and put the car back on the ground.

It's a straightforward job, but might take a bit longer than 10 mins. (max 1/2 hour per side).

Steve.

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'93 190E/D 2.5 Turbodiesel 5-speed (daily driver)
'87 190D 2.5 Turbo rustbucket - parts car
'84 Dodge Rampage diesel - Land Speed Record Holder
'13 Ram 2500 Diesel
'05 Toyota 4Runner

I pulled my struts three years ago to replace the dust gators. Also pulled the top mounts and jounce bumpers for cleaning and inspection - they were all okay.

Jack the front end up using a wood block between the jack cup and cross member and place the jackstands under the control arms as far outboard as possible, and make sure they have good contact with the control arm and are centered in the longitudinal direction after you lower the car onto the jackstands.

The weight of the car will keep the springs compressed. Removing the strut is a fairly simple job with the right tools. You need a metric hex or torx to keep the strut shaft from turning while you loosen the top nut with an offset box wrench.

IIRC the bottom of the strut has only two bolts (and a locating pin) that tie it to the knuckle. Be careful when removing the ABS sensor wire from the plastic holder. They get brittle with age and break easily.

Duke

Always be conscious of safety when working around the springs. I personally don't like putting jack stands on the control arms themselves. Jack stands should be used on a solid, unsprung part of the car. Additionally, you may want to let the control arm down somewhat to allow better access to the strut. That's why I recommended putting the jack stands on the crossmember, and a floor jack under the ball joint area of the control arm.

Steve.

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'93 190E/D 2.5 Turbodiesel 5-speed (daily driver)
'87 190D 2.5 Turbo rustbucket - parts car
'84 Dodge Rampage diesel - Land Speed Record Holder
'13 Ram 2500 Diesel
'05 Toyota 4Runner

Have you ever pulled a strut? Placing the chassis on jackstands and using a floor jack to support the control arm is about as dumb as crawling under the a car that is only supported by a floor jack, not jackstands. Sheez!!!

If you place the jackstands under the control arms, the weight of the car will keep the springs compressed, and it is safe to pull the struts. If the jackstands are properly placed the only thing that's going to knock the car off the stands and pop the springs is a magnitude 8.0+ earthquake if you're within a few miles of the epicenter.

If you really are safety conscious, you need to think about the advice you give real hard. It is VERY ill-advised!

If the control arm needs to be dropped to remove a spring, then then you place jackstands under the chassis and use the jack to lower the control arm and it should be safety chained to limit its vertical movement if the jack slips or slids out. Jack have rollers because they need to move due to the arc of the lifting arm, but for this reason they can also slide out from under the control arm due to the lateral force as it drops down.

Duke

I just replaced both struts and both shocks on my 190D a couple of weeks ago. I did run a safety chain through the springs to prevent the springs from accidentally "getting away". I am a professional engineer, and understand the forces at work in automobile suspensions quite well. However, I disagree that placing jackstands under the control arms is somehow safer than placing jackstands under the subframe, and using a floor jack to control movement of the lower control arm. I think that it is easier to remove and re-install the struts if there is a way to move the control arm up/down as needed. Your method doesn't allow for this movement. Both of the methods we have described will probably work, but we could have just as easily told the original poster to follow the factory service manual instructions to the letter.

SteveM.

__________________
'93 190E/D 2.5 Turbodiesel 5-speed (daily driver)
'87 190D 2.5 Turbo rustbucket - parts car
'84 Dodge Rampage diesel - Land Speed Record Holder
'13 Ram 2500 Diesel
'05 Toyota 4Runner

Still confused ... bear with me here. ... I am only replacing the top strut mount... not the strut.

so just to be sure... I should jack up the car and put stands under the front crossmember... then use the floor jack to lower the strut and remove the top mount?
do I still need to chain it... again I am not pulling or changin the strut.. just the top rubber mount.
The confusing part is .. if I were to put the stands under the control arms... wouldn't that put too much pressure upward on the mount I am trying to remove?

Thanks

I've got 30+ years of automotive and aerospace mechanical engineering experience and was a Minuteman missile maintenance officer for three years with one of my duties being squadron safety officer. I've also been working on cars since I was a teenager.

Place the jackstands under the control arms and the weight of the car will keep the springs compressed - no need to safety chain the control arm.

Since the struts have 360 psi of gas pressure they naturally want to extend, but once you remove the top nut you can probably push the shaft down and tie it up with a a couple of loops of HD string.

If the dust boots are broken or the jounce bumpers are deteriorated the strut will need to come completely off, but that's just two more bolts. Chances are if the top mounts are deteriorated, so are the dust boots.

Duke

Here's a link to the factory service manual instructions for removal and installation of the front struts. Although it may be possible to replace the strut mount without completely removing the strut or allowing the spring to extend (by means of the floor jack under the ball joint, with a chain through the spring), I think that you'll have a tough time replacing the mount with a jackstand under the control arm and the strut still bolted to the knuckle.

Anyway, read the attached link, and decide for yourself.

Steve.

http://mb.braingears.com/201_DISK1/PDF/10004.pdf

__________________
'93 190E/D 2.5 Turbodiesel 5-speed (daily driver)
'87 190D 2.5 Turbo rustbucket - parts car
'84 Dodge Rampage diesel - Land Speed Record Holder
'13 Ram 2500 Diesel
'05 Toyota 4Runner

I left the wheels on mine and just jacked the car up until the strut was fully out all the way but the wheel still on the ground. Then I unbolted the strut from the mount and the mount from the car. Then jacked it up a hair more just until the strut pulled out enough that I could manually compress it down by hand to remove the mount and then put the new in place and bolted it up, lowering the car slightly to put some pressure on the mount to hold it in place while tightening up. Took about 20 minutes a side!

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~Jamie
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2003 Pewter C230K SC C1, C4, C5, C7, heated seats, CD Changer, and 6 Speed. ContiExtremes on the C7's.

1986 190E 2.3 Black, Auto, Mods to come soon.....

I replaced both strut mounts in my 190E without even removing the front wheels. Leaving the tyres in contact with the ground avoided the need for any other restraint or support to prevent the spring releasing. Most time consuming part of the job was coming up with a 7mm allen key to prevent the strut piston rod turning. Otherwise the job was took as little time as suggested in the first post.

See post #17 on page 2 of this thread: http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=58201&page=2&pp=15

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107.023: 350SLC, 3-speed auto, icon gold, parchment MBtex (sold 2012 after 29 years ownership).
107.026: 500SLC, 4-speed auto, thistle green, green velour.
124.090: 300TE, 4-speed auto, arctic white, cream-beige MBtex.
201.028: 190E 2.3 Sportline, 5-speed manual, arctic white, blue leather.
201.028: 190E 2.3, 4-speed auto, blue-black, grey MBtex.
201.034: 190E 2.3-16, 5-speed manual, blue-black, black leather.