Sudden Wobble - 560 SEL
 

Out of the blue, the 560 developed a fairly severe front end wobble, as if the wheel is about to fall off. Very bad at low speed, moderates somewhat as speed increases. It also has a moderately strong pull to the left (sudden onset) as well. The wife does not recall even a minor pothole encounter...

I've done a preliminary check for something obvious (dangling idler arm, lost ball joint) but haven't put it up on the lift yet.

Searching herein, the first supect is a tire gone bad so I'm going out to switch/rotate the tires. I'll check back in with results in a little bit.

In the meantime -is there any other item that could fail that suddenly without some prior indication of impending failure?

Best regards to all,
Kevin

Ideas: tire lost a balance weight; tire about to blow out; steering damper failure or loose; the usual tire-rod ends, ball joints, wheel bearings, etc. Hope this gets you started.

Sounds like a belt broke in a tire. My MB does this too... tires are on my list. My last MB did it as well and new tires cured it.

Darn..
 

Wish I'd seen Randy's reply earlier - I woulda checked for a missing weight(s) while rotating; every thing else is in good repair...

But it is definitely tire/wheel related. The steering wheel is behaving now and the wobble is way less apparent after the rotate. New set of tires on order.

We got 45k miles out of a set of Kumhos - I guess I can't complain too loud...

Thanks for the responses guys...

Best regards,
Kevin

Two things (at least) are shot.

1) You need a new idler arm kit
2) You need a new steering damper.

It WILL get worse if you don't fix it, and it can make you wreck. Get it fixed immediately.


Have the ball joints and tie rods inspected while you're at it.

Wait, maybe I misunderstood your post. Does the problem go away and come back suddenly, like when you hit a pothole? If so, then I stand by my first diagnosis.

If this is something that just broke, and stayed that way, then you should be able to see it.

Either way, double check that idler arm bushing and your steering damper. When they went out on my car, it felt like the wheel was coming off and I thought for sure I was going to wreck when it started happening at 60+ MPH on a country road.

After replacing the idler arm kit and doing the damper, it's a completely different car.

Sometimes the front stabilizer bar breaks at the connection with the upper control arm, easy to check, just above the wheel.

Rob

as a start, I would not drive the car any longer...just to start with....

Cliffmac is correct. Don't drive it until you've done something to repair this issue.

Appreciate the interest...
 

Front suspension is in good shape. It is/was definitely one of the tires... switched to the rear and back end has a slight wobble.

i have an idler arm bushing kit I'll be installing just because (197,000 miles and probably original) as soon as I get the SL off the lift and outta the way.

Car tracks steady and true but for what, $60? - I'll have peace of mind with the new bushings and a new steering shock.

Thanks again guys :)

Do double check your front ball joints for play. We've seen that exact symptom caused by bad ball joints.

Just resolved the exact same problem on my car:

Front driver-side tire causing a thump-thump-thump on first drive the day, aggressive steering wheel vibration at high speed, and pulling sharply to the left when I let go of the wheel. Also showed very severe wear (bald) on the outer "shoulder," as if I drove 5,000 miles in a continuous right-hand turn.

Not sure whether I threw a weight, or the belt came loose.

Replaced the tire this past weekend and car is smooth again, and tracks straight when I let go of the wheel.