Whenever going over a series of bumps/cracks in the road the affect of the bump is transfered thru the steering wheel and you can feel the bumps at the steering wheel - not hard, just noticeable. Also, the front end just does not seem to be tight when going over such bumps. Nothing occurs when going over larger bumps that do not create a jarring affect on the front end. Car seems to take larger bumps well.

I replaced the steering damper and the shop replaced the idler arm after telling the owner about how it acted. There is slight leaking at the top of the strut, which I have heard is normal.

Car has 99,000 miles and it looks like the original struts. One of the strut mounts is slightly cracked, and needs replacing.

Now, $64 question, is it the struts and mounts needing replacing, or something additional? Would worn struts transfer the bump vibration up the steering column? Seems qestionable.

I know suspension problems are hard to diagnose when not driving the car, but an thoughts appreciated.

Thank you in advance for any replys - Ron

they are cheap but, at 99,000 miles with a cracked strut mount and a "little leak". I think is time to invest some money in the front end, i.e. new struts, mounts, control arms, idle arm bushings, etc., specially if you have noises.
Take it to somebody that knows MB's.
Sway bar bushings, you can do it yourself.

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J.H.
'86 300E

Thanks J H - the struts, mounts and sway bar bushings I can do myself. I know the strut mounting needed replacing. Might as well jump into it and do as much as I can, then take to the mechanic.

Ron

I just replaced my sway bar bushings last night (1989 260E) and it was about a 90 minute effort.

My left inner bushing had deteriorated completely, and I was hearing a rattling sound when going over small bumps.

But more important, when going over bumps, road strrips, etc. on left turns at highway speeds, the front of the car would become momentarily airborne and fly over the bump, landing about 2 or so inches to the right. I also noticed and felt considerable body roll (which is to be expected when the sway bar fails). Now the car is fine, just as tight and stiff as it used to be, and remaining solidly on the ground.

I also noticed that a persistent radiator leak began sortly after I noticed the above effects. Could the rolling/jarring caused by the failed sway bar have contributed to this?

I would say no, since that is a well known problem with the original plastic neck radiators. It is just a matter of time...

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J.H.
'86 300E

I second the recommendation to start with sway bar bushings. On 124s they will almost always be bad after about 75,000 miles and are cheap to replace.

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Steve
'93 400E

Thank you all for your input. Concensus appears to be sway bar as starting point. The ones presently one the car look good and not worn, but the could be hard from age. Since I am not the original owner, I do not know if they were replaced in the past.

Thanks again - Ron