mercedes e200 wandering on road

tipptom

was wondering does anyone have knowledge of the steering box on these as my garage have went all through this car and cant find any fault anywhere,they say it could only now be the steering box,but cant be sure and only way is to take out and put another in but cant be certain that this could fix it,the car drives fine for a bit and then you can feel a little waver and then ok for a while,kind of odd to normal type of wavering if you no what i mean,its a 94 7 seater but sound besides this,anyone any suggestions as this sounds to be heading down an expensive path as box looks difficult to get to on top of everything else.

peasant

Are you sure the tracking is correct on all fours?

mike65

Does the wavering pull the car left or right or left & right? What do you feel through the steering wheel, if anything?

tipptom

ya tracking done and it pulls left and right.

124 Mercs can be terrible to drive if they are not in good nick. It's almost every time something to do with rear suspension. What has been replaced so far? At least following parts should be checked/renewed:

rear suspension wishbones x 8
rear suspension track rods
rear subframe mounts, especially the front ones
rear suspension lower wishbone outer joint (car needs to be jacked up and wishbone lifted up slightly to test it)
rear alignment

Does the steering box feel stiff or has lots of play (more than say half and inch at straight on position measured at steering wheel rim? Has the steering box been centered?

If the mechanic is not merc specialist I would try to find one for a second opinion.

peasant

On the estate there would also be the self-levelling rear suspension as a major suspect.

Apparently before it fails altogether, it has a tendency to move randomly

tipptom

they spent two hours on it yesterday going through all them now they did say there is some play in the steering box,i would trust them as i know them well(small country village)but as you say it would need someone thats working with mercedes the whole time,they are trying to get hold of someone who works in a mercedes dealer,anyone any idea how much a new and second-hand box would be.

eddieham

If you havent already done so check out some of the following

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk
www.benzworld.org/forums
http://www.mercedesforum.com/forum/

9/10 I have being able find or get help fixing any problems I have had with our 124's.

The steering box has an adjustment for play, details of which are in one of the sites listed above. I was able to sort myself any time I had this problem as "unskilled" DIY fixer(wouldnt dare say mechanic).

Last time I checked the steering box was aprox €300 new, not including fitting, but this was two years ago.

If your not confident doing so yourself I would suggest finding an Indie merc specialist.There are quite a few around the country.

I use Ned Kelly near castlecomer in Kilkenny and find him brilliant. He has his critics over price and delays but I have never had an issue with him as he has always solved and fixed any problems I have had

PS "Samih" ur 124 is still going great!!

Lord Nikon

Do you have a run-flat on the rear by any chance, check the pressure?

tipptom

no rear is tyres ok,think this one set to run,wont be going to merc thats for sure,thanks for the all the replies,will post here when we find the fault.

aidanodr

Maybe this:

http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=77348

"I'm not 100% sure if these cars have a similar set-up to earlier models (MB seem to stick with a good design for many years). If so you can adjust the steering box by turning the adjusting screw on the top of the box anti-clockwise."

Aidan

tipptom

jeez was looking at that link for a while and thinking it was my post,good info to know that there might be an adjusting screw on the steering box might save hauling it out,thanks for that

eddieham

eddieham wrote: »

PS "Samih" ur 124 is still going great!!

Glad to hear Eddie. I was just thinking of the car the other day. Long may she serve you and the family. Did you get any useful parts rescued from the crashed 124 you had?

eddieham

samih wrote: »

Glad to hear Eddie. I was just thinking of the car the other day. Long may she serve you and the family. Did you get any useful parts rescued from the crashed 124 you had?

PM sent samih

trad

Idler arm bushes?