Maintenance

[benzonline]

Hey everyone,

Havent posted in awhile due to me being in europe for a bit. 202 started up and runs perfectly after 1 month sitting!

Going to need to do this fall, still the lower control arm bushings (steering wheel slightly shaking on highway speeds) is this the cause?

Also, previous owner had fluids I believe changed 20,000kms ago at MB....everything was done at MB.

When should I change the fluids? All temp readings are correct and everything runs to OEM spec currently.

[benzfan]

Originally posted by benzonline
Hey everyone,

Havent posted in awhile due to me being in europe for a bit.

Going to need to do this fall, still the lower control arm bushings (steering wheel slightly shaking on highway speeds) is this the cause?

.

Hey, Marko,
We missed you at the July BBQ.
On the rear suspension, there is a link with a ball joint at one end that allows a bit of rear wheel toe adjustment. If this ball wears, you can get some rear wheel shake which can manifest itself as a steering wheel shake. You can drive yourself nuts looking for front wheel issues. Some rear bushings can wear also. Control arm bushings are a possibility, but don't neglect a full inspection of your rear suspension and front wheel bearings too, not to mention checking discs for runout.

[benzonline]

Hey Benzfan, you're the one with the silver C36 correct? I was in europe actually and missed that bbq :(

The slight shaking started when the ball joints were done and dealer noted down lower control arm bushings. Rear was looked at I guess but nothing written down. Car only has 90,000kms

[benzfan]

Originally posted by benzonline
Hey Benzfan, you're the one with the silver C36 correct? I was in europe actually and missed that bbq :(

The slight shaking started when the ball joints were done and dealer noted down lower control arm bushings. Rear was looked at I guess but nothing written down. Car only has 90,000kms

That's me. The BBQ was well attended, but only one 202 showed. We took my wife's 203 instead of my C36. I was wishing we had taken both cars.

It's possible at some time your car was realigned with the slightly worn ball joints. New ones then cause a slight misalignment. If you are planning to do bushings, wait until they are done to realign. I suspect that you will find the smoothness you seek after bushings and alignment are done, assuming your discs are good. If not, and '96 C280 discs and pads are the same as on your car, drop me a line - I have a terrific deal for you on new discs and Mintex pads.;)

[benzonline]

Thanks alot man!! That BBQ must have been W203 heaven as is most of the MBCanada forum. Come to think of it, me and you both have W202, 203! But the 203 belongs to my mother.

[yonjun]

Originally posted by benzonline


Going to need to do this fall, still the lower control arm bushings (steering wheel slightly shaking on highway speeds) is this the cause?


Hi,

I too have steering wheel shake for quite a while and didn't bother to get it checked since it was so subtle and only 100km/h and up. I thought it was just off balance of tires but it was not. so I should get it checked when I get time freed up.

I was wondeirng what the cause was in your case

[benzfan]

An interesting (for me) issue with MB has always been the front wheel bearings. Tapered rollers are supposed to have minimal preload in order to function correctly for their intended life span. MB gives you a ridiculous procedure for measuring end shake in the hub, and gives a specification that can vary by quite a bit when you try to measure it depending on the type of grease you have in the bearings, the ambient temperature, etc.

Back in the 70s, I learned to work on cars and virtually every old manual will tell you to preload wheel bearings while turning the disc to properly seat the bearings, then back the nut off and torque to about 14 inch-pounds (just over 1 foot-pound). This creates a very slight preload, but is still far more than MB wants you to have. If I set my bearings up using a dial guage and MB specifications, my car always shakes like a dog crapping a peach pit at highway speeds. No amount of rebalancing or alignment will help matters. It's driven me nuts looking for the cause of the shake in the past, after a dealer doing bearings on one of my 202s, and me doing the other, both to MB specs. If I apply a few degrees of additional turn of the nut, and add a slight preload to the bearings (with the emphasis on SLIGHT), all shake goes away. The last time I avoided buying new discs, as my highway speed brake shake went away as well. Bearings wear. New bearings will wear in the first few months and should be readjusted.

See what happens when you corner slightly at highway speed. Does the shake go away or lessen? Turning will load the bearing on the inside or outside depending on the direction of the turn and effectively remove any play. Balancing issues and bushings won't cause the shake to subside during turns, but bearings in need of adjustment can. It is one of the easier things to check and fix yourself. BTW, on many other forums the suggestion is finger tight on the nut after backing it off following seating of the bearings. That won't do the job, as you aren't capable of applying 1 ft-lb of torque on a nut that small with your fingers. A few degrees extra beyond finger tight is just enough.

[benzonline]

Hi Benzfan,

Wouldnt bearings make noise if they are finished? I have no shakes on turns, just on highway going straight. Its actually so minimal that I have to pay attention if its there but looking at the steering wheel you see it shaking. When I do the LCA bushings in a month or so, and if the shaking is still there ill have a look at bearings.

[benzfan]

Originally posted by benzonline
Hi Benzfan,

Wouldnt bearings make noise if they are finished? I have no shakes on turns, just on highway going straight. Its actually so minimal that I have to pay attention if its there but looking at the steering wheel you see it shaking. When I do the LCA bushings in a month or so, and if the shaking is still there ill have a look at bearings.

Bearings will only make noise if there is damage to the rotating elements or the race and the noise will be first heard when the additional load applied by turning makes the damage audible. If enough damage has occurred, it will be audible all the time. A slightly worn bearing or a bearing in need of adjustment will only have a bit of play in it, causing a shake.

BTW, when you buy normal caged ball type bearings, you can specify what sort of internal clearance (or preload) you get. On a bicycle, you want the bearing to spin freely, but on a milling machine, you want no play whatsoever and a relatively snug bearing. Too much preload, or too tight a bearing for a particular application, can actually set up harmonic vibrations in the rotating pieces at certain speeds, dramatically shortening the life of the bearing and causing all sorts of problems. 1 ft-lb on tapered wheel bearings won't do that though.