Re: [MBZ] 124 Sway Bar Bushings?
They are shot, they die of old age. If you want to check, look for ANY space between bar and bushing. They fit, when new, by compression and there should be NO clearance at all. Also check the brackets for the body mounts -- they tend to fracture and rattle. Cheap and easy to replace, but you may have to take the sway bar off to see. This is a very easy job -- on level ground, all you have to do is drop the body pan, unscrew the eight nuts, replace bushings, and re-install, no need to jack it up, just turn the front wheels for access at the control arm. If the ground isn't level, however, getting the body mounts back on is a pain. Peter
Re: [MBZ] 124 Sway Bar Bushings?
Bad control arm bushing will make the front tires wear badly and prevent a shop from performing a decent front end alignment. Fairly easy to tell, as the control arm will move at the pivot end in directions other than on axis. The noise will be similar to bad sway bar bushing ends except for when it occurs. I'd expect excessive sensitivity to cross winds and wobbly steering as well. Neither will be true of bad sway bar bushings. Peter
Re: [MBZ] 124 Sway Bar Bushings?
Ball joints are cheap, installation on the W124 isn't bad, and driving with the front wheel unattached is often lethal. Replace if at ALL in doubt, they usually have excessive play long before they die. Squeaks on turning the wheel is either ball joints or steering linkage, nothing else is turned (the struts don't squeak if bad, just leak out all the oil). I have had ball joints make clunking (chuckling) noises on rough pavement, but not on a Benz -- my Volvo had almost half an inch of play in the joint when I jacked it up. Peter
Re: [MBZ] 124 Sway Bar Bushings?
You could remove the sway bar and see if the noise goes away. :) Sway bar bushings usually clunk going over rail road tracks and things like that. Bushings are hard to test and are often misdiagnosed. Its important to remember that AGE also kills rubber - its not just the miles. We don't drive around with 14 year old tires even if they have 500 miles on them. Brian On 11/18/05, Dave M. [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi John, IMO, sway bar bushings are inspected visually, not by hardness. If they are sloppy and deformed, so the bar is not tightly held in the bushing, they should be replaced. The old style was plain rubber. The new ones (from the DEALER, not aftermarket) have a Teflon lining on the inside to reduce noise. I doubt this is the cause of your clunk, but it's cheap and easy and sure wouldn't hurt to replace. Here's a photo of worn-out bushings on my E500 with 90kmi... new bushings in the rear, old bushings in the front. Note the old ones are deformed: http://www.w124performance.com/images/cars/94_E500/restoration/sway_bar_bushings.jpg Could you tell us more about the clunking noise? Is it under braking, or with vertical suspension movement, etc? All the time or intermittent? :-) +dm -- Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2005 08:11:35 -0500 From: John Peterson [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [MBZ] 124 Sway Bar Bushings? Regarding my front end clunk on bumps at low speeds, someone suggested that I check / replace the front anti-sway bar bushings. Parts are cheap, $30, and it is DIY job. Does anyone think this could be the clunk (dealer says new control arms and bushings but I doubt this at 74k) I am trying to get rid of? Any way to test the anti-sway bushings? I found the rubber hard, but not rock hard. It is very hard to tell where front end sounds are coming from John Peterson Kingston RI 91 300D 2.5 74k
Re: [MBZ] 124 Sway Bar Bushings?
John Peterson wrote: Regarding my front end clunk on bumps at low speeds, someone suggested that I check / replace the front anti-sway bar bushings. Parts are cheap, $30, and it is DIY job. Does anyone think this could be the clunk (dealer says new control arms and bushings but I doubt this at 74k) I am trying to get rid of? Any way to test the anti-sway bushings? I found the rubber hard, but not rock hard. It is very hard to tell where front end sounds are coming from Sway bar bushing failures were VERY common in '80s 124s - usually at between 50-100kmi (I've not driven more than two '90s 124s and the were cherry). The bushings were revised (don't know when) but the new style will fail too, just not quite as soon. If you drive slowly over an uneven surface (a slightly uneven parking lot) at about 10-15 mph, they will clunk/rattle when bad. I know of NO way to describe a bad one except by the noise that the ones I've heard have made. You could find a mechanic that has done a hundred of them - I expect he can look at 'em and tell you if they are bad. Bad control arm bushings in 201/124s never made that noise when driving slowly over uneven surfaces in the cars I drove. You MAY have bad control arm bushings, but I don't think they are making the noise that I think you are describing. Marshall -- Marshall Booth (who doesn't respond to unsigned questions) der Dieseling Doktor [EMAIL PROTECTED] '87 300TD 182Kmi, '84 190D 2.2 229Kmi, '85 190D 2.0 161Kmi, '87 190D 2.5 turbo 237kmi
Re: [MBZ] 124 Sway Bar Bushings?
if the ball joint boot is split (not always very obvious), you can diagnose it by hosing the living hell out if it with a garden hose (do one at a time, starting with the lower)...go over your normal clunking bumps and dips...if still clunking, continue the process until you find that you have located the bad ball joint OR that it's NOT the ball joints. I would esp. recommend this if you have noticed that the clunking is less or gone during heavy rains. It works, I did it. Not my idea, Henry Kolesnik gets the credit...who I have not seen on the list for a long time...too bad. Maybe we scared him off at the OkieQ. Chris Bob Rentfro [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Christopher typeth: you can try the water test on the ball joints... Water test? Bob Rentfro '77 300D 143K Litchfield Park, AZ ___ For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net Christopher McCann, Squier Park, Kansas City, Missouri -2005 Blue Point Siamese, Rose -1987 300TD, 150K, Rotkäppchen -1985 300SD, 209K, Wulf -1976 240D, ?K, AKP-Wagen (Alternativen Kraftstoffs Prüfenlastwagen) -1972 Jacobsen 21 Turbo Vent -1971 Case 222 Hydrive, 12HP Kohler, 38 deck, Snowcaster, One Banger - Yahoo! FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click. From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fri Nov 18 19:51:58 2005 Received: from web30009.mail.mud.yahoo.com ([68.142.200.72]) by server1.arterytc1.net with smtp (Exim 4.52) id 1EdCH8-00079X-Pk for [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Fri, 18 Nov 2005 19:51:58 + Received: (qmail 38184 invoked by uid 60001); 18 Nov 2005 19:51:53 - DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws; s=s1024; d=yahoo.com; h=Message-ID:Received:Date:From:Subject:To:In-Reply-To:MIME-Version:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding; b=HD10UrvoQhHRGYfh8HgoWBQMVW8eUu5DJNm1Vc+BfxV9iaXmes2WbpTG5QK3mW/LEUi7e80l5fKkagoPNyXJ/VrktGhszaUMU0LzYdLSdTTCRM9zdIJix5/XhuDiBUgXTfSSXQnbpC9weXs+NHT5k4tK2HlmxLKJJb6afr2C9N8= ; Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Received: from [66.140.70.226] by web30009.mail.mud.yahoo.com via HTTP; Fri, 18 Nov 2005 11:51:53 PST Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2005 11:51:53 -0800 (PST) From: Christopher McCann [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Mercedes mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] In-Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Antivirus-Scanner: Clean mail though you should still use an Antivirus Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.6 Subject: Re: [MBZ] Absolutely pathetic fuel economy X-BeenThere: [EMAIL PROTECTED] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.6 Precedence: list Reply-To: Mercedes mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] List-Id: Mercedes mailing list mercedes_striplin.net.striplin.net List-Unsubscribe: http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net, mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] List-Archive: http://striplin.net/pipermail/mercedes_striplin.net List-Post: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] List-Help: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] List-Subscribe: http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net, mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2005 19:51:59 - Wow. Thanks for the info. Right, we can't definitively deduce poor mileage from this, but I would not be surprised if this is a big piece of the puzzle. Chris John Robbins [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Christopher McCann wrote: crappy post Katria fuel and funky odo have been my pet theories as to why my mpgs have gone down recently too (on the SD). Not cold A few days after the hurricane the EPA came out with relaxed regulations for diesel and gasoline as a temporary measure so everyone could get fuel ASAP. Gasoline volatility requirements were relaxed and diesel sulfer requirements were relaxed. Dunno how long the temporary regulations were supposed to last (IIRC a month or so) or if that can even change you're mileage I've been getting horrible fuel mileage (17), but I think that there is a slight possibility of it being the fuel leaking from the IP and an injector ;) G'luck with it! John '79 300SD ___ For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net Christopher McCann, Squier Park, Kansas City, Missouri -2005 Blue Point Siamese, Rose -1987 300TD, 150K, Rotkäppchen -1985 300SD, 209K, Wulf -1976 240D, ?K, AKP-Wagen (Alternativen Kraftstoffs Prüfenlastwagen) -1972 Jacobsen 21 Turbo Vent -1971 Case 222 Hydrive, 12HP Kohler, 38 deck, Snowcaster, One Banger - Yahoo! FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one
Re: [MBZ] 124 Sway Bar Bushings?
Hey, good news. I've got bad sway bar bushings too! I'm going to take this opportunity to upgrade my sway bars to a pair of Sportsline bars... Wonder if they make a Sportsline central locking system (my trunk doesn't lock/unlock with the driver's door...) Lee '93 300D 2.5L turbodiesel 179K Chris writes: you can try the water test on the ball joints...never hurts and costs nothing. That's how I diagnosed my clunk...but that was at about 195K miles Chris Marshall Booth [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: John Peterson wrote: Regarding my front end clunk on bumps at low speeds, someone suggested that I check / replace the front anti-sway bar bushings. Parts are cheap, $30, and it is DIY job. Does anyone think this could be the clunk (dealer says new control arms and bushings but I doubt this at 74k) I am trying to get rid of? Any way to test the anti-sway bushings? I found the rubber hard, but not rock hard. It is very hard to tell where front end sounds are coming from Sway bar bushing failures were VERY common in '80s 124s - usually at between 50-100kmi (I've not driven more than two '90s 124s and the were cherry). The bushings were revised (don't know when) but the new style will fail too, just not quite as soon. If you drive slowly over an uneven surface (a slightly uneven parking lot) at about 10-15 mph, they will clunk/rattle when bad. I know of NO way to describe a bad one except by the noise that the ones I've heard have made. You could find a mechanic that has done a hundred of them - I expect he can look at 'em and tell you if they are bad. Bad control arm bushings in 201/124s never made that noise when driving slowly over uneven surfaces in the cars I drove. You MAY have bad control arm bushings, but I don't think they are making the noise that I think you are describing. Marshall -- Marshall Booth (who doesn't respond to unsigned questions) der Dieseling Doktor [EMAIL PROTECTED] '87 300TD 182Kmi, '84 190D 2.2 229Kmi, '85 190D 2.0 161Kmi, '87 190D 2.5 turbo 237kmi ___ For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net Christopher McCann, Squier Park, Kansas City, Missouri -2005 Blue Point Siamese, Rose -1987 300TD, 150K, Rotkäppchen -1985 300SD, 209K, Wulf -1976 240D, ?K, AKP-Wagen (Alternativen Kraftstoffs Prüfenlastwagen) -1972 Jacobsen 21 Turbo Vent -1971 Case 222 Hydrive, 12HP Kohler, 38 deck, Snowcaster, One Banger - Yahoo! FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click. ___ For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net
Re: [MBZ] 124 Sway Bar Bushings?
Christopher McCann wrote: if the ball joint boot is split (not always very obvious), you can diagnose it by hosing the living hell out if it with a garden hose (do one at a time, starting with the lower)...go over your normal clunking bumps and dips...if still clunking, continue the process until you find that you have located the bad ball joint OR that it's NOT the ball joints. I would esp. recommend this if you have noticed that the clunking is less or gone during heavy rains. It works, I did it. Not my idea, Henry Kolesnik gets the credit...who I have not seen on the list for a long time...too bad. Maybe we scared him off at the OkieQ. ONCE a ball joint boot is split REPLACE the ball joint - don't pass go - don't collect $200 - just replace the ball joint. NEVER just replace the boot. Once the boot has failed, the joint is ruined. Ball joints are cheap ($25-35) and after you've had one fail (front wheel almost horizontal on the ground is NOT pretty), you realize just how foolish it is to NOT replace one that's questionable. Almost all ball joint failures in 124/201s start with squeaks on dry days when the front end is moved up or down OR with the steering being abnormally stiff (like the power steering is getting weak)! When I was learning to diagnose possible ball joint failures I did inject grease/oil into a ball joint boot (it quieted the joint before I'd driven 200 yards) and sealed the hole with silicone RTV. I drove the car for several months before I replaced the joints, but I would NOT recommend doing that. Marshall -- Marshall Booth (who doesn't respond to unsigned questions) der Dieseling Doktor [EMAIL PROTECTED] '87 300TD 182Kmi, '84 190D 2.2 229Kmi, '85 190D 2.0 161Kmi, '87 190D 2.5 turbo 237kmi
Re: [MBZ] 124 Sway Bar Bushings?
Are you saying that if a car squeaks in the front when the moves up and down (think of a speed hump) that means it's the ball joint? How about the suspension? Tim 1982 300TD Moby On 11/18/05, Marshall Booth [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Christopher McCann wrote: if the ball joint boot is split (not always very obvious), you can diagnose it by hosing the living hell out if it with a garden hose (do one at a time, starting with the lower)...go over your normal clunking bumps and dips...if still clunking, continue the process until you find that you have located the bad ball joint OR that it's NOT the ball joints. I would esp. recommend this if you have noticed that the clunking is less or gone during heavy rains. It works, I did it. Not my idea, Henry Kolesnik gets the credit...who I have not seen on the list for a long time...too bad. Maybe we scared him off at the OkieQ. ONCE a ball joint boot is split REPLACE the ball joint - don't pass go - don't collect $200 - just replace the ball joint. NEVER just replace the boot. Once the boot has failed, the joint is ruined. Ball joints are cheap ($25-35) and after you've had one fail (front wheel almost horizontal on the ground is NOT pretty), you realize just how foolish it is to NOT replace one that's questionable. Almost all ball joint failures in 124/201s start with squeaks on dry days when the front end is moved up or down OR with the steering being abnormally stiff (like the power steering is getting weak)! When I was learning to diagnose possible ball joint failures I did inject grease/oil into a ball joint boot (it quieted the joint before I'd driven 200 yards) and sealed the hole with silicone RTV. I drove the car for several months before I replaced the joints, but I would NOT recommend doing that. Marshall -- Marshall Booth (who doesn't respond to unsigned questions) der Dieseling Doktor [EMAIL PROTECTED] '87 300TD 182Kmi, '84 190D 2.2 229Kmi, '85 190D 2.0 161Kmi, '87 190D 2.5 turbo 237kmi ___ For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net
Re: [MBZ] 124 Sway Bar Bushings?
TimothyPilgrim wrote: Are you saying that if a car squeaks in the front when the moves up and down (think of a speed hump) that means it's the ball joint? How about the suspension? I'm saying that squeaking USUALLY involves ball joints. Then I jack up the car and try to lift the wheel using a LONG bar and if there's detectable movement, the ball joint needs to be replaced. Once you've felt it, it's easy to detect the ball moving excessively within it's socket. I can't otherwise describe it. Every car I've owned that squeaked (3 201s), had bad ball joints (maybe I was just lucky). Not all bad ball joints squeak (two of mine didn't)! Four mechanics I know (that have been working on Mercedes for a combined total of 100 years) agree that when the front end squeaks, USUALLY the ball joints are bad - could be other things also - but the ball joints are usually bad. That what they check first and USUALLY the ball joints are bad. Marshall -- Marshall Booth (who doesn't respond to unsigned questions) der Dieseling Doktor [EMAIL PROTECTED] '87 300TD 182Kmi, '84 190D 2.2 229Kmi, '85 190D 2.0 161Kmi, '87 190D 2.5 turbo 237kmi
Re: [MBZ] 124 Sway Bar Bushings?
agree on the quick repair - another list member reported months back on a relative who kept injecting grease until the joint broke - not something you want happening at any speed above, oh 15 mph. Luckily for the injector in question, the joint broke while backing out of a driveway. Chris Marshall Booth [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Christopher McCann wrote: if the ball joint boot is split (not always very obvious), you can diagnose it by hosing the living hell out if it with a garden hose (do one at a time, starting with the lower)...go over your normal clunking bumps and dips...if still clunking, continue the process until you find that you have located the bad ball joint OR that it's NOT the ball joints. I would esp. recommend this if you have noticed that the clunking is less or gone during heavy rains. It works, I did it. Not my idea, Henry Kolesnik gets the credit...who I have not seen on the list for a long time...too bad. Maybe we scared him off at the OkieQ. ONCE a ball joint boot is split REPLACE the ball joint - don't pass go - don't collect $200 - just replace the ball joint. NEVER just replace the boot. Once the boot has failed, the joint is ruined. Ball joints are cheap ($25-35) and after you've had one fail (front wheel almost horizontal on the ground is NOT pretty), you realize just how foolish it is to NOT replace one that's questionable. Almost all ball joint failures in 124/201s start with squeaks on dry days when the front end is moved up or down OR with the steering being abnormally stiff (like the power steering is getting weak)! When I was learning to diagnose possible ball joint failures I did inject grease/oil into a ball joint boot (it quieted the joint before I'd driven 200 yards) and sealed the hole with silicone RTV. I drove the car for several months before I replaced the joints, but I would NOT recommend doing that. Marshall -- Marshall Booth (who doesn't respond to unsigned questions) der Dieseling Doktor [EMAIL PROTECTED] '87 300TD 182Kmi, '84 190D 2.2 229Kmi, '85 190D 2.0 161Kmi, '87 190D 2.5 turbo 237kmi ___ For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net Christopher McCann, Squier Park, Kansas City, Missouri -2005 Blue Point Siamese, Rose -1987 300TD, 150K, Rotkäppchen -1985 300SD, 209K, Wulf -1976 240D, ?K, AKP-Wagen (Alternativen Kraftstoffs Prüfenlastwagen) -1972 Jacobsen 21 Turbo Vent -1971 Case 222 Hydrive, 12HP Kohler, 38 deck, Snowcaster, One Banger - Yahoo! FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click. From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fri Nov 18 21:22:47 2005 Received: from web30012.mail.mud.yahoo.com ([68.142.201.215]) by server1.arterytc1.net with smtp (Exim 4.52) id 1EdDh1-BL-4m for [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Fri, 18 Nov 2005 21:22:47 + Received: (qmail 22385 invoked by uid 60001); 18 Nov 2005 21:22:44 - DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws; s=s1024; d=yahoo.com; h=Message-ID:Received:Date:From:Subject:To:In-Reply-To:MIME-Version:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding; b=Z65Y8Q7zqdRCIkggpqpOyGrbfDeysKZM97UQ+VsrxKJZO6WkYPFIoqvinENHYlvKcrI++N4k8nFaE5j37iTlMwikeyTq564LJ1+5gVP9lae0ax4qG4YZD0xqgXjioQZZcoA5wTBh3yfeY4N3mzLZRg1ADL5jMyjhUvjNzbEJXrc= ; Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Received: from [66.140.70.226] by web30012.mail.mud.yahoo.com via HTTP; Fri, 18 Nov 2005 13:22:44 PST Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2005 13:22:44 -0800 (PST) From: Christopher McCann [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Mercedes mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] In-Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Antivirus-Scanner: Clean mail though you should still use an Antivirus Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.6 Subject: Re: [MBZ] 124 Sway Bar Bushings? X-BeenThere: [EMAIL PROTECTED] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.6 Precedence: list Reply-To: Mercedes mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] List-Id: Mercedes mailing list mercedes_striplin.net.striplin.net List-Unsubscribe: http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net, mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] List-Archive: http://striplin.net/pipermail/mercedes_striplin.net List-Post: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] List-Help: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] List-Subscribe: http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net, mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2005 21:22:47 - no, if it CLUNKS, it MIGHT be the ball joints. Could be other things too. The water test helps to eliminate the ball joint possibility. Chris TimothyPilgrim [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Are you saying that if a car squeaks in the front when the moves up and down (think of a speed hump
Re: [MBZ] 124 Sway Bar Bushings?
Thank you all for your comments- wow, what a response! Here is an update. The sound can be described as the kind of sound / clunk that one would get by taking a rubber mallet and hitting the underside frame of the car while driving. It makes this sound when EITHER wheel hits an uneven patch of road. It is a kind of thump and hollow sound. Another obversation- the car tracks perfectly, as good as it gets. I'm going to go ahead and change the sway bar bushing out- they look a bit loose. Can I just take the bar off for a test? The bushings are cheap, but take a week to get. Thank for continued help. John John Petesron '91 300D 2.5 74k - Original Message - From: Marshall Booth [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Mercedes mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, November 18, 2005 3:56 PM Subject: Re: [MBZ] 124 Sway Bar Bushings? John Peterson wrote: Regarding my front end clunk on bumps at low speeds, someone suggested that I check / replace the front anti-sway bar bushings. Parts are cheap, $30, and it is DIY job. Does anyone think this could be the clunk (dealer says new control arms and bushings but I doubt this at 74k) I am trying to get rid of? Any way to test the anti-sway bushings? I found the rubber hard, but not rock hard. It is very hard to tell where front end sounds are coming from There seems to be a rush to condemn the ball joints now. I've NEVER experienced clunks on bumps at low speeds when the ball joints were bad (but if they are REALLY bad they could I suppose). That HAS been a consistent presenting symptom with bad sway bar bushings. Bad ball joints (as well as bad rear suspension links) do permit the front end to seem nervous requiring a lot of attention when driving at highway speeds. In my experience, ball joints outlast sway bar bushings by at least 3:1. Control arm bushings and ball joints usually last AT LEAST 200kmi miles (and can last a lot longer if you drive 20+kmi a year). Early sway bar bushings however, often failed after 4-6 years and even the revised ones might not be expected to last more than 100-150kmi. I have revised bushings on two cars, but they don't have even 75kmi on them and that's true of MOST people that have replaced the bushings on 124s. Marshall -- Marshall Booth (who doesn't respond to unsigned questions) der Dieseling Doktor [EMAIL PROTECTED] '87 300TD 182Kmi, '84 190D 2.2 229Kmi, '85 190D 2.0 161Kmi, '87 190D 2.5 turbo 237kmi ___ For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net
Re: [MBZ] 124 Sway Bar Bushings?
Is this a W126? Chris John Peterson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Thank you all for your comments- wow, what a response! Here is an update. The sound can be described as the kind of sound / clunk that one would get by taking a rubber mallet and hitting the underside frame of the car while driving. It makes this sound when EITHER wheel hits an uneven patch of road. It is a kind of thump and hollow sound. Another obversation- the car tracks perfectly, as good as it gets. I'm going to go ahead and change the sway bar bushing out- they look a bit loose. Can I just take the bar off for a test? The bushings are cheap, but take a week to get. Thank for continued help. John John Petesron '91 300D 2.5 74k - Original Message - From: Marshall Booth To: Mercedes mailing list Sent: Friday, November 18, 2005 3:56 PM Subject: Re: [MBZ] 124 Sway Bar Bushings? John Peterson wrote: Regarding my front end clunk on bumps at low speeds, someone suggested that I check / replace the front anti-sway bar bushings. Parts are cheap, $30, and it is DIY job. Does anyone think this could be the clunk (dealer says new control arms and bushings but I doubt this at 74k) I am trying to get rid of? Any way to test the anti-sway bushings? I found the rubber hard, but not rock hard. It is very hard to tell where front end sounds are coming from There seems to be a rush to condemn the ball joints now. I've NEVER experienced clunks on bumps at low speeds when the ball joints were bad (but if they are REALLY bad they could I suppose). That HAS been a consistent presenting symptom with bad sway bar bushings. Bad ball joints (as well as bad rear suspension links) do permit the front end to seem nervous requiring a lot of attention when driving at highway speeds. In my experience, ball joints outlast sway bar bushings by at least 3:1. Control arm bushings and ball joints usually last AT LEAST 200kmi miles (and can last a lot longer if you drive 20+kmi a year). Early sway bar bushings however, often failed after 4-6 years and even the revised ones might not be expected to last more than 100-150kmi. I have revised bushings on two cars, but they don't have even 75kmi on them and that's true of MOST people that have replaced the bushings on 124s. Marshall -- Marshall Booth (who doesn't respond to unsigned questions) der Dieseling Doktor [EMAIL PROTECTED] '87 300TD 182Kmi, '84 190D 2.2 229Kmi, '85 190D 2.0 161Kmi, '87 190D 2.5 turbo 237kmi ___ For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net ___ For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net Christopher McCann, Squier Park, Kansas City, Missouri -2005 Blue Point Siamese, Rose -1987 300TD, 150K, Rotkäppchen -1985 300SD, 209K, Wulf -1976 240D, ?K, AKP-Wagen (Alternativen Kraftstoffs Prüfenlastwagen) -1972 Jacobsen 21 Turbo Vent -1971 Case 222 Hydrive, 12HP Kohler, 38 deck, Snowcaster, One Banger - Yahoo! FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click. From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fri Nov 18 23:21:42 2005 Received: from web30014.mail.mud.yahoo.com ([68.142.201.217]) by server1.arterytc1.net with smtp (Exim 4.52) id 1EdFY6-00046x-Cd for [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Fri, 18 Nov 2005 23:21:42 + Received: (qmail 83585 invoked by uid 60001); 18 Nov 2005 23:21:39 - DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws; s=s1024; d=yahoo.com; h=Message-ID:Received:Date:From:Subject:To:In-Reply-To:MIME-Version:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding; b=vIpsWpf9jaHnsbokJP4d9SQkQ+Y+Ea+gTSHQn0BtWzacGgj7nPiA0UabWTcKpTI5dT1K4x/Y7STAJ1UKAHW8sKojA6yLtEhel3c2Hiab2DnX8IWW2kk5cKCfJ4sXX9lURoih60JCKuY5zA7IWT/IMsJW4+nqAaFSskoBVA0vf7Y= ; Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Received: from [66.140.70.226] by web30014.mail.mud.yahoo.com via HTTP; Fri, 18 Nov 2005 15:21:39 PST Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2005 15:21:39 -0800 (PST) From: Christopher McCann [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Mercedes mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] In-Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Antivirus-Scanner: Clean mail though you should still use an Antivirus Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.6 Subject: Re: [MBZ] 124 Sway Bar Bushings? X-BeenThere: [EMAIL PROTECTED] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.6 Precedence: list Reply-To: Mercedes mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] List-Id: Mercedes mailing list mercedes_striplin.net.striplin.net List-Unsubscribe: http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net
