1987 240dl shaking bad/pulls to right
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06-14-2012, 01:57 PM
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#2
06-14-2012, 02:25 PM
bent wheel or bad unbalanced tire can cause the shaking. so can a loose wheel bearing, a worn out steering tie rod, bad ball joints, etc.
jack the front of the car up in the air and put it on jack stands, lock the steering wheel as close to 'straight' as you can. spin the front wheels, and see if there's any noticable side to side warpage at the edge of the rim. this would be indicative of a bent rim unless its a loose/shot wheel bearing.
then grab each front wheel at 3 and 9 oclock and give it a good wiggle, is there noticable wobble that doesn't move the steering? do this again at 12 and 6 oclock. if it wobbles at 9&3 but not 12&6, its likely the tie rods. if it wobbles at both or just 12&6, it might be the rest of that stuff.
now... assuming there's significant wiggle, have your friend do the rocking of the tire in the worst direction, and climb under the car, and try and determine where the play is by feeling both sides of things.
my daughters car, it was the inner steering tie rod ball joints, which are behind the bellows on the steering rods.
this is my 740, but the suspension is pretty similar on a 240...
the sway bar is not yet reinstalled, and the shield is off for better visibility. inside the rubber bellows, that shaft that connects to the outer tie rod has a ball joint, these wear out, but are easily replaced. the wheel end of that shaft goes to the 'tie rod tip' which is also easily replaced. just under it and to the right is the 'ball joint', ditto. a 240's lower control arm looks different than that one (its one piece, and doesn't have the bushing between the rearward radius arm and the main control arm), but the bushings between the 240's control arm and the body also wear out and can be replaced.
all these things affect wheel alignment, and when they are worn, alignment is inconsistent and changes on the fly, this causes wobbles, etc.
jack the front of the car up in the air and put it on jack stands, lock the steering wheel as close to 'straight' as you can. spin the front wheels, and see if there's any noticable side to side warpage at the edge of the rim. this would be indicative of a bent rim unless its a loose/shot wheel bearing.
then grab each front wheel at 3 and 9 oclock and give it a good wiggle, is there noticable wobble that doesn't move the steering? do this again at 12 and 6 oclock. if it wobbles at 9&3 but not 12&6, its likely the tie rods. if it wobbles at both or just 12&6, it might be the rest of that stuff.
now... assuming there's significant wiggle, have your friend do the rocking of the tire in the worst direction, and climb under the car, and try and determine where the play is by feeling both sides of things.
my daughters car, it was the inner steering tie rod ball joints, which are behind the bellows on the steering rods.
this is my 740, but the suspension is pretty similar on a 240...
the sway bar is not yet reinstalled, and the shield is off for better visibility. inside the rubber bellows, that shaft that connects to the outer tie rod has a ball joint, these wear out, but are easily replaced. the wheel end of that shaft goes to the 'tie rod tip' which is also easily replaced. just under it and to the right is the 'ball joint', ditto. a 240's lower control arm looks different than that one (its one piece, and doesn't have the bushing between the rearward radius arm and the main control arm), but the bushings between the 240's control arm and the body also wear out and can be replaced.
all these things affect wheel alignment, and when they are worn, alignment is inconsistent and changes on the fly, this causes wobbles, etc.
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