Ralph W wrote:
Marshall,
I've had some unusual wear on my rear tires in the '90 300D and the car has
a bit of squirrelyness to it. The outside of the rear tires wore very
quickly. Could worn out links cause this? Could you be a little more
specific on which links you mean. There are an awful lot of links and
struts, etc in that suspension. As always thanks for your insightful
information.
The steering "squirrelyness" and asymmetrically tire wear is usually a
sign that the link bushings have aged and have collapsed. There are 4
links and a control arm (5th "link"). If the links are original all four
should be replaced with revised ones on older 124s (the revised links
were introduced in early model year 1991, but not before several months
of production had occurred). If your car has revised links, then any
whose bushings have decayed should be replaced. Try twisting them - if
they move much, the bushings have decayed and the links need to be replaced.
I don't do suspension or steering work! You really need to talk with
someone that has worked on dozens of 124/201/202 rear suspensions to
deal with the fine points. The suspension is tricky and requires every
piece to be correctly installed and adjusted (but it's a dream to drive
when everything is working as it should). In some cases it's necessary
to obtain modified "mounting kits" or different parts as some of the old
and new parts are NOT interchangeable. I don't think it's all covered in
the manual either. Most of what you need to know is covered in the
manual 35-110 thru 130, but they make it seem MUCH easier than it really
is!!
This is a time when I just take it to Rick at http://rc-imports.com/ and
tell him the rear is steering the car and he replaces all the parts that
require replacement and he doesn't replace the parts that don't need to
be replaced. The cost has been modest and fair and when he's done, and
each of the 4 cars he did links on, steered like they were on rails (and
the tires wore evenly).
If either of the rear springs have broken (rare but it happens) or the
spring pads or subframe mount(s) has/have collapsed, then it will be
more involved and expensive.
Marshall
--
Marshall Booth (who doesn't respond to unsigned questions)
"der Dieseling Doktor" [EMAIL PROTECTED]
'87 300TD 182Kmi, '85 190D 2.0 161Kmi, '87 190D 2.5 turbo 237kmi, '84
190D 2.2 229Kmi (retired)
