Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us
Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network
HomeAnnouncements
Discussion Groups
By Brand
BMWChevroletDodgeFordGMHondaLexusMercedes-BenzNissanPeugeotToyotaVolkswagenOther Brands
By Topic
4x4 CarsRVsDrivingMaintenance & RepairCar AudioCollectible Cars
Country Specific
Australian ForumsUK Forums
ArticlesAuto InsuranceBuyingCars & TechnologyMaintenanceMiscellaneousSafety
DMV Resources
Related Topics
MotorcyclesBoatsMore Topics ...

Car Forum / Mercedes-Benz Cars / August 2007

Tip: Looking for answers? Try searching our database.

Suspension/Steering probs w/ '87 300TD Turbo Wagon

Thread view: 
Enable EMail Alerts  Start New Thread
Thread rating: 
fishlegs - 31 Aug 2007 10:34 GMT
Greetings.  I'm hoping that someone can help point me in the right
direction.

My girlfriend has an 87 300TD Turbo Wagon (the 6 cyl) with close to
200k miles.  She regularly drives on both highway and city
conditions.  The last time she drove it, it began shuddering
dramatically when driven at high speeds (around 65 mph).  The shudder
goes away when it is driven at non-highway speeds.  She has since
stopped driving it and fears that she'll have to drop a bunch of money
at the mechanic's shop.

She purchased it in February and had a 50pt inspection done on March
7, 2007.  The mechanic's comments potentially relevant in this case
were these:
-One rear suspension accumulator is bad, ride is too rough.  Both
accumulators should be
replaced ($450)
-Both front struts are weak, need replacement ($600)
-Front lower control arm bushings are broken.  This is most likely
cause of "thumping" noise when hitting bumps ($500)

In addition, I have noticed an unusual strip of wear on the front
passenger tire.  On the outside sidewall, approx 2-3 inches from the
tread, is a fairly deep, 1-inch strip of wear.  The other tires appear
normal.

Please let me know if you have an idea of what may be causing the
shuddering and where a good place for me to start would be.  I
appreciate any thoughts on the matter.

Thanks,
erik
ninanner@hotmail.com - 31 Aug 2007 14:11 GMT
I'm no expert, but it sounds to me like the front end is out of line.
The "strip of wear" on the sidewall of the tire sounds to me like your
girlfriend probably ran into something (a curb perhaps) pretty hard
and knocked the front end out of line.  She probably didn't tell you
because, since there was no body damage, she didn't think it hurt
anything.  I'm only saying this because I was once a girlfriend myself
and did pretty much the same thing with my cadillac srx.  And I didn't
tell my boyfriend when I hit that curb...  but I did let him know when
the front end started shuddering at higher speeds.
-->> T.G. Lambach <<-- - 31 Aug 2007 17:23 GMT
-Front lower control arm bushings are broken.  This is most likely
cause of "thumping" noise when hitting bumps ($500)

In addition, I have noticed an unusual strip of wear on the front
passenger tire.  On the outside sidewall, approx 2-3 inches from the
tread, is a fairly deep, 1-inch strip of wear.  The other tires appear
normal.

The two copied items plus an out of balance tire (because its now so
worn) are the cause of "the problem".

There's not much point in aligning anything that's worn out because the
adjustment gets lost in the wear's slop - so why bother?

The lower control arm bushings need to be replaced, then the front end
needs to be aligned and the tire replaced or mounted as the spare if its
still service quality. Both front tires ought to be balanced to
eliminate possibility that the left is contributing to the shaking.

Signature

© 2007 T.G.Lambach. Publication in any form requires prior written
permission.

 
Sign In
Join
My Latest Posts
My Monitored Threads
My Blog
My Photo Gallery
My Profile
My Homepage

Start New Thread
Enable EMail Alerts
Rate this Thread



©2008 Advenet LLC   Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.