190E lose steering

I was hurrying and not clear. Is the play most likely to develop in the idler bushing or in the tie rod knuckles by the wheel? I guess it could be in the steering box but unlikely I'd think

cheers

Typically steering play is due to wear or maladjustment at the steering linkages, all the way up to the pitman arm. There is a hex bolt adjustment screw at the top of the steering box, but it's best to rule out suspension wear first.

At the age of the car it's not gonna hurt to adjust the steering box a bit, just don't do it too much. Your manual has the procedure.

This is why the adjustment is there.

thanks for the pointers..... I guess I will need to lift it up in the front and see what has play.... at 13 years old a lot can losen.... interestingly my '89 300e has no such problems even though it's got 75k more km.... Hmmm maybe MB did build them better earlier

cheers, guenter

It could also be as bad as a worn steering gear, or it could be as simple as a loose pitman arm to pitman arm shaft mounting.

A very little play here will feel quite significant. That's why it should be fixed with locktite. Anyway, try to check this.

MTI wrote: