DIY Mercedes steering rack repair

In detail: do-it-yourself Mercedes steering rack repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

Mercedes-Benz E-class I don't have a race here! ›Logbook› We continue poking around # 2, do-it-yourself rail repair!

What can I say, something else has been done ... And so, first things first.
Not so long ago I wrote to you that some purchase of spare parts for the chassis was made! And now they have already taken their proper place. There will be no photos and descriptions of the process in this case, since I drove the car to the service station. They changed everything on the list and returned the car. I can only say that I did not recognize the car. The ride was pleasant, but something still bothered me. From the beginning, I referred to the lack of camber and not working power steering, but as it turned out, it was not that ... I drove in, then happy to camber, but it was not there, they turned me around and said that the right upper front arm for replacement ... Did I think the chassis, aha)))

There will be no big digression here. Initially, I planned to go through only the chassis, and then, after waiting for my salary, to repair the steering rack. But if the cards were so formed, I decided to repair the rail up to a heap, so that I would not skate to the collapse twice. But about the repair of the rail a little later ...

Well, I went for the lever and bought it. I took a set of tools from our clubmates and onward to the barricades ... I drove the car into my favorite sump, in the backyard of my parents' house, and let's marry her! Oh yes, I will clarify right away, the lever changed itself. Since I believe that this is the only way to recognize a new machine, with which I never had any business and had the slightest idea about its structure!

Well, then I think it’s not tricky, take the keys, but cool. But, as it turned out, there is one ambush ...

Video (click to play).

And it was here that the ambush turned out to be. I start to turn the bolt, in the hope that the nut on the back side is welded from the factory to the car body, but this is not so. I climbed in search of a nut, it turns out that there is a technological hole for it under the arch. but the key is almost impossible to crawl there. We study further the ways and possibilities to get the nut. We find out that another way is to remove the housing of the engine control unit, well, and it, respectively. I forgot to take photos, sorry.

And then the installation of the new lever in the reverse order! I didn’t take pictures because my hands were dirty. But here everything is clear! Yes, and it was already closer to midnight, due to the fact that the repair began late and for a very long time figured out how to unscrew the bolt and nut.

Having finished with the lever, it was necessary to deal with the steering rack. There were three options:
1. Buy on parsing, but the prices are still horse
2. Give for restoration
3. Do everything yourself
Well, as you guessed, I probably chose the third option. For the reason stated above, the study of the device of the machine. And not a desire to throw money away. Will explain. To buy a used one on parsing, that is still a tape measure, since they will not always sell spare parts from a car really from Germany and in good condition. They can also slip with a local bat! To give back for restoration is to pay for something that you can do yourself, if you are not afraid and have hands.
For the reasons given above, I decided to do it myself!
So, let's begin. I bought a repair kit for the power steering.
Since there was no pit and even more so there was no elevator, they built just such a temporary overpass.

I will describe the process of removing the rail, since twisting the keys is somehow not convenient to take a picture. And in general, the process is simple, nothing complicated. We unscrew the steering rods, a bolt on the crosspiece, two oil pipes and four bolts for attaching the rail itself and that's it, it's in your hands!

And then the process of disassembling the rail itself begins. Here, as it turned out, there is nothing particularly complicated either. I found Infu in the vastness of YouTube, by the way.

After washing, we begin to disassemble further, to replace all rubber products. Namely, replacing two oil seals and sealing gum! The first gland is located inside the body, and the second in the “plug” of the rail.
Let's remove the tubes on the rail. Further, removing the retaining ring on the right side of the rail, take out the “plug” in which there is also an oil seal. By the way, the plug got out quite simply, we just turn the rack shaft to the extreme right position and that's it. Next, unscrew the three bolts on the steering shaft housing and take it out

Replacing the oil seals is not inherently complicated. The inner one is simply knocked out from the inside of the steering rack housing.

I knocked it out with a head with extension cords. It turns out pretty tight, but you can knock it out. Knocked out, insert a new one and carefully hammer into place.

But to change the second oil seal, a turner was needed. It is necessary to remove a small edging on the "plug", as it is sealed.

Description of the Mercedes steering rack variety, replacement cost and self-repair principle.

The content of the article:

  • Steering system
  • Features of breakage PP
  • DIY repair and replacement
  • Workshop repair cost
  • Video

Thinking about Mercedes-Benz cars, the most famous brands such as S600, G-Class and so on begin to come to mind. But, unfortunately, even because of their fame and practicality, cars of this brand can break down. This also applies to the steering.

The steering system in Mercedes-Benz cars has nothing in common with the steering system of our domestic cars. And the whole "highlight" of Mercedes-Benz is that its wheels turn both horizontally and vertically.

Those people who very often come across these cars can safely say that its length is the longest among the rest of the Germans. Often, due to such dimensions, Mercedes-Benz is quite difficult to deploy in a small area. But, thanks to the vertical tilt, you can quickly turn around with a radius of several meters. It is because of high-quality spare parts and a well-thought-out steering system that the driver achieves maximum comfort while driving.

The steering system of Mercedes-Benz is an absolute complex of levers and mechanisms, which, in turn, are responsible for the adjustment and the trajectory of the turn, the trapezoidal system is made up of such mechanisms as: bipod, steering gear, swing arm and steering link. This system was used primarily in the machines of the 90s. And precisely because of this, Mercedes-Benz prevailed with greater reliability and popularity among its "peers" of other brands. After all, the car of this brand was the most difficult to disable or break something. But, at this time, systems of this type have become less and less installed, although they had positive reviews and popularity.

As mentioned above, the second type of system is the rack and pinion mechanism. The layout of this rack is significantly different from the new trapezoidal steering rack system. This mechanism is replaced instead of the steering rod, it does not have a gearbox and a pendulum arm. Despite this, this type of system is quite simple and comfortable to operate.

But, in parallel with the positive side, there is also a negative one - this rack and pinion steering rack needs careful use and frequent technical inspection and maintenance. So, for example, if a gap appears in the steering joints of the rack and pinion mechanism, and this moment will be missed, while if you do not contact the service center in time, then over time it will be necessary to replace or repair the steering and an absolute rework of the steering rack. Also, such mechanisms include the power steering, which has been installed on all Mercedes-Benz cars for a long time.

The very first sign that the steering rack is breaking is the loss of resistance on the steering wheel when turning the steering wheel in any direction without the power steering, you can immediately pay attention to the wheels. When the steering wheel is turned, the wheels may remain as they were. Well, or the effort is applied in jerks when turning, then this is considered the most famous and common case.

But the second feature of a broken steering rack is the case when the effort on the steering wheel disappears at temperatures up to thirty and above one hundred degrees.

According to experienced drivers, such signs are most undesirable when the car is moving, since the steering rack may completely fail and a Mercedes-Benz car will become completely uncontrollable.

When spontaneous turns of the steering wheel occur, it is advisable not to drive for a long time, because then the steering wheel will completely fail.

Also, in practice, there are cases when the car comes out of a sharp turn, and the steering wheel either does not return to its place, or it is very bad to become in the initial central position.

If at speed it is well felt that the car is throwing from side to side and there is a fairly high sensitivity, then this is the very first sign that the steering rack is weakened. To improve its work, you will have to at least tighten the mounting bolts. Well, if it is unusable, then it will be immediately visible.

Extraneous sounds, such as a knock in the steering rack or vibration is transmitted to the steering wheel for a reason and in most cases indicates that an urgent repair of the steering rack is necessary. It is believed that this is the last stage when you can ride, but it is better not to risk it.

Not the last place is also occupied by the indicator of the power steering fluid level (GUR). Because the fluid accumulates in the anthers of the steering rods, which is why the steering wheel usually turns hard. It is advisable to often glance at the fluid level, because in addition to the steering rack, there may be a breakdown in the hydraulic booster, which will lead to the repair of a completely different element.

The process of repairing a steering rack, especially if it is a Mercedes-Benz brand, does not shine with simplicity. To remove the steering rack, you will need to disassemble the entire front of the chassis. Robots of this type are recommended to be carried out on a lift, since disassembly will take on average a couple of days. When you contact a service center with this problem, then they will definitely carry out a computer diagnostics to make sure what the problem is - a power steering or, after all, a steering rack.

First you need to raise the car on a lift and drain the fluid from the power steering, since the rack is one of the components. Next, you need to unscrew from the ball bearings and remove the wheels from the lever.

On the inspection pit, this manipulation will be quite difficult, since it will be necessary to completely raise the front of the Mercedes-Benz car and leave it in the air. At the same time, support the front beams. When the ball joints are removed, do not forget that the wheels will be without fixation. That is why the jack will not help in this situation.

After removing the ball joints, you can start disconnecting the power steering tubes and other fasteners. It is not worth describing every bolt that comes across, since with the development of the Mercedes-Benz brand there were various fixing modifications.

Another important point: it is worth checking the rack shaft for runout. If rust is noticed on it, then it must be removed immediately. Pay particular attention to the gearing so that there are no chips and torn teeth.

In models from the 90s, it is often necessary to replace the tie rods and the anthers of the steering tips. Since, over time, they wear out, and in the event of a breakdown, it will be time consuming and time consuming to replace them separately. When the steering rack is removed, it is necessary to look at the state of wear.

Basically, they install a new steering rack for Mercedes-Benz, since the weight of the car will "break" the repaired parts of the steering rack over time. The assembly process is carried out in the reverse way to disassembly.

Experienced car enthusiasts argue that breakdowns of this kind do not need to be thrown, since then the repair will take a lot of money and not only the rails for the Mercedes-Benz car brand.As a rule, the neglected state of the steering rack pulls the replacement of anthers, levers, ball joints. And all because the structure of the Mercedes-Benz rotary system is quite complex among other foreign cars.

The cost of repairing a steering rack depends on the make and model of the car, since on some the system is more complex, on others it is simpler. The starting price for repairing a steering rack starts from $ 50 and more, depending on the complexity of the repair.

Steering rack video: its structure and operation: