230SL King Pin Wobbly. Video link.

[ssamuelson]

 
I have a 1964 230SL.    The front wheels are sloppy, floating spindle.     Not certain if I need to replace the KING PIN?    The bolt it tight, but the wheels are loose and sloppy.    Anyone experience this problem?   Any suggestions on how to fix, and exactly what parts needs to be replaced?     Thanks!      Here is a Video Link:

http://s1295.photobucket.com/user/ssamuelson/library/?sort=3&page=1

[George Des]

Definitely a kingpin issue. Replace both as a pair as the other is sure to follow. You will need a complete kingpin kit as well as the top bolt attachment kit. It also may be a good time to look at the lower pivot assembly and the inner upper and lower pivot assemblies. This is one of those jobs you only want to do once and if the kingpins are this bad the front end has seen some long service and the other parts are probably worn as well. There are many many posts on the Forum describing what is involved. Some work such as replacing the kingpins and bushings in the steering knuckles are best left to a
machine shop since a large press is needed to separate the assembly and press in and ream the bearings to size.

[Dave H]

Copy and paste the following on e bay, kits are available for $38

Febi#01130,Mercedes#1103300218 Frt.Up Outer Control Arm Kit W108,W110,W111,W113

You may get away with just changing this.
Hope its just the eccentric pin and the threaded bush thats worn.
If the thread inside the top of the king pin is worn you will need a new king pin.They are about $80 each.
Use the Febi Bilstein ones.
Without stripping it down you cant tell.
Don't  try to remove the eccentric pin without knowing what you are doing. The coil spring has the potential to wipe you out.

[KevinC]

A local alignment shop tackled all of the above for my 230SL this summer. He also replaced my steering coupling bushings. What a difference! While the cost was a hard pill to swallow, the front-end feels much tighter now. Given that parts are readily available, its likely that I will only have to have had to due this work once during my ownership.

[George Des]

I have done the job twice during my 38 year ownership. It probably did not really need the second time, but I had the parts on hand and decided to do it anyway as part of an overall tightening of the front end from stem to stern. Had to resurrect a lot of the little tricks I learned the first time around including how to lift the bottom wishbone back into place without killing myself with that strong front spring. The first time I did one of these kingpin front ends was on an old 280S sedan while stationed in Germany. I had no idea what I was doing but developed a healthy respect for that spring after examining all the lethal possibilites that could occur if that top bolt was released without somehow containing the lower wishbone. The job is doable by the DIY save for the steering knuckles. Just be sure to read through the posts to understand where the minefields are in doing this. Hope this helps.

George

[ssamuelson]

Thanks everybody for responding!     It looks like a do-able project, but I need to respect the potential harm if things are not done prudently.

Understanding the danger of releasing the spring, is there a DIY manual for this procedure... a list of steps?   George, did you use a spring-compressor for this, or is this when you went to the machine shop?  I am trying to determine how much I can do myself, vs a visit to the MB Dealer.

Also, I am looking on-line at both "Budsbenz.com" and "autohausaz.com" for parts.  I have no experience with these on-line retailers, any thoughts on these?

[George Des]

No need for a spring compressor. Do a search on the Forum and you will find there are a number of ways to approach this job safely.