Is my steering bad - or normal for a 48 yr old car

[Bonnyboy]

Yesterday morning I joined the local MB club for a drive.  After the structured drive we were free to head home at our own speed.  As speeds got a little spirited I found myself wondering if my steering is up to par.   

I found that when I went into a corner I had an inch or so of steering wheel play where nothing really happens and then after that I can feel the road again.  As I was going into some tight corners I would wait until I could feel the road, load the suspension and I was fine (relatively speaking) going around the rest of the corner but that inch of play in-between was a bit unerving.
 
If anyone knows what I am talking about – is this a sign of worn sway bar bushings or something worse.
 
We were only doing 70+ mph but some of those corners were rated at 40 mph.  We were just travelling slightly faster than the majority of the SUVs and pickups on the road.   

Here is a video of our famous highway.    Take your gravol before watching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFjr239-UtA

[Benz Dr.]

Check your idler arm bushing. It will produce a loose feel while turning right because there's not much load on that side of the steering gear during a longer turn. Push up and down on the drag link and idler arm which should produce no play. You can also leave the left front wheel on the floor and push/pull at the 3 and 9 position. This should make the idler arm pop up and down if it's loose.

To check for loose king pins and wheel bearings push/pull at the 6 and 12 position. If you feel any play, grease the king pin bushing and then try again. If you still feel play it's more likely to be a loose wheel bearing. If the play goes away after greasing then you have worn king pin bushings. Any, or all of these things will produce looseness in your steering.

[wjsvb ✝︎]

There is a plastic bushing(s) in the steering column, under your brake booster.  You can check by borrowing a friend who can hold the column between the booster and the box while you turn the steering wheel.  If there is free play, you've found the culprit.  New bushing(s) available from Tom Hanson at the Classic Center.  Ask me how I know all this...Jon

[Benz Dr.]

Some 280SL's have a steering coupling that's not serviceable so you would need to replace the whole part.

[ejboyd5]

If you have to ask, it is not normal.  Check the several wear components as detailed above.

[scoot]

I vote for the bushings in the steering coupler also.

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

Hope you get it checked out soon Ian, does not sound normal that much play.

Thanks for the videos, they brought back memories from many business trips I made from Edmonton to BC (I used my car often for those trips and combined business with pleasure). A bit fast the video speed for my taste, I managed to watch it without the help of gravol LOL.

Best,

Dieter