steering shaft universal joint HELP!

[n/a]

It has come to my attention that i need to replace the universal joint in the steering shaft on my 66 230sl
what i am looking for is any help or experience in doing this project.
Do i need to remove the entire column or can i get to the u joint any other way?
any help would be great. I have looked in the w113 cd and cant find anything.

Jerry P.

[Naj ✝︎]

Jerry,
Looking at the parts book, there is a coupling at the bottom of the steering column to steering box and there is a uj half way down the column.
If you have to change the uj, I believe the entire column will have to come out, so steering wheel and some instruments will have to be removed to gain access.
I would be very surprised if the uj is worn. I would certainly check the coupling first.
naj

naj
'Kloines Scheisserle'
65 230SL
68 280SL

[rwmastel]

Yes, I have heard that the rubber bushing (?) in the column commonly goes bad at this age.  I believe mine to be bad too.

Rodd
1966 230SL Euro
1994 E420

[n/a]

Thanks for the input on the cuppler i have checked this and every other part i can get my hands on.
i replaced all of the tie rods and checked for slack in the stering box. i can only find slack in the internals of the collum so i am assuming that the only thing left is the (U joint)
I guess i am hopping that this is a task that will not leave much to discovery. I just cant find any info on taking the collum apart once it is out of the car.

Jerry P.

[Naj ✝︎]

Rod,
Again, looking at the parts book, the top steering shaft is supported by ball bearings top and bottom and the lower shaft is connected by the uj at the top and the coupling at the bottom (i.e. floating).
Don't see any rubber bushes !!
naj
 :?:

naj
'Kloines Scheisserle'
65 230SL
68 280SL

[ja17]

Hello Jerry,
This can be the source of a lot of steering wheel play.
Replacement of the plastic bushings in the coupler can be done by removal of the Steering box. This should be much easier than removal of the steering column. I have done this many times by removing the the retainer clips and the 6mm allen bolt at the coupling. Next remove the three 17mm steering box bolts (in right side front wheel well). You must carefully mark the splined connection at the coupling. This is important for steeing wheel re-alignment later. The steering box now can be lowered and the bushings replaced. I have replaced these without unhooking the tie rods from the steeing box, however it makes the job a little trickier.

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Joe Alexander
Blacklick, Ohio

[n/a]

just wanted to say thanks to joe
you were correct it was the bussing in the coupler that had worn out.
man did this make a differance It stears like a new car.

thanks again to all that helped.

Jerry P.

[rwmastel]

Jerry,

Hi.  I'm thinking that lots of people could benefit from this job.  Can you tell us novice mechanics how you did it?  Can you pass on any "mistake prevention" hints?  Did it take much time?  Were there any other "while you're in there..." jobs to include with this one?

Thanks,

Rodd
1966 230SL Euro
1994 E420

[n/a]

straightforward job.
first i removed the retainer bolts at the floor under the clutch and brake foot pads. then i place the car on jack stands and had to use a brass punch from the under side to get the cover to slide up the steering shaft.
once this was moved up it gave me access (from the inside of the car) to the two allen bolts that clamp the coupler to the steering shaft and to the steering box. after removing them i marked the steering shaft to the box before i pulled them apart.
Going back under the car now i removed the 3 large bolts on the left frame rail that hold the steering box in place. Once removed the box almost fell out on the floor. Probably would have if i had taken the tie rods loose but i was not in the mood to mess with them.
Once the box was out of the way you can pull the coupler out and replace the 2 plastic bushings that slide over the pins.
The only hard part was putting the steering box back on to the coupler.
this is were i wish i had removed the tie rods. but all in all it went according to plan. Total time using air tools about 1 hour.

I hade compleatly lost all the plastic material and it gave me about 2" of slack on the steering wheel. now i messure about 1/8" (for an old car i call that perfection!)

The one job i should have done while i was in at it, was to replace the seal on my gear box but i didnt know that i was going to take it out until that morning.

Jerry P.

[rwmastel]

Thanks Jerry!  If it only took you an hour then I'm sure I could get it done in a day with hand tools, a learning curve, and a silly cleaning obsession.     It sounds like tie rods would be a good "while you're in there..." job.  I have no idea how old mine are.

Thanks!

Rodd
1966 230SL Euro
1994 E420

[n/a]

yes rod this is a great time tho replace your tie rods
I did mine about 3 months ago so i didnt want to take anyting loose that i didnt need to
plus no matter how hard i try i alwayse split a rubber boot on one.
good luck it is worth doing.

Jerry P.