Shouldn't have done this...

[fblanchard]

I had a bit noisy steering wheel aspecially turning to bottom end left or right.
The steering box was leaking small quantity of liquid since a long time.
Recently the level was low and I decided to fill with ATF liquid bought in a specialized shop.
I also often put some A9 technology in the gasoline and oil. I don't know if these products are known overseas but its an adjuvent which puts a film on the mechanical parts and is supposed to reduce wearing.
I tried the A9 special transmission liquid in the transmission tank (only 10 to 20 cc) during filling with ATF.
I now have a very hard steering wheel aspecially when not driving with "roue dentée" phenomena. It's better when engine is running but still hard.
Sorry for bad english, it's difficult for me to find the right words.
What should I do ? Is it possible to drain the liquid then rince and fill again ? What sort of liquid to rince?
I bought the kit from SLS with the new seals but I read the posts concerning servicing the box and I'm a bit frightened.
Thanks for advice
Regards

Fred from Noumea

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

Hello Fred,

Don't worry about your English, it is fine remember we are a true international club. Sorry about your issue. My recommendation would be to take it to your nearest Benz or a Mechanic that understands our cars. Explain to him what you have done and I am sure he will then help you out properly. For the time being this is the best advise I can give you.

What properly will happen is to drain the fluid that is now in there and fill it with a cleaning solution that will not harm your seals the solution may have to be used again several times then drained and only then filled with the right lubricant.

[Flyair]

Rolf,
just bear in mind that Nouvelle Caledonia, although not small, is a remote island that most likely is quite short on vintage Mercedes mechanics... taking it to the closest shop - that is probably in Australia - would be quite an exercise I guess


 

[ejboyd5]

Drain it, refill with proper fluid per the owner's manual and drive.  You may have to go through the drain/refill cycle more than once in order to clear all the contamination.

[fblanchard]

Hi gentlemen

Thank you for answers.
I did it myself last week-end.
I disconnected the hose from tank to steering box, drained all the liquid inside the tank with gravity.
I made several movements with the steering wheel from left to right end and had the feeling that the whole circuit was (quite) empty after numerous splashes coming out of the steering box.
I used a can of ATF fluid to rinse and repeted the operation once.
I then used a new can and filled with new liquid.
Unfortunately the result is poor. A bit less hard but still is. The problem remains quite the same with "cranted wheel" phenomena (Stan help me please for translation).
Maybe I should now bring the car to my usual mechanic as you suggest.
Does a drain hole exist on the box to drain it completely ?? Where is it ??

Regards
Fred from Nouméa

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

Hi Fred,

I will forward this thread link by e-mail to one of the fellas servicing Pagodas for a very long time, one he reads the tread and your results he will very likely get back to you.

Good luck!

[GGR]

It looks like the circuit has air bubbles in it. Did you bleed it properly? There is a bleeder on top of the steering box.

[ja17]

Hello Fred,

Sometimes the system needs time to purge all the bubbles out, since it will foam. Let it rest between fills or bleeding. Also remove the filter in the tank and clean or replace it. You can even try running the system for a short time without the filter to see if it makes any difference. Move the steering wheel from side to side, then turn the engine off and let it rest for about 15 minutes. Check the level and add fluid if needed, and repeat.

[Benz Dr.]

Raise the front of your car high enough so the wheels are off the ground. Remove the cover for your power steering tank and fill to the line if neeed. Do not start your engine! Any air trapped in the system will get into the fluid and foam up badly.
Turn your steering wheel from side to side ( about a half turn either way ) and watch for air bubbles to escape through the fluid - make sure the tank stays reasonably full.  Once all of the bubbles are gone, turn your wheel full lock in either direction which should push any trapped air out of the steering box. Go back to truning from side to side in the center position and eventually you won't see any more air bubbles. Top up your tank and you should be good to go.

 Starting your engine is the worse thing you can do in this case. If you had your engine running just before you started this job turn it off and let everything sit for a half hour so all of the bubbles can settle out of the fluid.

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

There you have it Fred, some of the most knowlageble mechanics on the globe have provided feedback. You should be fine now. Let us know how you make out.

Is our site not the best there is ... Members helping members it does not get better then this

Cheers, Dieter

[fblanchard]

I'm always impressed to get answers from experts I wanted you to know that.

Concerning my steering box I passed see my mechanic. There was there a Mercedes 280 SE, a Citroën Méhari, A Volkswagen coccinelle, he's not a Mercedes expert but he likes oldies like us.
We cleaned the filter with volatile solvant, replaced and tried but it did not change much.
As I had already received the complete set of seals to renew the steering box we took an appointement in one month.

So I have time to try the complete and correct method.

I will let you know.

Thanks again.

Fred from Nouméa