Urgently need A111 330 36 20 Left Steering knuckle

[hansr433]

See the attached photo of what happened to mine.  I urgently need a usable replacement as my car in sitting on a lift and is immobile.  Prefer someone from Europe as it makes shipping and importing into Italy so much easier.  Please PM me if you have one and we will figure our a price.

[PeterPortugal]

Hans,

The original steering knuckle is stamped with a unique number which is on your car's datacard so DO NOT throw away your old one.

Can you not have it machined / repaired? I can share all the spedific dimensions which must be respected.

Regards

Peter

[PeterPortugal]

I can also give you the correct part number for a hub cap. The rebuild kit I bought also contained the wrong item.

[hansr433]

Thanks Peter.  It looks grim with molten metal.  I am trying tomorrow with a Dremel to carefully cut the extra metal away, but I am afraid that the metal structure has been affected by the extreme heat and is no longer safe to use.  Still, I would love the proper dimensions in case we can find a machine shop that can work on the surface of the part.

[Benz Dr.]

I've never seen that before on any MB car. That part has been seriously compromised and I wouldn't take a chance on it. Don't worry about all of that matching number stuff - on 300SL's sure, on our cars, not so much.  Any 108, 111, or 113 should have the same part. Not a V8 car though.


 I think I speak for everyone here when we talk about safety. Not only in how you dive, the condition of your car, repairs to your car, and certainly, the parts you use.

Don't be that guy.

[PeterPortugal]

That's good advice from Dan about safety but maybe not so easy to apply in your case. Those axles, like mine, are the earlier version which are different from most of the ones on ebay for later W111s, W108s, etc. They might be interchangeable but certainly have a different mounting for the brake caliper. and dust shields.

Maybe you can tell us any theory from yourself, or the workshop, as to what happened. I have just rebuilt my stub axles and Colin has just rebuilt his and we are both amateurs who may have missed soemthing. The innner bearing looks absolutely fine which suggests there was grease. I assume excessive preload would affect the outer bearing only as that is where the adjustment is made?

[Benz Dr.]

Never say always when hunting wild turkeys.

There are often early and late for a lot of applications when it comes to MB. Without knowing which model he has I just sort of made it general.

As far as setting the end play, I do it this way. Install the locking collar with the boss pointing towards the bearing. Turn the locking collar all the way on and then turn the hub so that the bearings settle into place - do this a couple of times. Turn the collar in as far as it will go without forcing it and then back it off about 3 -4 mm on the perifery of the bearing. This should give you very close to the correct end play.
Drive your car a bit and then check end play in day or two of driving. Lift your front wheels and hold your tire in the 12 and 6 o'clock position. If you feel any play make sure that your king pins are well lubed first to prevent any false readings. Push at the top of your tire and pull at the bottom. If you feel any movement remove the dust cap and turn the collar in a small amount until any play is removed. I rarely find ones that are too tight but find plenty that are a bit loose. With your front wheels in place it becomes very easy to identify loose wheel bearings because of the extra force you can apply. 

[hansr433]

Hans,

The original steering knuckle is stamped with a unique number which is on your car's datacard so DO NOT throw away your old one.

Can you not have it machined / repaired? I can share all the spedific dimensions which must be respected.

Regards

Peter

Peter, I looked hard but did not find any serial numbers on the steering knuckle.  Mind you, it is still installed on the car.  I ground the molten metal away in order to install used bearings to make the car mobile.  This way we can push it the 5 meters back and forth to clear the lift for other works. 

I have a line on a replacement steering knuckle which will need to be overhauled.  Thanks to a fellow VDH Club member, I received guidelines on how to replace and grind in the bronze bushings which go into the top and bottom.  The car is at a local garage whose owner will need to be gently guided into how to do this right.  He may have installed 1000s of front bearings on many makes, but I will be there to make sure that it is done according to the big blue book.

Dan, I will NEVER be that guy to risk my life and that of other over a few bucks.  I am a TV producer and risk management is one of my key skills.  However, I would love to know what caused this failure.

[Benz Dr.]

Peter, I looked hard but did not find any serial numbers on the steering knuckle.  Mind you, it is still installed on the car.  I ground the molten metal away in order to install used bearings to make the car mobile.  This way we can push it the 5 meters back and forth to clear the lift for other works. 

I have a line on a replacement steering knuckle which will need to be overhauled.  Thanks to a fellow VDH Club member, I received guidelines on how to replace and grind in the bronze bushings which go into the top and bottom.  The car is at a local garage whose owner will need to be gently guided into how to do this right.  He may have installed 1000s of front bearings on many makes, but I will be there to make sure that it is done according to the big blue book.

Dan, I will NEVER be that guy to risk my life and that of other over a few bucks.  I am a TV producer and risk management is one of my key skills.  However, I would love to know what caused this failure.

I hear you.                     

Serial numbers are stamped in on the back side.

I'm going to say that the bearing failed first and then it began to spin until it carved up the spindle.  Why the bearing failed is anyone's guess but the first thing that comes to mind is no lubrication.

[PeterPortugal]

Hans,

Once it's off you will see it. See picture.

Peter

[hansr433]

Hans,

Once it's off you will see it. See picture.

Peter

Peter, thanks for pointing out the location.  I will try to get to the car again tomorrow.  It turns out that the A108 number might not work for my car.  There seem to be very slight differences for the dustcap mount and the brake caliber mounts.  The replacement axle stub I need has the number A111 330 36 20. 

[PeterPortugal]

Hi Hans,

I know...I am still keeping an eye out but I think these parts are quite rare.

Regards

Peter