Spanner Action - Steering Rack Replacement
Discussion
I've owned my W219 for 2 1/2 years and 35,000 miles. It's always had a knock in the steering rack where there's play in the pinion gear which I'm told is 'normal' (...I hate that phrase) but hasn't gotten any worse and has never come up on an MOT or service inspection hence I've not done anything about it.
The rack is now leaking from the near side so it's time for replacement anyway which I'm hoping will also eliminate the slight play and knocking. I've sourced a genuine refurbished rack on exchange for what I believe to be a very reasonable price of £245 (+£100 until exchange of the old part) and will be attempting to change the part myself on the driveway.
I jacked the car up today to have a look and give myself a little confidence. Whilst under there I pulled back the near side boot and some fluid came out but it's also filled with a bit of weird gunk...! I assume this is maybe just where the fluid has reacted or started to break down over time.
As far as I'm aware it's literally a case of draining fluid, disconnecting tie rods/steering column/fluid lines, unplug sensor and remove mounting bolts and it should come out? Refitting is the opposite and turn steering lock to lock to bleed. Is it that 'simple'?
Questions;
-Has anyone done this job before, any advice?
-What is the correct power steering fluid?
Would really appreciate any input.
Cheers.
The rack is now leaking from the near side so it's time for replacement anyway which I'm hoping will also eliminate the slight play and knocking. I've sourced a genuine refurbished rack on exchange for what I believe to be a very reasonable price of £245 (+£100 until exchange of the old part) and will be attempting to change the part myself on the driveway.
I jacked the car up today to have a look and give myself a little confidence. Whilst under there I pulled back the near side boot and some fluid came out but it's also filled with a bit of weird gunk...! I assume this is maybe just where the fluid has reacted or started to break down over time.
As far as I'm aware it's literally a case of draining fluid, disconnecting tie rods/steering column/fluid lines, unplug sensor and remove mounting bolts and it should come out? Refitting is the opposite and turn steering lock to lock to bleed. Is it that 'simple'?
Questions;
-Has anyone done this job before, any advice?
-What is the correct power steering fluid?
Would really appreciate any input.
Cheers.
I can’t help you with the first, difficult, question, but as to the second this even has an MB part number:
https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/febi-08972-power-st...
Used it for years without issue.
Good luck!
https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/febi-08972-power-st...
Used it for years without issue.
Good luck!
Stegel said:
I can’t help you with the first, difficult, question, but as to the second this even has an MB part number:
https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/febi-08972-power-st...
Used it for years without issue.
Good luck!
Thanks! I've since had a few people advise CHF 11S which is handy as I already have some for another car!https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/febi-08972-power-st...
Used it for years without issue.
Good luck!
James Hay said:
Thanks! I've since had a few people advise CHF 11S which is handy as I already have some for another car!
Fair enough. I tend to stick to stuff that carries a MB Bevo approval number but if you have some you may as well give it a try. ETA - I’ve just glanced at the Haynes 211 manual and there doesn’t seem to be anything significantly different from your outlined steps. It warns it’s heavy!
Edited by Stegel on Thursday 28th January 13:25
Edited by Stegel on Thursday 28th January 18:50
Stegel said:
Fair enough. I tend to stick to stuff that carries a MB Bevo approval number but if you have some you may as well give it a try.
ETA - I’ve just glanced at the Haynes 211 manual and there doesn’t seem to be anything significantly different from your outlined steps. It warns it’s heavy!
Thats right, CHF 11S meets MB 345 spec so I think it should be all good.ETA - I’ve just glanced at the Haynes 211 manual and there doesn’t seem to be anything significantly different from your outlined steps. It warns it’s heavy!
Edited by Stegel on Thursday 28th January 13:25
Edited by Stegel on Thursday 28th January 18:50
I also have a W211 Haynes manual, coincidence! I thought it well worth buying when I bought the car with the W211 and W219 being almost identical mechanically, I've found it quite handy on a few occasions. Yes I saw that it said to maybe get some help, I'll employ my trolley jack
James Hay said:
Oh no I won't need anything that cold...! I think I'll need the other one then, and it seems a lot of people are using the wrong fluid... Where can I find information like that on all the Mercedes fluid specs?
There you go - https://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/beam.en.htmlIt’s not easy to navigate! This sheet steers you to 236.3:
https://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/bevolisten/231.1_en...
https://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/bevolisten/231.1_en...
Interesting as that fluid is also 345 spec. I'm getting so many people telling me to use 345 spec CHF 11S but as mentioned above that is suggested to be for very cold climates.
No not at all, it does usually take me about three times a long to do anything as I expect, especially as I will be doing it on axle stands...!
The rack should be with me today however I'm yet to get new O-rings for the fluid lines. I do not like my local Mercedes dealer so if I can't find the right bits on the web for delivery I'll be going to Mercedes further afield.
No not at all, it does usually take me about three times a long to do anything as I expect, especially as I will be doing it on axle stands...!
The rack should be with me today however I'm yet to get new O-rings for the fluid lines. I do not like my local Mercedes dealer so if I can't find the right bits on the web for delivery I'll be going to Mercedes further afield.
Update as requested.
After reading various threads all over the place about this job it seems that very few people have actually done it themselves (driveway style), with some claiming that parts of the exhaust system and DPF need removing I believe for access to the steering column connection. After a lot of thought I decided it would be best to pay the local specialist do it as if I got myself in a pickle I could have been stuck, which would not have been ideal for a daily driver.
The rack arrived within a week of ordering from Synergy Automotive Parts, boxed up well and nicely presented having been painted, There were also relevant quality and testing stickers showing that the functionality had been checked and it even came with a new pair of dust boots which I wasn't expecting.
On inspection the casting had printed into it the part number for a W211 instead of a W219, I wasn't surprised as many parts are interchangeable between the two chassis however I checked with Synergy anyway who kindly confirmed in writing that the parts are fully interchangeable. I also bought a set of Lemforder inner tie rods and track rod ends.
During the replacement the garage noticed that the sleeves within the mounting bushes were a different diameter meaning that the bolts would not fit through the new rack. Fortunately this was a case of simply swapping over the bushes which are a tapered shape and literally just pop out. Apart from that everything else was fine.
Lazer four wheel alignment done (including the application of the special Mercedes inclinometer to measure ride height) and it's all sorted. The knock has completely gone and the steering feels so much smoother and it also has a little more assistance at low speeds so it seems the parameter (speed sensitive) function is working better as well.
Very pleased.
After reading various threads all over the place about this job it seems that very few people have actually done it themselves (driveway style), with some claiming that parts of the exhaust system and DPF need removing I believe for access to the steering column connection. After a lot of thought I decided it would be best to pay the local specialist do it as if I got myself in a pickle I could have been stuck, which would not have been ideal for a daily driver.
The rack arrived within a week of ordering from Synergy Automotive Parts, boxed up well and nicely presented having been painted, There were also relevant quality and testing stickers showing that the functionality had been checked and it even came with a new pair of dust boots which I wasn't expecting.
On inspection the casting had printed into it the part number for a W211 instead of a W219, I wasn't surprised as many parts are interchangeable between the two chassis however I checked with Synergy anyway who kindly confirmed in writing that the parts are fully interchangeable. I also bought a set of Lemforder inner tie rods and track rod ends.
During the replacement the garage noticed that the sleeves within the mounting bushes were a different diameter meaning that the bolts would not fit through the new rack. Fortunately this was a case of simply swapping over the bushes which are a tapered shape and literally just pop out. Apart from that everything else was fine.
Lazer four wheel alignment done (including the application of the special Mercedes inclinometer to measure ride height) and it's all sorted. The knock has completely gone and the steering feels so much smoother and it also has a little more assistance at low speeds so it seems the parameter (speed sensitive) function is working better as well.
Very pleased.
Edited by James Hay on Thursday 11th February 21:09
Edited by James Hay on Thursday 11th February 21:13
Edited by James Hay on Friday 12th February 19:26
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