Attention W124 E300 Diesel owners

[Simon21]

I had a ball joint fail on my 88 W124 250TD - luckily at 5 mph. I immediately had the other one done. What the MoT man (and the RAC garage that did the first ball joint) didn't spot was that both front springs were broken about 4" round the coil from the base.

While you have the front end in bits, check the bleed nipples on the calipers. Murphy's law says they'll be heavily corroded, and you might also take a look at the bushes on the lower arm. They can be replaced with a kit from GSF.

 

[epervier]

press tool set

Have to change lower ball joint on my '95 124 coupe do any of you guys know of a better/cheaper solution than this?

thanks for your responses,

http://www.amazon.co.uk/BERGEN-Prof...3?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1359537239&sr=1-3-catcorr

 

[Bolide]

Have to change lower ball joint on my '95 124 coupe do any of you guys know of a better/cheaper solution than this?

I think an MB independent would charge about that to fit both

Nick Froome

 

[syncropaddy]

Have to change lower ball joint on my '95 124 coupe do any of you guys know of a better/cheaper solution than this?

thanks for your responses,

http://www.amazon.co.uk/BERGEN-Prof...3?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1359537239&sr=1-3-catcorr

Have a look here

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=47839&highlight="ball+joint"&page=5

 

[dbanbery]

i have a pair of balljoints for both my 129 and my 124 as the 129 ones are knocking slightly and the 124 is squeaking on one side. cheers for the heads up anyway but it seems that im already half way there. it seems that the engine mounts are OK, and the prop donuts could do with being done.

 

[stickandrudder]

Bottom ball joints are indeed a common failure but not all 124s have the same joint. Some (sportline suspension) have a joint that is an integral part of the wishbone and cannot be changed on their own, rather the whole wishbone must be changed and these are very expensive. Do not be tempted to buy aftermarket ones unless you can be ABSOLUTELY sure that the seller knows the difference. Most don't and I've had one popular vendor sell me one of each type as a pair.
123 ball joints are a different matter and you should not attempt to change one without the proper tool for the job. If money is tight then take the stripped stub axle off the car and just ask your indy to change the joint. It shouldn't take him more than half an hour to do both.

 

[dbanbery]

Bottom ball joints are indeed a common failure but not all 124s have the same joint. Some (sportline suspension) have a joint that is an integral part of the wishbone and cannot be changed on their own, rather the whole wishbone must be changed and these are very expensive. Do not be tempted to buy aftermarket ones unless you can be ABSOLUTELY sure that the seller knows the difference. Most don't and I've had one popular vendor sell me one of each type as a pair.
123 ball joints are a different matter and you should not attempt to change one without the proper tool for the job. If money is tight then take the stripped stub axle off the car and just ask your indy to change the joint. It shouldn't take him more than half an hour to do both.

do you mean its different to the "normal ones"? the ones on the SL are pressed in, as are the ones on the 124. you replace them like this:

http://w124uk.com/forum/index.php?topic=5712.0

this is the job i will be doing to both the 124 and the SL over christmas

 

[stickandrudder]

you replace them like this

I most certainly don't but others do and the result is the same.

Both the 124 and the 129 can have two different types of ball joint. The ones shown/described in the link are the ones that can be changed. The other type cannot and the whole wishbone must be replaced.
Now, where it gets complicated is that the type that cannot be changed actually comes in two different types and the difference is in the caster angle and not easily spotted until you get the two side by side.

 

[dbanbery]

I most certainly don't but others do and the result is the same.

Both the 124 and the 129 can have two different types of ball joint. The ones shown/described in the link are the ones that can be changed. The other type cannot and the whole wishbone must be replaced.
Now, where it gets complicated is that the type that cannot be changed actually comes in two different types and the difference is in the caster angle and not easily spotted until you get the two side by side.

i found this out today. My car on the ETK shows the replaceable ball joint type, where as the one on the car is a cast in non-replaceable jobbo. i feel the only thing to do is replace like for like with new. are the three types different lengths? because that is the only way i can see the caster angles being different? otherwise i dont see how it makes much difference as the arms are eccentrically mounted and when they are replaced will need to be all re-tracked. are you saying that if i put the "wrong" type of arm on my car i wont be able to have the geometry correctly adjusted?

im going to plan it and buy a pair of used arms, replace the ball joints in the end, and replace the bushings on the other end and then fit them to the car. this will be cheaper than buying a pair of Lemforder items i think.

i thought that they looked like the replaceable type, but getting to the point of no return in ripping the balljoint boot i have found that its not. i have replaced the boot with a new one and packed the balljoint with grease. it seems ok, i cant find any play in it, and im not taking everything off the other side because i dont have a spare arm.