W210 E320 eccentric wishbone bolts

[gerryjoe]

I have W210 E320 1997 I have just fitted myself new front lower control arm bushes and ball joints
I have also purchased a set of 4 eccentric bolts to adjust camber and caster.
Can these bolts and washers be fitted without dismantling the suspension again?
Does anyone know how to fit them properly so that the eccentric action actually works?
They are unlike any eccentric bolts I have used before with the bolt head not welded to the eccentric washers.
I am an DIY mechanic of over 40 years experience and I am baffled by these.

Can a very kind person help me out here?

 

[robs-mbz]

I have a W210 and have often read of the eccentric bolts that are used to bolt the wishbones into the chassis brackets, I have completely stripped and rebuilt the front suspension and can say that my car does not have these bolts fitted, just plain bolts, nor can I see how eccentric bolts could be fitted, the holes that the bolt slides through both in the wishbone bush and in the chassis bracket are just a tight clearance fit on the bolt, there are no signs of eccentric bolts ever been fitted. I have never had any problems with wheel alignment or uneven tyre wear so assume that camber adjustment is not required.

 

[BlackC55]

These bolts are only used when an adjustment needs to be made, otherwise use the standard bolts.

Just take them back and ask for the standard part.

 

[Ellsy Tanners]

If it needs to be adjusted then the adjustment bolts go through the holes and are pushed to one side buy the lug in the washer, the grove in the bolt allows the movement to one side.

 

[type49]

As above, the bolts are not adjustable as such, they are fitted one side or the other off centre ,to give 20min adjustment in or out. Once fitted they cannot be turned, (hold bolt & tighten nut).

 

[gerryjoe]

W210 E320 eccentric bolts

Many thanks to everyone who replied to my message.

Now that I understand how the adjustment works, I realise that there is no point in first assembling the suspension with the eccentric bolts as you cannot get back to the zero setting except by fitting the standard diameter bolts.
After much research I have arranged to take car for 4 wheel alignment at a local tyre dealer who has Hunter equipment and Mercedes suspension height measuring gauges. They offer to do a printout without any adjustments for £10 inc Vat and a complete adjustment for £80.

I have only just registered with the club and this was my first posting and I would like to say how impressed I am with the caliber of the website and of the members I have corresponded with.

 

[cyps]

I have W210 E320 1997 I have just fitted myself new front lower control arm bushes and ball joints
I have also purchased a set of 4 eccentric bolts to adjust camber and caster.
Can these bolts and washers be fitted without dismantling the suspension again?
Does anyone know how to fit them properly so that the eccentric action actually works?
They are unlike any eccentric bolts I have used before with the bolt head not welded to the eccentric washers.
I am an DIY mechanic of over 40 years experience and I am baffled by these.

Can a very kind person help me out here?

how long in time did this take you as i have an e320 with severe vibration and am suspecting the bushes are at fault from what i have read thru here

 

[gerryjoe]

W210 eccentric wishbone bushes

Hi there.

I did not have a suitable spring compressor to fit the Merc springs and I got help from a friend who used to be a mechanic. His method was to support car and take the weight of spring under wishbone with trolley jack and undo bottom ball joint and slowly lower jack whilst holding spring I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS METHOD TO ANYONE AS IT IS HIGHLY DANGEROUS He knew what he was doing and had done similar things lots of times.This process was reversed to assemble the suspension. When he was doing this, I stayed well out of range.
The bushes are a bit of a struggle to fit. I was able to borrow the use of a large hydraulic press.
I only found out afterwards that new wishbones complete with fitted bushes ( Delphi brand ) were available at at local motor factors for £75 + vat each instead of Stealer bush sets at £45 + vat per side.
In the vice the aluminium bottom spring spacers fell out of the wishbones.
They were corroded away to almost nothing.
I got these for £1.50 inc vat each for the Stealer They do not come with replacement wishbones.
Whilst under car I also found that the n/s top spring turret and adjacent chassis leg support panel was badly corroded and holed. The repair turret from the Stealer was only £17 inc vat I got someone to fit this at home for me for £30 This is another example of the crap build quality of the w210 model.

I RECOMMEND EVERYONE TO CHECK THE SPRING TURRET AREAS ON THEIR CARS. THE UNDERSEAL CRACKS AND WATER CREEPS UNDERNEATH. MY CAR HAD JUST PASSED THE MOT 2 MONTHS BEFORE!!!!! IF IT GIVES WAY, THE SPRING JUMPS OUT AND THE CAR DROPS ON THAT SIDE. IMAGINE THIS AT SPEED.

Whilst the car was in pieces I changed bottom balljoints (£8 + vat each) and roll bar drop links (£7 + vat each) brake disks (£20 + vat each) and brake pads ( £14 + vat a set) and engine oil Mobil 1 0-40 ( £18+ vat for 5 litres)
All these items are available from Unipart ( ex Brown Bros ) Motor Factors

So to answer your question about the time for the bush repair in isolation, it took me about 6 hours plus running arround for the parts.
The local Stealers quoted 4 hours at £100 + vat per hour

I hope this info has been helpful.

Kind regards Gerryjoe

 

[gerryjoe]

W210 eccentric wishbone bolts

Hi folks

Found interesting article on American site of an experienced Merc aligment mechanic.

In article he discusses, in detail,setting up front and rear aligment to cure the dreaded Merc drifting to one side and other related steering problems.

It should be essential reading for all Stealer service departments.

The site address is www.continentalimports.com/ser

Also in an American Mitchell cd repair manual, I found a reference that the antiroll bar bush clamps must be slackened off when adjusting caster and camber to ensure accuracy. How many alignment centres know this?

kind regards
gerryjoe

 

[premmington]

Yep... i've read that on the Mitchell CD. Alignment is not that hard, just got to have castor-camber gauge, that fits modern alloy wheels, my dunlop camber gauge has adapters that fit wheel nuts, protruding from steel wheels.

Any body found a low cost cambe gauge yet, that is suitable.....?

http://www.remmington.plus.com

 

[230K]

Hi

A spirit level a steel ruler and a scientific calculator and you can work out camber no prob.

230K