The wanderer

[roscoc180]

Hi all,

My 230 slk has started wandering when driving. Theres a bit of play in the steering box and i have been told that some steering boxes have an ajustment to tighten them up. would this cause the car to wander???
Any help would be appreciated

 

[eric242340]

Hi all,

My 230 slk has started wandering when driving. Theres a bit of play in the steering box and i have been told that some steering boxes have an ajustment to tighten them up. would this cause the car to wander???
Any help would be appreciated

Yes, any play in the steering will make the car wander. But i think you will find, you have a steering rack and not a box. However there is a limited amount of adjustment available. I suggest you have your steering inspected as a lower control arm, upper control arm or simply a track rod or track rod end could cause this free play.

 

[Parrot of Doom]

I would consider having all suspension components checked for wear (bushings etc), and then having geometry checked and aligned.

I had a laser alignment done on mine, it made a significant difference (it used to wander around on corners on the motorway because it was steering from the back slightly).

 

[roscoc180]

thanks your replies,

All this started after i found out that someone had taken the wheels off the car before i owned it and put the 225 tyres on the nearside and the 205's on the drivers side instead of 225 rear and 205 front!!!!! i then purchased two new tryes for the rear and put 205 on the front. all felt fine until this was done????

 

[eric242340]

thanks your replies,

All this started after i found out that someone had taken the wheels off the car before i owned it and put the 225 tyres on the nearside and the 205's on the drivers side instead of 225 rear and 205 front!!!!! i then purchased two new tryes for the rear and put 205 on the front. all felt fine until this was done????

Well this does not answer the free play problem, but the wear on your front tyres will now be uneven and this will cause the car to pull to one side, so now you appear to have two problems - tyres on front and play in steering. Look at the wear on your front tyres, I think you will find them both worn on the inside.

 

[C220GJS]

Yes, any play in the steering will make the car wander. But i think you will find, you have a steering rack and not a box. However there is a limited amount of adjustment available. I suggest you have your steering inspected as a lower control arm, upper control arm or simply a track rod or track rod end could cause this free play.

Eric, this car has a steering box not a rack.
A small amount of play is normal in the straight ahead position ,before you attempt to adjust the steering box check all steering joints for free play and replace any worn joints.

 

[eric242340]

Eric, this car has a steering box not a rack.
A small amount of play is normal in the straight ahead position ,before you attempt to adjust the steering box check all steering joints for free play and replace any worn joints.

I think your right, i was looking at his avatar swayed my brain. But just the same check the whole steering/suspension for play first. And check your tyres.

 

[kth286]

roscoc180

Do the following test with the help of a friend:

with steering straight ahead, and car stationary, with engine turned off:

turn the steering wheel first one way until you notice front wheels start to turn, then turn other way until you see wheels move other way.

There should not be more than one inch of movement of steering wheel between those extreme positions when the front wheels start to move.

Your friend will observe the nearside wheel whilst you observe the offside wheel, at the same time turning the steering wheel.

 

[BLONDIE]

Wandering steering could be caused by the steering damper. This is a small shock absober that fits between steering drag arm and body. The steering damper has probably leaked and lost its oil.
Also the drag arm can wear on the inner ball joints but this normally gives a clonking when turning etc.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

You don't give a mileage for the vehicle but I assume that if its done over 50K therefore bushes anti rollbar and steering linkages are the first port of call for checking. If these are OK a 4 wheel alignment check should be done before you start to spend money on it.

It's interesting that the 225 section tyres (placed on the nearside) hid the problem and that the previous owner had probably solved it in that way. There are a lot of posts on the forum about cars pulling to the left especially C Class so a search on this may help. I assume that the undertrays are all present and correct, a missing tray can allow extra air under the car which will cause lift and spurious steering.

The last and most expensive item to check is the steering box, there is a steering damper for this which may be at fault.

Hope this helps!

 

[roscoc180]

Hi all,
Thanks for all your advice. I have had the car over a pit today with a mechanic freind and gone through everything.Steering box, all bushes and joints are fine and checked, i did find the nearside wheel bearing was a bit slack so i have tightened that and after reading threads i have reduced the tyre pressures a little on the front. the pressures are 30 psi on 205 50 16 tyres. I have only driven a short distance and it seems better but still not as positive as before the 225 tyre was taken from the front and put in it's correct place. the front tyres are different makes, one michelin pilot and one pirelli p 600? The only next thing i can think of is to replace both front tyres and check allignment?????

 

[Parrot of Doom]

Don't forget about the rear. If the angles of the rear wheels are incorrect, that will send the car all over the place.

Thats what was wrong with mine, the thrust angle was well out, making the car steer from the back. A laser alignment is the best way to check, it cost me about £80 for the alignment and it transformed the handling of the car.

 

[mattkh]

the front tyres are different makes, one michelin pilot and one pirelli p 600?

Hi

I always go for an identical tyre on one axle

 

[roscoc180]

Hi all,
Just an update on this post. I had two new front tyres put on and all is well, the only thing i can think off is that because one tyre was on the rear it could have worn unevenly and when put on the front caused this problem. Thankyou for all your input
Ross