W202 Bushings on the front to cure slight knocking

[dbanbery]

Right,

next job.

ther has recently been a knocking sound coming from the front of the car when going over bumps on full lock. i'm not 100% sure what it is yet, but i'm thinking it could be 1 of 3 things:

Anti Roll Bar

Suspension Arm Bushings

Track Rod Ends.

are these bushes hard to replace? IE do you need a press to take the old ones out and new ones in. i have a 2 leg puller so if need be, i can get them out, but having had an "experience with BMW trailing arm bushings lately i dont want to start this job if i'm going to need a mechanic to do some of it.

the steering tramlines slightly too, which might lead me to believe that it is track rod ends or some steering related issue. the roads in Huddersfield are rubbish[green party dictates that we have 47 bins but patched and pot holed roads all over], along with the roads around my work, so since i have had the car it has been subjected to a lot of bumps.

 

[television]

Roll bar bushes I would say to check first, the cheapest and easiest to do

 

[dbanbery]

okay will do. is it worth replacing the roll bar, as mention before 140k might be enough to warrant a change??

 

[television]

No point unless it is worn excessively under the bushes

 

[dbanbery]

reet.

so after 12 years of repeated twisting they dont get a bit loose and too bendy?

 

[dbanbery]

new symptoms:

my car now steers to the right. it appears that the knuckle joints may be shot. would this explain the tramlining and wanderig steering?

 

[power-steering]

Hit a curb or anything? - could be bent track rod, or just plenty of play in it. Also have your tracking checked.

Camber in the roads maybe?

 

[dbanbery]

surely it wouldnt bend the track rod. the roads outside work etc are bumpy and i have banged it up a small kerb on full lock once or twice [this same one on two occasions] - its one of those drop kerbs that is probably about an inch high. doesnt it have a shock absorber on the control arm to stop things being bent?

 

[television]

By jacking the wheel, you can check the bottom joint by levering the wheel, while watching the joint, rocking the wheel holding it top and bottom may also show it up, but levering the joint is the bast way. If the tracking was way out this would feather the tread on the tyre

 

[power-steering]

We do get a few customer racks in with bent rods where they've hit a curb so is possible.. but you say a drop curb about an inch high.. I don't think the impact would be enough to bend a rod

 

[dbanbery]

thats what i was thinking. i had a peek under there earlier on in the week and the lower knuckle joints look old and a bit-on-their-way-out. i'm not exactly one to take bends slowly so i think if there is any weak point on the suspension or anything on its way out, it might tend to give up the ghost. lol. this is the difference with a merc and somethingof lesser build quality, the merc starts to clonk or make a noise, where ie a citroen BX or similar would lose a wheel and destroy half the bodywork!

 

[dbanbery]

Right,

done the ARB bushes which has cured the knocking. Easy job!