W203 C180 Steering Problem

[TazCBR1100XX]

W203 2001 C180 Classic Auto 2.0

Had the beast into the Merc garage some months ago for the MOT and it failed miserably on brake pipe corrosion, front Thrust arms, and a bush on one of the wheels somewhere. Took her back home, and on the way I noticed a clanking every time I turned the steering wheel more than half a turn - in either direction. Took it back, and they hoisted her up onto the ramps for inspection. Next day I got a call to say she was ready for collection. The girlie in Service told me they had stripped the steering mechanism and couldn't find anything wrong, and as they were stood scratching their heads, one of the mikkinics noticed there was a heat shield catching on the steering mechanism :roll: Problem sorted.

As we went by motorbike to collect the car, my wife was the one who drove it home and she told me when we got back that everything was fine. Only recently have I driven the car myself and in my opinion it's flipping dangerous. Every time you put any kind of pressure on the steering to negotiate a bend or roundabout, the steering wheel pulses left and right and the wheels appear to lose traction - that's what it feels like to me anyway. And there's a whining noise when the steering wheel turns - no matter how small the movement (even when my wife ISN'T in the car). However, my wife still maintains there's nothing wrong with it :roll:

Due to the length of time which has passed since the work was carried out I don't think the Merc garage will entertain a freebie inspection and repair, so I was going to have a check myself. Does anyone have any experience of this type of thing and if so, what is the likely cause/remedy? Is it worth changing the steering fluid to ensure there are no air bubbles which might be causing the problem and if so, how easy is it to do?

I don't have a repair manual as I've always hated Haynes, so can anyone suggest an alternative which doesn't cost a million quid?

Thanks

 

[jberks]

pulsing and whining are normally indicative of low power steering fluid. Check the levels and look for leaks. Perhaps they didn't tighten something up properly.

 

[TazCBR1100XX]

Thanks for that. Do you know what Steering Fluid it requires? I looked in the Service booklet and it told me to look at a Data sheet (which I don't have), and there's nothing in the User manual except a reference to the Service booklet :roll:

A suitable make of Fluid and viscosity would help if you have that information

 

[mattkh]

W203 2001 C180 Classic Auto 2.0
I don't have a repair manual as I've always hated Haynes, so can anyone suggest an alternative which doesn't cost a million quid?Thanks

Hi
Drive the car onto a glossy magazine and turn the steering from one full lock to the other full lock about seven times. But make sure you do not wait at the full lock position.

 

[TazCBR1100XX]

Hi
Drive the car onto a glossy magazine and turn the steering from one full lock to the other full lock about seven times. But make sure you do not wait at the full lock position.

:mrgreen: I was referring to an 'alternative' to the Haynes manual :roll: But fortunately someone has pointed me to an 'alternative' on another thread (and it may even tell me what type of fluid to use) so I won't need to waste money on buying glossy magazines :lol:

 

[TazCBR1100XX]

Result :mrgreen: I haven't found the cause of the leak yet, and couldn't find any spare fluid sloshing around underneath the engine bay, but I topped it up as suggested and so far so good

And here's a tip if you want to save a few bob on the steering fluid. MB sell Pentosin CHF 11S for £13.95, but if you go to a VW dealership, they sell the same thing but in a different bottle for just a few pence over £6 including the VAT :razz: the VW part number is G002000 - bonus

 

[mattkh]

MB sell Pentosin CHF 11S for £13.95, but if you go to a VW dealership, they sell the same thing but in a different bottle for just a few pence over £6 including the VAT :razz: the VW part number is G002000 - bonus

Hi
Thank you for reporting back. Glad its sorted.
One question. What did you use to confirm that the VW stuff is the same stuff.

 

[TazCBR1100XX]

I was searching around for some when I came across this website:

http://www.blauparts.com/vw/vw_fluid/vw_hydraulic_fluid.shtml

I also came across a forum where an SLK owner was looking for some on a Bank Holiday Monday and after trying Halfords and all the other car supermarkets he found a VW dealership open and they sold him some

As I'd had two sites pointing me to the same thing for half the price of MB, I went for it

 

[mattkh]

Hi
Thank you very much. That was very informative. Another page bookmarked.

 

[TazCBR1100XX]

Aaaaarrrgggh!!! Why can't life be simple Looks like I've still got a flipping problem on the steering.

When the steering wheel is turned to the right when going round the bend (as I often do), I hear a gravelly/clicking noise and I still get some pulsing of the steering wheel when turning left or right. I've rechecked the level of steering fluid, and that's fine, so any ideas on what it could be? Could the system perhaps need bleeding, or is it likely that something mechanical needs changing?

Any help/advice welcome

 

[jpbp200]

: the VW part number is G002000

Or indeed Goo 2,000. What a great part no for oily, messy liquid!

 

[jberks]

you don't normally blead power steering so I'd suspect something else. Assuming all joints and bushes are ok and the geometry is set up correctly then mechanically -
1) a slipping drive belt (it's under load when you turn as the pump demands more power),
2) failing power steering pump (damaged due to low fluid?)
3) faulty steering rack

are the only causes I can think of.

 

[mattkh]

pulsing and whining are normally indicative of low power steering fluid. .

Hi
Can you please explain pulsing.

 

[TazCBR1100XX]

Hi
Can you please explain pulsing.

The easiest way I can describe it is as follows:

When I turn around a corner or a bend, if I hold the wheel in the same position for a long bend, or if I continue to turn for a sharper bend, the steering wheel moves clockwise and anti-clockwise until I again get the wheels back into a straight line.

There is a humming/whirring when I turn the steering whilst moving slowly, and I suspect it also happens at higher speeds.

It is possible, as suggested by jberks, that the steering gear may have gone faulty due to the low oil level I experienced. I'll have to get Mr Mercedes to have a look at it for me I suppose - when funds allow! I get a reasonable discount for being nice to the girls so it shouldn't cost much for them to look at it - it's the repair bill that scares me :-(

Thanks for the tips