DIY: W209 fix for creaky sway bar bushings (w/pics)
05-15-2016, 06:13 PM
#51
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Firemist O5 CLK55 Cab Silver 05 CLK55 Coupe Tanzanite 06 CLK500 Coupe
Bushings are available from MB
H&R use MB bushings but you need the old style brackets.
I am running yellow poly Siberian Bushings
They may be radioactive but they are slick and keep the front end glued.
I am running yellow poly Siberian Bushings
They may be radioactive but they are slick and keep the front end glued.
05-15-2016, 10:00 PM
#52
MBworld Guru
Yep, it understands that your VIN is after then range where the bushing was made non-replaceable. If you'll search generically by "CLK500" instead of by your VIN, you'll find the part number(s).
05-15-2016, 10:09 PM
#53
MBworld Guru
Odd. Mine are not deformed at all yet. The brackets fit better than OJ's gloves. How much lateral movement is there really? I'm guessing if you could snap your fingers and have a new bar with the fixed bushings on there you'd notice slightly firmer handling just because the bar is held more firmly. That may be the reason it was done - who knows. What do C63s etc have? Fixed or replaceable?
There is a lot more lateral movement than you'd think. You can move the torsion bar several inches left and right.
05-16-2016, 06:22 AM
#54
Senior Member
I was hoping to find out what kind of style I've got.
Last edited by merceBENZ; 05-17-2016 at 08:11 AM.
05-17-2016, 08:39 AM
#57
Senior Member
Originally Posted by Rudeney
If you searched EPC with your VIN, and it said "part no valid", then you have the newer style that is fused to the anti-sway bar.
05-17-2016, 12:31 PM
#58
Senior Member
Is it a case of having to swap the whole bar out should they fail? Surely not... Is it not possible to just cut off and burn the rubber off, and get earlier bushes to replace?
Do you know what year the bonded bushes came in to production? I haven't a copy of the epc with me at uni to check my car.
Do you know what year the bonded bushes came in to production? I haven't a copy of the epc with me at uni to check my car.
05-17-2016, 12:47 PM
#59
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Firemist O5 CLK55 Cab Silver 05 CLK55 Coupe Tanzanite 06 CLK500 Coupe
Bonded bushings are a pita
To remove.
I have to say I find the whole idea of them creaking mildly amusing thinking the issues are more likely in the links......
I have to say I find the whole idea of them creaking mildly amusing thinking the issues are more likely in the links......
05-17-2016, 03:55 PM
#60
Member
05-17-2016, 09:46 PM
#61
MBworld Guru
If you have the newer style bonded bushings, then you need to fist try removing the brackets an lubricating them and the frame where the bushings mate. In my case, that did not help much. My bushings looked almost melted and were squeezed out of the bushings. The official repair would be to get a new anti-sway bar that comes with new bonded bushings. An alternative is to buy the old style bushings and brackets, but this would require removing the bonded bushings. In this case, it is a lot of work to cut them off and then polish the bar, but that's what I did an I have silence!
05-17-2016, 10:18 PM
#62
Senior Member
Thank you for detailed description. That is so unfortunate. I thought that at least I can buy new brackets attached to the rubber but it seems like it attached to the bar. Damn.. That sounds like a big project. Definitely not into new bar, maybe the mod you did but not sure if I want to go that deep. They sqeak in the cold morning, the rest of the day I don't know that they are here. What a stupid design.
Just theoretically.. Can I replace it with old style bar and old style brackets with bushings? Just some food for though.
Just theoretically.. Can I replace it with old style bar and old style brackets with bushings? Just some food for though.
05-17-2016, 10:26 PM
#63
MBworld Guru
Maybe I wasn't clear - only the rubber bushings are permanently bonded to the bar. The brackets are still separate parts. If you want to remove the bushings from your bar and repalce them with the old-style non-bonded bushings, you can do that, but it's probably best to also buy the old-style brackets as they fit the old style bushings.
05-17-2016, 10:51 PM
#65
MBworld Guru
The rubber bushing is hard stuff. I went through several box cutter blades to cut it down and shave the pieces off the bar. Its just time consuming to get the bar all clean of rubber and adhesive. I then used increasingly find Emery paper to polish the bar. You don;t want any uneven or rough surfaces as that would harm the new bushing as the bar slides in and out of it.
05-21-2016, 09:08 AM
#67
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
Like I said, I think they went to a "wasteful" design because it makes the car stiffer. But you guys act like a new bar with attached bushings cost $2,000. They are not that expensive. I'd put on the correct one long before I'd spend and hour hacking at hard rubber only to put on the wrong bushings.
05-21-2016, 09:11 AM
#68
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Thread Starter
05-21-2016, 11:17 AM
#69
Senior Member
Originally Posted by Yidney
Like I said, I think they went to a "wasteful" design because it makes the car stiffer. But you guys act like a new bar with attached bushings cost $2,000. They are not that expensive. I'd put on the correct one long before I'd spend and hour hacking at hard rubber only to put on the wrong bushings.
05-22-2016, 09:06 AM
#72
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
That's even cheaper than I recall for the bar with fixed bushings. I was going to say $180-200. But either way, as MB parts go, that's not much.
05-22-2016, 01:48 PM
#74
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
Rodney and another person in this post said theirs deformed, presumably from the inability to move laterally. As you can see from the pics on first page of this thread, mine have not. Not sure what accounts for some warping. But new ones won't fail in the time you own the car. I just lube mine once a year or so.
