C320 Pulls to the right even after alignment
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 152
Likes: 3
From: Northern VA
2010 e350
C320 Pulls to the right even after alignment
I am having a bad time with my c320. There is a slight pull to the right.
A while back I hit a pothole that was pretty big. It bent the rim slightly and damaged the tire too. I was not happy because I just put all 4 new tires on the car the day before litterally. I replaced the bad tire and the bent wheel. My car later on about 6 months later failed inspection for a loose tie rod end on the same side. I replaced both tie rod ends and took it in for an alignment.
I have taken it to three shops with no luck on the alignment. The first two were tire type places and the third was the dealer.
The dealer tells me it is tire pull which I call bull. I swapped the tires around left side to the right and front to the back, no difference at all.
The brakes are not dragging, I have had cars in the past with dragging brakes, but not this one.
My alignment numbers are as follows.
Front
-0.5 Camber -.4
9.9 Caster 9.8
.04 Toe .04
13.4 SAI 12.8
12.9 Inc Ang 12.5
Rear
-.7 Camber -1.0
.20 Toe .29
The car has 90k miles on it.
Any ideas
A while back I hit a pothole that was pretty big. It bent the rim slightly and damaged the tire too. I was not happy because I just put all 4 new tires on the car the day before litterally. I replaced the bad tire and the bent wheel. My car later on about 6 months later failed inspection for a loose tie rod end on the same side. I replaced both tie rod ends and took it in for an alignment.
I have taken it to three shops with no luck on the alignment. The first two were tire type places and the third was the dealer.
The dealer tells me it is tire pull which I call bull. I swapped the tires around left side to the right and front to the back, no difference at all.
The brakes are not dragging, I have had cars in the past with dragging brakes, but not this one.
My alignment numbers are as follows.
Front
-0.5 Camber -.4
9.9 Caster 9.8
.04 Toe .04
13.4 SAI 12.8
12.9 Inc Ang 12.5
Rear
-.7 Camber -1.0
.20 Toe .29
The car has 90k miles on it.
Any ideas
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 363
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From: the ML/GL/R assembly line
2005 C230 Kompressor
Its your SAI.
SAI is the steering axis inclination, this angle is part of the included angle and really cant be adjusted. Its caused by bent parts if its off. If one side is greater than the other it will overpower and cause a pull in the weaker direction. King Pin Inclination is what this used to be called.
SAI is the steering axis inclination, this angle is part of the included angle and really cant be adjusted. Its caused by bent parts if its off. If one side is greater than the other it will overpower and cause a pull in the weaker direction. King Pin Inclination is what this used to be called.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 152
Likes: 3
From: Northern VA
2010 e350
Its your SAI.
SAI is the steering axis inclination, this angle is part of the included angle and really cant be adjusted. Its caused by bent parts if its off. If one side is greater than the other it will overpower and cause a pull in the weaker direction. King Pin Inclination is what this used to be called.
SAI is the steering axis inclination, this angle is part of the included angle and really cant be adjusted. Its caused by bent parts if its off. If one side is greater than the other it will overpower and cause a pull in the weaker direction. King Pin Inclination is what this used to be called.
Should I replace both control arms on each side?
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Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 363
Likes: 0
From: the ML/GL/R assembly line
2005 C230 Kompressor
Theres something on the right side bent, could be anything from one control arm to the spindle itself. When I done alignments I would take a measuring tape and as accurately as possible measure all the suspension parts and distances to places on the frame that was the same from side to side(which some cars is hard to find lol) and visually look for stress marks in the corners of each part. If nothing was found I just bumped up the caster on the weaker side to compensate and explain to the customer. In your application if nothing is found just bump the caster on the right side up to 9.4-9.5 and test drive it. CAI isnt a tire wearing angle so dont worry about that.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 152
Likes: 3
From: Northern VA
2010 e350
Theres something on the right side bent, could be anything from one control arm to the spindle itself. When I done alignments I would take a measuring tape and as accurately as possible measure all the suspension parts and distances to places on the frame that was the same from side to side(which some cars is hard to find lol) and visually look for stress marks in the corners of each part. If nothing was found I just bumped up the caster on the weaker side to compensate and explain to the customer. In your application if nothing is found just bump the caster on the right side up to 9.4-9.5 and test drive it. CAI isnt a tire wearing angle so dont worry about that.
Maybe in the next couple of days I can get under there and look closely at the parts.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,697
Likes: 0
From: DC/VA
CL203
if you need wheels... get these:
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/n...452693831.html
pretty good deal... and if your tires are better than his.. you can re-use them
(i think i'm too late though)
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/n...452693831.html
pretty good deal... and if your tires are better than his.. you can re-use them
(i think i'm too late though)
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
C320 Sport Sedan 4Matic
Also have a look at the sway bar end links. After I had my suspension replaced the fools put one of the end links on wrong. I had an alignment done after and it was not found then either. Another check by Mercedes Benz mechanic and he didn't find it. I pulled the front wheels myself and found the problem when the wheels were off. Removed the link, reinstalled it and all was smooth sailing again.
Good luck with it.
Good luck with it.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,697
Likes: 0
From: DC/VA
CL203
i also heard this place is really good... expensive, but you get what you pay for...
http://www.ptuning.com/html/services.com
they specialize in custom alignments... but have all the diagnostic tools to manually evaluate what's going on with your car if you have no luck elsewhere.
btw... when did you graduate from tech?
http://www.ptuning.com/html/services.com
they specialize in custom alignments... but have all the diagnostic tools to manually evaluate what's going on with your car if you have no luck elsewhere.
btw... when did you graduate from tech?
Last edited by Midnight Koop; Jun 21, 2011 at 02:28 PM.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 152
Likes: 3
From: Northern VA
2010 e350
Thanks for the recommendation on the wheels. I might have gone with 17's before I bought new tires a while back. I had put 17's on my bmw and it really stiffened up the ride. I am almost 40 now....LOL
Also thanks for the tip on PT Tuning, I know where they are, I have passed by their shop before.
I think what I am going to do is pull off the hub and inspect the spindle along with the control arms.
I do know the pothole was bad enough to bend the wheel and weaken the tie rod. I assume had an impact on the bearing on that side too. So probably something is bent as suggested earlier.
Also thanks for the tip on PT Tuning, I know where they are, I have passed by their shop before.
I think what I am going to do is pull off the hub and inspect the spindle along with the control arms.
I do know the pothole was bad enough to bend the wheel and weaken the tie rod. I assume had an impact on the bearing on that side too. So probably something is bent as suggested earlier.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,697
Likes: 0
From: DC/VA
CL203
Thanks for the recommendation on the wheels. I might have gone with 17's before I bought new tires a while back. I had put 17's on my bmw and it really stiffened up the ride. I am almost 40 now....LOL
Also thanks for the tip on PT Tuning, I know where they are, I have passed by their shop before.
I think what I am going to do is pull off the hub and inspect the spindle along with the control arms.
I do know the pothole was bad enough to bend the wheel and weaken the tie rod. I assume had an impact on the bearing on that side too. So probably something is bent as suggested earlier.
Also thanks for the tip on PT Tuning, I know where they are, I have passed by their shop before.
I think what I am going to do is pull off the hub and inspect the spindle along with the control arms.
I do know the pothole was bad enough to bend the wheel and weaken the tie rod. I assume had an impact on the bearing on that side too. So probably something is bent as suggested earlier.
i've had to replace my control arms before and did it here:
their manager ("Hal") is a fellow hokie: http://mitchcarr.com/
goodluck with the fix
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 152
Likes: 3
From: Northern VA
2010 e350
I pulled off the hub and found that the spindle was impossible to determine if it was off axis.
I was also able to get a better look at the control arms since I had the dust shield off. Unfortunately I couldn't find anything wrong. I suppose with the side off by only a degree or less it might be impossible to spot visually.
I am considering replacing off some parts as I am out of ideas and I really hate driving the car like this. I have one of those lever type joint separators, but I haven't tried it out, will I be able to separate the ball joints without ruining them? In my past suspension exercises I have always used a pickle fork and a mini sledge and just replaced the joints. I am hoping to avoid that right now.
I was also able to get a better look at the control arms since I had the dust shield off. Unfortunately I couldn't find anything wrong. I suppose with the side off by only a degree or less it might be impossible to spot visually.
I am considering replacing off some parts as I am out of ideas and I really hate driving the car like this. I have one of those lever type joint separators, but I haven't tried it out, will I be able to separate the ball joints without ruining them? In my past suspension exercises I have always used a pickle fork and a mini sledge and just replaced the joints. I am hoping to avoid that right now.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 363
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From: the ML/GL/R assembly line
2005 C230 Kompressor
If there is no visible damage or stress cracks in the paint and/or metal just bump the caster on the right side 1/2 degree and forget about it. Ive done that many times for people.
Super Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 546
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From: Jakarta, Indonesia
C240
Actually, I think tire pull may be possible. I have experienced it myself. There are certain brands in my country that does that. I didnt believe it at first, but after some thought and couldnt find anything wrong, I changed tires as recommended and problem solved.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 152
Likes: 3
From: Northern VA
2010 e350
I switched the tires around every which way and still the same problem exists. Also the tire pull was not there before the pothole incident.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 363
Likes: 0
From: the ML/GL/R assembly line
2005 C230 Kompressor
When ever I had examples of this on a test drive I swapped the tires from left to right(even if they were directional tires) and see if it still went in the same direction. If it didnt then it was obvious what the problem was and if it still pulled in the same direction it was in the suspension. You done the right thing trying to isolate the problem.
UVA FTW!!(our football team sux though)
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 152
Likes: 3
From: Northern VA
2010 e350
Must be UVA people running VDot down there, LOL.
I called the dealer back about the issue.
Their position is that the numbers are within MB specs so it shouldn't be pulling unless it was a tire issue. I stated that changing the tires around didn't make any difference.
They said my only real options were to either take it to a body shop and have them put it on a frame machine or to start replacing off parts.
I can buy the entire knee assembly from online bone yards for about 200-300, I am tempted to go that route.
