rivcal4life

Well as a lot of you know, I hit a curb a few weeks ago, and jacked up my suspension. I still havnt quite narrowed down the problem all the way, but I have a strong feeling its this lower ball joint.

The one that mounts to the bottom of the control arm and holds the steering arm in place.

Well...I've gotten it exposed, but I dont have a manual, and I can't figure out a good way to get it out. I've sprayed it down with WD-40 and let that penetrate for a while, then hit with a hammer trying to knock it out. I dont wanna hit too hard, but I cant see another obvious way to get it out.

Also, I dont see how a ball joint removal tool (pickle fork) would fit in anywhere like it would on the tie rod ends...

Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated. If possible, a direct quote from a manual could be helpful.

******UPDATE******

I got the new ball joint in, but now I cant get the steering arm to sit on it. The ball joint wont slip in.

Any advice?

rivcal4life

Check the update above.

rivcal4life

okay so... Got everything back on. Yet, the problem os still there. I have no clue whqt it could be. Unless its a bent crossmember or control arm. I dont wanna pay a mechanic to fix this but i dont have the time or energy to do it myself. God this is depressing.

ohlord

must have been a hard jolt ! What are the symptoms?Did you replace both ball joints?Checked tie rods?Had it aligned after the ball joint change.mercedesshop.com used to have a diy for checking dimensions side to side on the suspension to track down a tweaked suspension. I don't know if they have a search function but it may be worthwhile checking over there.
If you can't locate the fault you need to get it aligned after new ball joints anyway,and they will surely discover what got wacked .
Sorry to hear of your mishap.Your W124 is far to nice to be hurting.
ohlord

rivcal4life

haha thanks a lot.

I dont know if you checked the date but this thread is kinda old and the problem has been fixed.

I spent a lot of money replacing parts that did not need replacing. Tie rods, ball joints, even the lower control arm.

When replacing the control arm, I noticed the eyeball washers used for adjusting the rake of the arm. The thin metal cups used to hold the washers in place were bent. I had to have them cut off and rewelded. All is good now