Power steering problems
04-30-2010, 03:31 PM
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Power steering problems
I am looking into buying a 1993 E420 and drove the car today or at least started to and shortly after stopped because the steering made horrid noises. At a standstill turning the wheel required more effort than usual, but not by a huge amount. Once underway the steering effort was normal and if there had been no noise (once moving not too much noise anymore) one would think everything is working properly. I checked the fluid and the color is what it should be, but it was a few millimeters below the low cold mark, could just a few milliliters of fluid be enough to make horrible noises? A quick glance at the belt didn't show anything unusual.
Other than this I wasn't able to find any other faults with the car on the very short test drive. All the buttons work, heater works, A/C needs to be recharged (which isn't a big deal to me), seat covers are worn on the front seats. The engine idles, runs and sounds exactly how it should. The 4-Speed Auto shifts smoothly and when it should. It needs new rotors, pads and a few minor cosmetic things here and there. All in all I would have bought it today if it wasn't for the power steering. I have done work on cars but never anything with the power steering. Assuming the pump if shot, how difficult is that too replace and what costs can I expect for a pump. Also, before I buy the car I would want to take a longer test drive, if the pump fails during the drive, besides the loss of power assist, could this cause damage to any other components? I am still keen on buying the car since W124s with V8s and rust free bodies are becoming hard to find.
Other than this I wasn't able to find any other faults with the car on the very short test drive. All the buttons work, heater works, A/C needs to be recharged (which isn't a big deal to me), seat covers are worn on the front seats. The engine idles, runs and sounds exactly how it should. The 4-Speed Auto shifts smoothly and when it should. It needs new rotors, pads and a few minor cosmetic things here and there. All in all I would have bought it today if it wasn't for the power steering. I have done work on cars but never anything with the power steering. Assuming the pump if shot, how difficult is that too replace and what costs can I expect for a pump. Also, before I buy the car I would want to take a longer test drive, if the pump fails during the drive, besides the loss of power assist, could this cause damage to any other components? I am still keen on buying the car since W124s with V8s and rust free bodies are becoming hard to find.
