pinoyk20

hi guys! i have a problem on my w210 e55. it has an un even caster . but not that big. my car never had an accident. the caster on right side wheel is ahead (forward)on the left side wheel by a diference of .97 the left side is 4.96 the right is 5.93 .

my question is can the caster be adjusted? how? and also whats could be the reason on the un even caster? is it safe? thanks!
could it be due to wera on upper arms, lower arm and bushings? thanks!

socalsounds

...Had the same problem, but with a slighly bigger split. Caster is not adjustable on a stock set-up.

Go to a quality alignment shop (i.e. one reccomended by a good indy- not all shops, even good ones, know what they're doing with MB). The shop will have to order a caster bolt kit from the dealer, and possibly two. Each kit is about $25, so don't sweat it. Then, after the install, they'll need to do a full, four-wheel thrust alignment- eveything will get thrown off once the caster becomes adjustable. Good luck!

...oh, and as for why, who knows. The cradle can shift even from hitting a pothole, or a curb.

RedG

Caster should have a offset (from left to right) to adjust for road crown.

socalsounds

Good call- there should be a very slight offset stock, but again, its not adjustable on a w210- so a pull or other oddity on a flat road with correct toe and camber can only be corrected with a caster bolt kit, assuming the caster split is in excess of allowable values. I went through this in depth, and discovered that the w210's allowable offset is very, very slight. Any shift of the cradle itself will cause a caster split well in excess of allowable, and cause issues not correctable on a standard alignment. The cradles in w210s, per a very reliable indy here in San Diego, are very sensitive, and if curbed or even pot-holed at speed, will shift.

pinoyk20

my caster reading is: left 4.98 right 5.91
-0.93 difference

my question is is this normal ? thanks!<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

ncd20

what is the caster??

pinoyk20

it is the position of wheels on the car. it could be positive(frontward) or negative(backward)

socalsounds

The greater the caster split, the more the car will tend to turn left on its own<WBR>. On a cricle track car, 2-4 degrees is desirable, but on a street car, 1/2 degree for the road crown is what my alignment tech is telling me, max.

pinoyk20

mine is almost 1 degree or more so does it mean something is wrong with my car? thanks!

socalsounds

One wheel is very, very slightly more forward in angle than the other- this is really not much, and assuming a standard alignment, I don't think you'll have any problems. On any older car, the suspension cradle can eventually shift a little, but 1 degree is almost nothing as far as pull goes. Mine was a lot more, and the pull was ever so slight, and the tire wear is negligible.

pinoyk20

how can i solve the problem is it ok to have an equal caster like same on both sides? how can i do it? thanks!

pinoyk20

anyone pls? thanks!

socalsounds

As stated earlier, some caster split is desirable for road crown, but not much. You have some split, most likely from a shifted cradle. As I stated before, you'll need to have an alignment shop get a Mercedes-part number caster kit, which is basically an eccentric bolt. Then they can adjust it. I spent about $100 total on the kit and installation to get my caster in range. It just happens on older cars with non-adjustable caster; I've never had an accident, or even curbed it hard, but bumps, spirited sriving and potholes can lead to a cradle shift, as you most likely have.

pinoyk20

oh thank so much for the very good info sir! now i know what to do! so it can easily be fix?

socalsounds

Well, you don't really need to FIX anything- the cradles are part of the body, and with a split that slight, I wouldn't sweat it. Just have the caster bolt kit installed- its cheap and easy.

pinoyk20

thanks so much sir! btw where is the cradle located? sorry for the question. thanks!