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ML350 2008 W164
Hello Everyone,
I get this clunk when turning left and right while stopped. i will also hear it at low speeds, say going into and out of a parking space. I do not hear it when at faster speeds unless it is slow. it is only hear at the point of turning in a differrent dirrection. not a cv boot type clinks or clunks. have been looking though youtube videos to see if any car has it but can't find anything. also through forums. I fear i might just be looking for the wrong item or wording it wrong.
Any help or pointing in the right direction would help.
Thanks in Advance
Last edited by Totemagoo; Feb 8, 2026 at 07:10 PM.
It can also be the bearing of the steering shaft what is in the firewall.
mine had that same problem.
I first changed steeringrack and inner/outer track rods and the steering shaft with the 2 knuckels in the engine bay.
without succes, by coincidence I grabbed the steeringshaft and feel that there is play in the firewall bearing.
Changed that and knocking is gone.
Well sorry for the late response. I ended up not using it and my wife would use it to go to the market here and there.
I went to investigate and to my surprise it was where the rack and pinion connects to the chassis, apperrently the rubber that holds it in place was completely gone on the drivers side. i noticed there was oil around the area. Popped the hood open and oil all on the front of the engine and made it's way back there. That's why i ussally do it but was pressed for time and needed to go to cali. Needless to say i will never go back. the cap that holds the filter was loose to the point i could hand turn it twice then got the wrench and tightened it. went to power wash it, but is it possible the oil ate the Rubber? It is completely gone.
I made a temp shimmy to slide in but it made it worse because now it would force it to move up and down instead of side ways. which after removeing i could tell even the inner rubber around the screw was completely gone.
well i figure let me see how much room i can make to slide one in. the bolt head is on the firewall side and the nut is on the radiator side. the bolt can not come out because it hits the differential Case. the other way around would have made more sense.
not sure what to do at this point. it only knocks at a stand still when driving even a 3 or 4 mph i dont hear or feel ant thing other than fustration.
I saw a video on how to remove the rack and pinion and they had to remove the differential.
So I ended up ordering the Steering rack Mount bushings and decided to take on the project. Took about a hour and a half being my first time and all. I saw that the leak was coming from the area, that has the 2 red plugs. I've looked through countless pictures but can't seem to figure out the name of what connects there or if it is a gasket or O-rings that go there. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
So I ended up ordering the Steering rack Mount bushings and decided to take on the project. Took about a hour and a half being my first time and all. I saw that the leak was coming from the area, that has the 2 red plugs. I've looked through countless pictures but can't seem to figure out the name of what connects there or if it is a gasket or O-rings that go there. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
The 2 red plugs you mention are where the power steering lines enter, One line comes from the power steering pump (Beneath reservoir), The other comes from the power steering cooler/radiator. On EPC i can see the lines are routed differently for each engine configuration but essentially the connections are the same. There are 3 o rings from what i can see (The o rings both have the same part number)
A0009921680 - This is called a supporting ring (Delivery line to steering gear)
A0159972245 - O Ring (Delivery line to steering gear)
A0159972245 - O Ring ( Line to steering gear)
Awesone Thanks!!!
Is the first one (supporting Ring) a metal ring i can reuse or do i need to track it down at a local Benz dealer?
The other 2 I found at autohaus
Im going to change the steering pump seal while im there as i did notice some oil underneath there and i figure I need to drain and refill the power steering fluid.
A0009921680 - This is called a supporting ring (Delivery line to steering gear) A0159972245 - O Ring (Delivery line to steering gear) A0159972245 - O Ring ( Line to steering gear)
Unsure if it is a metal ring, Its listed just as a support ring which is odd. I did a search of the part number on a few other threads and a few people mention that it is no longer available from mercedes and is sold as part of the actual power steering line even though they do list it as a seperate part number. Not uncommon as i have seen when purchasing an oil level sensor direct from MB it comes with the O-Ring already but a seperate PN is listed. Similar to the AC hoses the ends of them have a plastic type collar and then an O-ring. The collars fall as part of the line where as the O-Ring is part of the mating surface. I would say to resolve the issue try to source the support ring and change it whilst you are at it. If not available change the o-rings and monitor. if it happens again it may be a tiny fracture on the line itself.
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. the other way around would have made more sense.
