SL/R129: Annoying steering wheel vibration with no fix in sight
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 13
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1995 sl500
Annoying steering wheel vibration with no fix in sight
Hey guys!
Got a nice 95 500 with a really annoying problem (make that 2 with reverse delay).
High frequency steering vibration at most speeds. Mainly bad at 50-60 mph. No shimmy. Also some felt in pedal.
Bridgestone serenity tires (5 yrs old and 8k on them) roadforce balanced at an Acura dealer.
Replaced tie rods, center link, damper, strut mounts.
Rotated tires.
Braking is smooth at all speeds
Will still vibrate when shifting to neutral.
Bearings are solid with no play.
Aligned but here's a kicker, one lower control arm couldn't be adjusted for camber. Bushings bad I suppose. I have a pair waiting to be installed. Could it be a problem?
The vibration also seems to be more or less severe on some days.
Car has 55k miles on it. Florida resident it's entire life.
Any thoughts?
Got a nice 95 500 with a really annoying problem (make that 2 with reverse delay).
High frequency steering vibration at most speeds. Mainly bad at 50-60 mph. No shimmy. Also some felt in pedal.
Bridgestone serenity tires (5 yrs old and 8k on them) roadforce balanced at an Acura dealer.
Replaced tie rods, center link, damper, strut mounts.
Rotated tires.
Braking is smooth at all speeds
Will still vibrate when shifting to neutral.
Bearings are solid with no play.
Aligned but here's a kicker, one lower control arm couldn't be adjusted for camber. Bushings bad I suppose. I have a pair waiting to be installed. Could it be a problem?
The vibration also seems to be more or less severe on some days.
Car has 55k miles on it. Florida resident it's entire life.
Any thoughts?
Member
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 126
Likes: 5
From: Saint Augustine, FL
1998 SL500
Check the steering damper for worn end bushings,, leaking, etc. or just replace it.
It's only $40 at Autozone...
It's only $40 at Autozone...
Member
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 213
Likes: 22
From: Ghana, West Africa
1985(W126)500SE, 1994(W124)E420 1991(R129)500SL and The Mothership 2009 CLK550
I think Mike mentioned replacing the steering damper, his post above, though if the quality of the replacement damper is not up to Mercedes OEM standards, it may still be the culprit.
Member
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 126
Likes: 5
From: Saint Augustine, FL
1998 SL500
One other possible solution (in addition to fixing the bad LCA) would be to ensure that the wheels/tires have been road-force balanced--a process in which a load of 1000+ lbs is applied the the wheel while it is being balanced. I had a similar problem with the front wheels on my 2003 Mustang Cobra and the road-force balancing cured it once and for all.
The Hunter GPS9700 machine can do this. There is a "Locate a GPS9700" link in the menu on Hunter's site. They used to be sort of rare but now most new car dealerships and tire company owned shops have one...
Member
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 213
Likes: 22
From: Ghana, West Africa
1985(W126)500SE, 1994(W124)E420 1991(R129)500SL and The Mothership 2009 CLK550
Road Force Balancing is a concept I have never heard of before. This website may not be has heavily visited as others, but there is still quite a lot of valuable information to be found on these pages. This method may well work to resolve the problem described by the OP. I'll be checking back to see what progress he makes.
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Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 13
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1995 sl500
Update:
I installed new tires with no real change to my problem. They were road force balanced. I did notice my front wheels were hard to spin while suspended on the lift as compared to the rear wheels. Brakes work fine though and rotor is worn evenly. Both sides are equally stiff to turn. Is this normal and if it isn't, would this be the cause?
I installed new tires with no real change to my problem. They were road force balanced. I did notice my front wheels were hard to spin while suspended on the lift as compared to the rear wheels. Brakes work fine though and rotor is worn evenly. Both sides are equally stiff to turn. Is this normal and if it isn't, would this be the cause?
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Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 13
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1995 sl500
update- brand new tires again. double-checked roadforce. brand new lemfoerder control arms. NOTHING.
motor mounts are bad.
i'm also getting a seat vibration at ~40 mph. since tires are good, i'm assuming flex disc? no visual cracks but they are original. I ordered 2 MM, trans mount, and front flex disc to put on. would this possibly solve my issues? this is driving me nuts.
also idler arm seems ok. a little play when jacking up the passenger front wheel.
motor mounts are bad.
i'm also getting a seat vibration at ~40 mph. since tires are good, i'm assuming flex disc? no visual cracks but they are original. I ordered 2 MM, trans mount, and front flex disc to put on. would this possibly solve my issues? this is driving me nuts.
also idler arm seems ok. a little play when jacking up the passenger front wheel.
Newbie
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 2
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From: Austin Texas
2001 SL500
Your front wheels should free spin when off the ground. If it takes any measurable amount of effort to spin them then you need to take a second look. Make sure the pads are not dragging on the rotor. I imagine you would be able to hear this but look closely. I do not currently own a SL500 yet but if I were you I would take the caliper off as a step in the trouble shooting and the process of elimination. No need to disconnect the brake line, just safely suspend the caliper out of the way. With the caliper off, spin the rotor. If it still requires some effort then I would suspect your wheel bearings as that would be the only item left.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 13
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1995 sl500
UPDATE
NEW TIRES
New engine and transmission mounts
Same issue and has widened speed gap (45-75 mph) over time
I can also feel vibration in pedal but it's still mainly steering.
Recently put hard top back on and with windows up, I can hear the faint rhythmic hum from the front mainly at 60mph. I still can't pinpoint it. I'm banking on wheel bearings although no play in them. Brakes are due for a replacement soon but no signs of anything there.
What do you think?
Rotors( they have a 1-2mm lip on the end of them but seem fine overall)
Bearing(s). Adjust? Lube? Replace?
Flex discs(I finally noticed a hairline crack and have febi ones ready to install)
Shocks(they feel stiff but do get a slight dive when braking. Still vibrates on blacktop though)
Idler arm. Original piece but haven't seen any steering related problems)
Sway bar links may be due for replacement but zero suspension clunking
Car now has 62k on it. Hopefully driving like this hasn't caused more damage.
NEW TIRES
New engine and transmission mounts
Same issue and has widened speed gap (45-75 mph) over time
I can also feel vibration in pedal but it's still mainly steering.
Recently put hard top back on and with windows up, I can hear the faint rhythmic hum from the front mainly at 60mph. I still can't pinpoint it. I'm banking on wheel bearings although no play in them. Brakes are due for a replacement soon but no signs of anything there.
What do you think?
Rotors( they have a 1-2mm lip on the end of them but seem fine overall)
Bearing(s). Adjust? Lube? Replace?
Flex discs(I finally noticed a hairline crack and have febi ones ready to install)
Shocks(they feel stiff but do get a slight dive when braking. Still vibrates on blacktop though)
Idler arm. Original piece but haven't seen any steering related problems)
Sway bar links may be due for replacement but zero suspension clunking
Car now has 62k on it. Hopefully driving like this hasn't caused more damage.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 13
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1995 sl500
Your front wheels should free spin when off the ground. If it takes any measurable amount of effort to spin them then you need to take a second look. Make sure the pads are not dragging on the rotor. I imagine you would be able to hear this but look closely. I do not currently own a SL500 yet but if I were you I would take the caliper off as a step in the trouble shooting and the process of elimination. No need to disconnect the brake line, just safely suspend the caliper out of the way. With the caliper off, spin the rotor. If it still requires some effort then I would suspect your wheel bearings as that would be the only item left.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 13
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1995 sl500
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,433
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From: Behind the wheel
The best or nothing
I'm trying to be helpful and only can advise what I learned by experience.
I had problems with vibration since I acquired my W210 E55. Never had such problem before, experienced it on other (friends') cars though across the whole MB line-up starting from W215 (CL65) to W221.
I will prepare a write-up and post more details later but in short:
- I had replaced all I could on my E55 including driveline components and the vibration was still present.
- The official MB statement was the transmission should be replaced but they said there is 50% chance to fix the vibration anyway so I didn't do that. I did trans flush 3 times and never saw anything suspicious in the oil so I assumed the trans is fine (and it works fine).
- Originally planned to start with replacing the tq converter but didn't proceed and thought further.
- I assumed since it was a specific speed range related and not to gear/tyres/surface/road incline it has to be linked to something that rotates.
Long story short:
The above mentioned solved my problems completely and it makes complete sense. The vibration was in the whole car, seats, steering wheel, etc. and I felt like it's coming from the rear-bottom-end.
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
SL500
another sl500 with vibration issues.
1995 SL 500 112k miles. This is my first Mercedes, had it for 4 years 25k miles. Has had Vibration at most speeds for the last year, particularly 60 -70 mph. Feels to be a combination of sources. Dealer tried new vibration analysis machine over 3 week period, cannot trace source.
Recently replaced wheels, tyres are new michelin ice roadforce balanced, steering damper, engine mounts. Within last 10k miles replaced transmission mount, front shocks and tower mounts. No apparent play or excessive wear in suspension bushings or steering components Steering box has very slight play. Any thoughts other than replacing every rubber bushing on the car one piece at a time, and drive train components? How to diagnose? Does anyone really know what they are doing with this issue and know the car's weak link?
Thanks, very frustrated with the highest maintenance car I've ever owned. In spite of a good service history had to rebuild transmission replace radiator, upper wiring harness, distributor caps and rotors annually, shocks, wheel bearings, electrical gremlins.
Recently replaced wheels, tyres are new michelin ice roadforce balanced, steering damper, engine mounts. Within last 10k miles replaced transmission mount, front shocks and tower mounts. No apparent play or excessive wear in suspension bushings or steering components Steering box has very slight play. Any thoughts other than replacing every rubber bushing on the car one piece at a time, and drive train components? How to diagnose? Does anyone really know what they are doing with this issue and know the car's weak link?
Thanks, very frustrated with the highest maintenance car I've ever owned. In spite of a good service history had to rebuild transmission replace radiator, upper wiring harness, distributor caps and rotors annually, shocks, wheel bearings, electrical gremlins.
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 19
Likes: 5
1998 SL 500
My 98 SL 500 had a vibration problem that was driving me nuts. Nothing seemed to work. Then as I was driving at about 70, my left rear tire disintegrated. Since they were supposedly 5 years old, even with good tread, I ordered 5 Michelins (even got a new one for the spare.). Once installed, lo and behold, no shimmy, no vibration, just good clean ride. Imagine that!
