jangy

I will be upgrading a few of my arms coming up and was wondering what all i should have done all at once. i am thinking things like bushings, etc. Does anyone suggest a specific type to use and why? Should I check the motor and tranny monts, too? The car has 40k miles on it, so let me know your thoughts on what to look out for while I am under there...

CynCarvin32

I would replace front thrust arms, control arms, ball joints etc. Then rear toe links and main control arm links. Once the rear is apart the whole re-build is like 500 bucks extra so just do it all.

You likely are ok on motor and tranny mounts but with your driving style your suspension is likely loose a as a goose.

bobgodd

I've been wondering about motor mounts as well... My car has 65k or so and at my last inspection the SA said my motor mounts were leaking. I have never had any motor mounts in other cars that were even capable of leaking so all that is new to me.

CynCarvin32

They are liquid filled to isolate vibrations. Same goes for control arm bushings on some vehicles. So when the rubber cracks the liquid leaks out and the mounts fail. If you have leaking mounts replace them.

60-100k miles is a good time for replacement.

As they get worse the car will shake and then you will hear the mounts bottoming out into the frame once they fail completely.

bobgodd

Is it a single thud for the bottoming out or would it be a constant noise? I don't notice any strange vibrations at the moment.

Max Hughes

When the mounts go bad on an automatic car it sort of vibrates with the engine speed. Also if you give the car a good rev with a really bad motor mount you can break the engine-to-motor-mount mount in two.

Really bad mounts in Mercedes vehicles like yours can warp the tranny mount, break the engine-to-motor-mount mount and destroy aftermarket tubular headers.

Here's what an engine does with bad mounts in a rwd car. Even worse in a supercharged torque monster like an E55.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlW_ZQHATdw

CynCarvin32

The degradation of the mounts can be slow so you dont notice the issue over time. Swapping to new parts will make you realize how the driveline had a ton of slop in it.

The same goes for suspension bushings. Replacing all the rubber in a car between 80 and 100k miles will make it feel like new but you dont realize how bad off everything is until you do the work.

Same for shocks too!

jangy

Thanks for the replies. Cyn, I agree with you on it needing it and in doing it right while I have it apart.

A friend is building me rear toe links and adjustable camber arms. Other than that, I will replace the parts you said with OEM ones. Do I need to worry about rear sway bar bushings, etc? Any other rubber under there that i have crushed by now.

For the front, you think I need to replace the arms? That curved arm is still scary for me, eventhough I want a camber solution. I may just go with modified strut tower mount points to move the arms out a hair at the top. Other than that, i will likely wait on a better solution.

Also, any sources of bushings etc. is appreciated...