MTV10

Hi Guys,

Can someone provide me with pictures or a DIY, showing how to adjust rear toe on the E55?

I've searched and searched and came up with nothing.

Both my wheels are 2 degrees off and I want to adjust this. Alignment shop says bolts are seized but I want to be sure he is looking to adjust the proper bolts...

Thanks in advance.

HeissRod

The factory adjustment only allows for roughly .25-.5° of adjustment. You will not be able to cure a 2° variance with factory adjustments. Unless a suspension piece is bent and needs replacing, you will need to go aftermarket to fix your problem. I assume the car is lowered? K-MAC offers adjustable bushings, which I use, and a few places, like UPD, offer adjustable toe arms.

Below is a picture showing the adjustment bolt on my car. In it, you see an outer nut (22mm?) and an inner bolt (T-60?). If I remember correctly, you loosen the bolt and use the nut to make the adjustments. The nut is eliptical, so as you turn it the toe will change....to a point.



There is a tiny chance that I have the nut and bolt functions backwards. It's been a while since I aligned the car. You may need to loosen the mounting bolt on the left to allow adjusting.

MTV10

Thanks bud.
Alignment shop said my bolt is seized and he can try and adjust it. But if it breaks up inside he will have to drop subframe to fix it.

Is this accurate? Or BS?

HeissRod

It's entirely possible. However, if it's broken or seized, it still needs to be replaced.

shardul

iTrader: (1)

Never seen those bolts seize. Heat and penetration oil will work wonders.

kponti

I think he is only trying to remove the external hex instead of doing the internal hex first (what locks it into place)

PelicanParts.com

Not sure if this is right, but there is another image of the toe adjustment fastener at this tech article here. Figure #4.

-Luccia

HeissRod

Rocman8

it doesn't matter which torx is loosened first. the external torx should be tightened first once the desired toe amout is reached. the toe is adjusted by turning the 12 point 21mm. they may be trying too loosen the 6 point 21mm where the bracket is attached to the arm where its covering the bushing. if they are trying to turn that one then thats the problem. never seen the correct adjustment bolts seized up before.

oh and i highly doubt that both rear toes are off by 2 degrees. that can only be if something is bent and to have both sides bent the same amount is unlikely. my advice is take it to a dealer for an alignment for around 150-200 bucks.

MTV10

Sorry my mistake..it's off by .2 degrees.

Both sides read: -0.2 degrees.

MTV10

He also mentioned he cannot heat up that bolt due to the wire being so close.

HeissRod

2 tenths of a degree is not going to matter much. I wouldn't worry about it unless your cross toe is off by 4 tenths.

jmb614

Not sure if this article pertains specifically to this thread or not, but the articles you have on your site look fantastic! Thanks for doing these.

(No, I do not work for Pelican)

MTV10

Steering wheel isn't perfectly straight.
And if I got WOT in second the rear end kicks out to the left.

Best to address it IMO

PelicanParts.com

We try to do our best to help all the DIY'ers out there. Appreciate it!

-Luccia

bbirdwell

Steering wheel alignment: use a spreader bar, strings, good measurement tool (i.e. a ruler). Lock steering wheel in centered position, then rotate tie-rods in same direction until wheels' toe is correct. May need to tweak one wheel's tie-rod.


Rear toe. In photo above, small bolt to left is a lock bolt. Larger bolt to right is actually a bolt inside an eccentric cam. Place box-end wrench on larger 12-point head, hold while loosening the lock bolt that is routed through its center. When both lock bolts are loose, rotate the eccentric cam to adjust toe. When correct, hold steady while tightening the lock bolt routed through the middle of the eccentric cam. Tighten other lock bolt. You may need to drop the exhaust hangers to access the bolts if you have a stock E55. Drop the hangers at the rear bumper and over the axles.

MTV10

Rear toe was finally done. Had to drop exhaust to get those bolts loose. Did not need to replace hardware.

Now that thrust angle is back to '0'... I figured steering wheel would be 100% straight. But it only is SOMETIMES.

It's weird.... if I am in left lane on highway, steering is not straight.. I have to hold it a few degrees clockwise.

If I am in slow lane (Complete right).. steering wheel is perfectly straight.....


Any thoughts?

Rocman8

its the road crown that makes the car drift one direction or the other or makes the steering wheel off sometimes and not off at other times. on a straight road the wheel should be straight and car should track straight. it is hard to tell what a perfectly straight road is though.

MTV10

Yeah that's exactly it.
Left lane is sloped downwards to drain water, and right lane the opposite.

So how come I don't have to hold steering wheel a few degrees counter-clockwise in the right lane? Assuming it is sloped..

HeissRod

The right lane is not sloped the opposite. That would cause water to collect in-between the lanes. The right lane is either not sloped as much as the left lane, in the same direction, or it is flat.

However, this is all relative because every road is different.

MTV10

I've never owned a car where the steering wheel is crooked in the left lane.. And perfectly straight in the right lane.

This isn't right.

Steering rack? Or could it be the car is so low that it is extremely sensitive to road imperfections?

Rocman8

your front toe is probably a little off making the steering wheel off center. and yes when i lowered my car it became more sensitive to the road imperfections.

BenzGuy83

Does anyone know what the part numbers are for the toe bolts and nuts for 04 e55 and where they can be purchased. I've been trying to find it for hours with no luck. Thanks in advance

bbirdwell

For the rear, these are all the parts to include washers. You need 2 of each.

A 013 990 13 01 Bolt, Tie rod to rear subframe M12x1.5x65*
A 003 990 19 22 Bolt, Tie rod to rear subframe M12x1.5x50**
A 006 990 63 40 Washer, Tie rod to rear subframe**
A 230 352 00 34 Plate Package, Tie rod to rear subframe*
A 230 357 10 42 Threaded Plate, Tie rod to rear subframe

The bolts are internal and external Torx so you need to specifically order these. The items marked with single asterisks go together. The items marked with double asterisks go together. The threaded plate goes on top of the subframe and is what the bolts screw into.

Easiest to just order from the dealer. Alternatively, you can order from one of the OEM parts warehouses online. The dealer's advantage is you can have them in 1-2 days.

If you are going to this much trouble, I recommend you just order the adjustable toe arms from Shardul. I find it easier to accurately set toe with his product compared to the stock adjusters.

BenzGuy83

Hey guys hope you can help. Had a issue with my e55 eating rear right tire like 1000 miles or less needed new tire... Anyway the thrust arm bracket where the two toe boots bolt into subframe was bent. Ordered one new one from mayle and swapped it out and took it for alignment at the Benz dealer because no one in Phoenix Arizona wants to touch a Mercedes from mid west ... Anyway the dealership adjustable all four corners but apparently the meyle thrust arm is shorter than the OEM Benz part unlikely because I measured them before I installed new one. They also stated that bolts with for lack of better terminology that have star washers are rusted and seized I can't for the life of me find which bolts those are to adjust the toe on the e55 and what the part numbers are for the washer bolt and nut. I will include a pic of the alignment specs if that helps. Any help appreciated in advance thank you