[oaklandw140]

HI everyone. I recently "inherited" this 1992 300SE from a great Aunt. 56,000 miles and spent the last 10 years in a Sarasota Florida garage. It's now in the Detroit suburbs.

Anyway, I just had a bunch of maintenance items tended to(coolant systems flush, Trans flush, brake fluid flush, new front brakes a a couple of suspension items). Plus, new tires. Runs strong for a 6 cyl.

But, there are 2 unresolved issues(I'm sure there will be more) that I have and I wanted to ask for your insight. First one is a shake in the steering wheel after the car sits for a few hours. The steering wheel shakes as if a tire is WAY out of balance...this happens for about a mile or so. Then it clears up, except for a tiny vibration in the steering wheel. The actual ride of the car isn't affected (ie. the car itself isn't shaking as it's going down the road) I've tried to explain this to my repair shop but I can't duplicate because it stops before I can get the car there. Any ideas? The tires are new and they are balanced correctly.

Second issue concerns the dashboard lights. When using turn signal and/or wiper control arm, the dashboard "idiot" lights and a few of the gauges (oil pressure, instant fuel economy, and fuel gauge) act up. Then, seatbelt idiot light blinks 3 times and then everything is back to normal. This doesn't happen all the time...sounds like an electronic gremlin to me.

 

[Merc600sec]

I think you need to change your steering damper.. Not expensive.. and quite easily done if you have ramps or a friendly garage owner with a lift..

What tyres and rims do you run??

 

[Peter Guenther]

Its a common issue, mine started that cap in 94, the daler changed drive line, ball joints, damper, and a lot of other crap, including rotating and balancing a lot. When the tires were cold around 45 it did its thing, after they warmed up it mostly went away. MB blame the tires, I put on a set of MXV Michelins twice. They screwed with it for a week before it went out of warranty because I would not accept it. Thy balanced the wheels and then spun them on on the car, pretty good results. After warranty I repaced motor mounts, steering damper, lower control arm bushings, and finally stopped buying MIchelins. I had the sway bar bushings replaced, and got Bridgestone Turanzas run them at 36 qnd the tires were balanced on a Hunter road force balancer. MY good friends AT MB tell me it was the car, some did vibrate others did not, but in 95 they changed the springs and lowered the car by 10 mm, no one ever found the true cause or the one fix and the problem never surfaced again. I should have tried the tire route first, I still get a small rumble once in a while after sitting a few days, but it is barely noticeable. I know I confused you, but that is my experience$ The secret is buried in MB somewhere, did your aunt never get the $4k cetificate they mailed in 95 to owners of record some people were buying them up and I was pestered a few times never got one, the car came off lease.

 

[pcmaher]

Yes, try the damper. It could be shot. I also read that a low or old battery in this vehicle can cause all sorts of weird electric gremlins to come out.

Peter, I have a rumble at ~42 mph also. Hunting for the cause of something like that is practically impossible, as you found out. I just don't drive at ~42 mph anymore[].

 

[bass1175]

Not trying to joke at your expense Oak Iam having my own set of problems but that can be the start of the FAQ "knowldge base" thread.
Q. Slight vibration and shaking at 45MPH?
A. Check all fluid levels, gradually increase speed to 80 if that dont work up it to 100[]

 

[Peter Guenther]

It was not a problem when we kept the car in Chicago, it was either less than 35 or more than 65, probably did not notice it as much. In Florida the speed limit is 35 on the road in front of the condo and if you dont do 45 they blow the horn and tailgate.
In all fairness, it is as good as ever, (bushings and round tires, force balance, and I do like the Turanzas at 36lbs nothing against the French, but the Japanese are better)The guys at MB were always touting Mich.

 

[ychachad]

Peter Guenther - where in FL are you located? I am moving to the Tampa area in 3 months!!!

 

[Peter Guenther]

Im om the other side, Palm Beach area!

 

[ac680]

for the shaking, open up the tire in a tire store, and see if someone put stop leak in it. that stuff will remain wet, and when you first drive that stuff sits in one spot, after driving a little it will spread through the whole tire.
Until you park the car, and than it will accumulate in oine spot again.

For your Gremlin, in the fuse box, under a cover to the back is a little controller, it controls the blinkers, rear window heat and whipers. it is known to go bad.
it will cause a problem like you describe.
I think it is about a 150 dollar part or so.
I have replaced many of them. if bad, they will affect some dash lights.

Hope this helps.

Henri.

 

[90-500SL]

that would be called the combination relay...

 

[Merc600sec]

Has the car been parked for a long time..
What tyres and rim sizes are you running?
what presure have you got them at?

 

[oaklandw140]

Thanks, 90-500SL. I had the car over at Munk's in Waterford. They checked the relay and thought it was ok. In their opinion, the problem is located in the back of the instrument pod.

I'm in Oakland Township just north of the Palace. I appreciate your response.

 

[oaklandw140]

Thanks for all of the reponses. I run Michelin MXV's on factory 16" rims. Brand new with less than 50 miles on them. What's interesting is that this problem started after doing an alignment, replacing the swaybar bushings, and the driver side lower ball joint. Car tracks down the road great. Just can't figure out why the steering wheel would vibrate like that when car for a while. I will look into the steering damper...is there a way to test if it has failed?

 

[90-500SL]

i would like to recommend Steve's European Automotive in Waterford. its at the corner of Elizabeth Lake rd and Crescent Lake rd. ive had good luck with them with my mothers Audi and Jaguar

 

[Merc600sec]

Thanks for all of the reponses. I run Michelin MXV's on factory 16" rims. Brand new with less than 50 miles on them. What's interesting is that this problem started after doing an alignment, replacing the swaybar bushings, and the driver side lower ball joint. Car tracks down the road great. Just can't figure out why the steering wheel would vibrate like that when car for a while. I will look into the steering damper...is there a way to test if it has failed?




That will be your Michelins then..You need to find the load rating of the tyres you have on now.. The soft walls of a lower than 103-4 load tyre will deform overnight because of the HUGE weight on the front end of your car..(It weighs in at a couple of ton) and the forces applied when you are parked.. never mind when you are cornering are tremendous IMHO your dealer has given you the wrong tyres.. but in order to check it.. try over inflating them to say 55-60 psi.. and take the beast for a spin.. nothing extreme.. just to see if your wobble is reduced or goes away.. Hope this helps.. Your manufacturer MB recommends CONTINENTAL SP2 EXTRA LOAD..I think you should try to find either those.. or a tyre with a stiff sidewall .. AVONS.. as fitted to RR..

 

[Peter Guenther]

Did you try "road force balancing" It costs a lot more. The tire is spun and a wheel is held agaist it, to check for roundness. My balancer said "you can balance a spinning brick, but it wont be smooth".
Michelin was the only tire I ever purchased, but I changed to Bridgestone Turanzas. You wouls be surprized in the stiffnes of this compared to the Michelin, plus they have a balancing dot.
Most, if not all my vib is gone! I sare your agony have had it since I got the car in 94 I think

 

[Benz-Friend]

FYI - My 1992 600SEL somedays will be smooth as silk tire-wise (tyre-wise for some of you), other days the steering wheel will wobble like the tires (tyres) are out of round. I really do believe it has a lot to do with how long the car has sat...and what the outside air temp is...during the time not in use.[]

 

[Merc600sec]

TYRE issue

I am sure others will be able to contribute to this thread.. Has anyone found a tyre that will not give the symptoms above???

 

[bayhas]

for the dashboard problem, do a search for "blinking dashboard"

you need to replace a cap in your gauge cluster.


as for the vibration, there is a recall on the 92 models, some bushings in the REAR suspension cause the steering wheel vibration!

 

[NAB]

Shaking steering wheel

I have had this problem for a while on my 92 400se. At the last service the dealer removed the old steering damper which was completely worn out (offering zero resistance). New damper has helped reduced the vibration and improved the feel of the steering. As noted in this thread, when the car has been standing for some time some vibration is likely - I now pump up the tires to 50 psi if I know I'm not going to use the car for a week or more.

I currently use Vredestein tires, but when they come for replacement I will certainly be looking at the load ratings ....