Has anyone thought of doing this or actually done it? There has been many horror stories such as these 2:

W123 Steering Column Lock Reliability Concern/Fix

help! Another stuck ignition key thread

There are many more.

I am not worried about theft of my vehicle. If my key won't turn the ign tumbler, I don't want to have to be stranded and resort to cutting and drilling it out. I want to be able to unscew the collar, take the tumbler out and turn it with a screwdriver. If the steering column lock mechanism fails, I want to be able to remove it easily without cutting or drilling so that I can turn the wheels and drive the car.

Ideas? Any safety issues not having a steering column lock?

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

No safety issues not having a steering column lock that I know of. There is a small safety risk of having an old steering locking mechanism. In my recent thread I described a failure of my steering lock system which could have resulted in the steering wheel locking as I was driving down the road.
There are probably a couple of things a person could do to make recovery from a stuck key simpler. The locking dog on the tumbler could be ground away I think. This would allow the collar to spin all the time yet have the appearance of a standard collar. Or, a hole could be drilled in advance at the proper location for the paper clip with the key in the off position. Or, the steering locking bolt could be ground down or removed. I think it may also be possible to put some epoxy in the end of the ignition assembly, holding the locking bolt in the open position.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

What about when the car is being towed with 4 wheels on the ground? What about 2 on the ground lifting either front or rear? Is the steering lock needed?

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

I wouldn't trust it to hold the wheels in place.

-J

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

Some people have written that they want the steering lock in order to hold the wheel in position when removing the bolt that holds the steering wheel on. I don't see why turning the wheel to one of its stops wouldn't accomplish teh same thing.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Did this last fall to mine. Tumbler was going out and lock mechanism was starting to not always unlock. Almost stranded me a couple of times.

When I replaced the tumbler, I also took out the whole assembly. Pushed in the steering wheel lock, drilled it, and drove in a roll pin.

I shouldn't have that problem again.......I hope.

Paul

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Paul
1983 300CD
1999 ML320

The key was sticking on my 300SD every once in a while, so what I do now is just turn the steering wheel about 10 degrees off center when I park and never have a problem.

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'81 300SD

This is a good way to shear the steering wheel lock "bolt" off,. Do not rely on the steering wheel lock to hold the wheel, while loosening the center bolt!

My cautionary advice for the day

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RM Smith
1988 560SL

"Where is it again that we are going, and why are we in this handbasket"?

This is basically how I got my car from the PO, only I didn't know it. The lock had clearly failed at some point in the past, so he broke/drilled out the tumblers which made it possible for any flat item to rotate the ignition switch. He also wedged what appeared to be a drywall screw into the locking pin then ground it off. Then he put it all back together.

The way I discovered it was when the broken switch completely disintegrated and I disassembled it.

You could probably file off the pin/lug that is spring loaded to stick out into the black collar so you could always unscrew it, or maybe fill in or file down the edge in the black collar so it acts like a ramp to depress the pin.

Those two things would probably achieve your goal.

But I'm also the guy who needed to remove my steering wheel and couldn't. The same PO put loctite on the steering wheel bolt. A potential problem with counting on the full-steer stops on the steering arms is that they're on the other side of the corrugated tube. How much torque do you want to put on the tube that is designed to crush and collapse?

I removed the steering column and put it in a vise and still couldn't break it free without heat. Is this a safety issue? No. Would it have been a problem if the PO hadn't used loctite? I doubt it.

But...maybe it's prudent to add the switch replacement to preventitive maintenance if you're concerned about being stranded and the parts are OE. Maybe spend the $200 for a new ignition housing and a VIN-matched key as insurance against the 25 year old one failing.

Would you also disable your door check strap since it might fail and leave your door stuck wide open? Some things just wear out at really inconvenient times.

Factory specifies thread locker. Replacement bolt is encapsulated. Many have re-installed wheel without the offending locktite... You decide for yourself if needed.

Best way to remove it... heat releases threadlocker.

http://www.rmsmithco.com

click on link titled odo repairs/steering wheel removal

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RM Smith
1988 560SL

"Where is it again that we are going, and why are we in this handbasket"?

I checked the link and read the full procedure, but I also checked the FSM.

No mention of thread locker or the proverbial "do not reuse" encapsulated bolt in the W123 FSM, section 46.4-610

Step 10. "With steering lock engaged, screw countersunk screw (10) into steering wheel shaft and tighten to 80 Nm."

Arguing against the factory recommended use of thread locker would be step 12.

"During trial run, check position of steering wheel in straight ahead position of road wheels. If the steering wheel position when driving straight ahead is not in agreement with front wheels, the steering wheel can be displaced in splining by max. 2 teeth to the left or right."

From that I would infer that it's expected that you may need to tweak the position of the wheel and wouldn't apply thread locker to hinder this.

That being said, there are the different types of loctite. The type the PO put on mine would not budge with the steering column removed, clamped in a bench vise and an impact wrench used on the bolt. As stated, I needed a micro torch. In my opinion, having to torch your steering wheel is a bit much.

Yes, I noticed you did not apply threadlocker when reassembling yours.

Being that the steering lock and ignition lock are theft deterrent items and not safety, yes, I would disable them and not of spend the $200 to $300 in parts to replace them.

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

An impact wrench works on the steering wheel bolt.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

My 83 240D and 83 300D both had loctite on the steering wheel bolts. My 110V HF impact gun did not budge them. I finally got them off with a 3/4" drive T handle breaker bar with a long extension pipe for extra leverage. Is the loctite necessary? I don't think so. I can't see how the steering wheel can ever come off in your hands while you drive w/o the loctite.

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked