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97 S500 front end rattle and rear bang at all speeds

3K views 12 replies 9 participants last post by  Gumpy 
#1 ·
Hi friends,
The annoying audible sounds are starting to add up.
Upon moving at low speed a detectible front end play/rattle is heard and somewhat felt in the steering. There is a slight 'pip' when turning slightly left and right and every slight dimple in the road is audible. Feels like the way an old Ford with worn spring perches sounds. By reading the post here, it sound like ball joints or sway bar bushings. It is an equally sloppy situation on both sides. Side note: when wheel is turned all the way from a dead stop while parking break just released, I feel a sticky clunk on one of the rotors at 360 degrees (1 tire rotation).

Saying that, the rear end is a perfect compliment, in that, every bump is amplified buy the sound of banging, like the way a shock tower sounds when it breaks loose (I've spent some time around old fords obviously). The rear tires are wearing on the inside and need replacement and the alignment shop showed me it is a little "toe out" and the camber is of slightly in the rear, namely drivers side. Could the rear seals need replacing? the guy i bought it from said the shocks were recently replaced. i assume they are hydraulic. It looks a little lowriderish anyway, but perhaps that is a standard stance.

Also I think the trans mount needs replacing as the shifter moves a tad at idle.

So recap:
front end rattle
Rear end banging
Are these simple solutions or money pit solutions?

thanks for any insight
 
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#2 ·
The rear sounds like the accumulators are shot. The suspension is rather complicated and parts are expensive, so this is going to be at least $1000 plus labor. I had mine done to the tune of about $1800, my insurance paid for the rest (accident related). I would also think about doing this at a reputable shop or dealer, shit gets messed up fast in the wrong hands.
 
#3 ·
Does a 1997 s500 have hydraulic rear shocks? I think the official build on mine was 1996. Did they introduce a different rear suspension in 1998?

I'm looking to order some oem front suspension parts. And I'll be looking for a shop near Los Angeles if anyone has a good front end place. Thanks!
 
#6 ·
My s500 needs an alignment, front and rear, pretty badly if I am going to keep it. Clunking is sort of livable. Tires wearing poorly is not. So the investment is a roll of the dice right now. I think there is an alignment shop in Glendale CA where I live that can handle this. He's an old timer and has been recommended, and seems to know and understand the nuances of Mercedes. My list of parts I've calculated is up over a grand at this point, not including rear shocks. I was thinking of getting into something more "practical" but after looking around everything seems like a massive downgrade. This car does have 170m on it as well so that's an factor.

I'm going to take my list to the mechanic and we are going to check what is needed or not needed. He is willing to do this.
These parts on last inspection 3 mo ago were showing signs of age, cracked boots etc...
L&R Upper Control Arms
L&R Lower control arm Bushings (or complete arms)
Sway bar links
lower ball joints

Rear:
Accumulators
replace a "missing"stabilizer bar link.
 
#7 ·
Received my parts.
To my surprise the MOOG upper control arms are marked RK90420 and RK90421 on the box.
The RK90420 had a ME-TC 6337 from Europe in the box (Right side) (huh?)

The RK90421 had a no nome part inside and it was ALSO a Right side upper control arm. (huh?)
Sent it back to Rock Auto.
Went through an arduous return process where the part had to come from Moog (ahem...federal-mogul...)
Waited another week.
They sent another box, RK90421. Well, the part inside that box was stamped "OSK90421" but was clearly another "right side" arm which should have been stamped 90420.
..........omg.
FederalMogul / MOOG has been somewhat rude and non-apologetic, like their whole factory is blowing up at the moment.
Beware.


Q:
Has anyone had better "long-Lasting" results with say, Dorman or TRW recently?
Otherwise, I may have to save up and go with the Lemfoerder 1403307607LEM and 403307707LEM at 2x the price.
 
#8 ·
Moog is a good company at least that is what I have heard from people and I haven't had a problem with buying GM parts made from Moog. The problem seems to be from rockauto though and I wouldn't be surprised. I bought a whole rebuild kit for my transmission and I had no steels for mine. After giving me the run around for about a week, they finally contacted me stating they don't sell the steel plates with this kit eventhough it states they do.

Perhaps it was just my bad luck, but the problem I had derived directly from rockauto. - You shouldn't sell something you don't have and you shouldn't sell parts if you can't even label what you are selling appropriately. It is a waste of time and if you were a shop using them as a backup, you would be having cars on hold for weeks.
 
#9 ·
I will simply state my opinions on the subject:

The parts listing you provided sounds reasonable. However I would verify that the stabilizer bushings in addition to the links are OK in addition I would have him check and repack/adjust the front wheel bearings.

If the rear stabilizer link is out and you drive the car you may do serious damage to the CV joints. You can refer to a posting by G-AMG.

With regard to parts I can tell you the best way to go is either MB or OEM manufacturer to the particular component e.g. lemforder. Yes there IS A DIFFERENCE. Rock Auto is about price not quality parts. if you check Pellican parts or Autohauz they will usually identify if a part is OEM

Seth
 
#13 ·
Hi friends,
The annoying audible sounds are starting to add up.
Upon moving at low speed a detectible front end play/rattle is heard and somewhat felt in the steering. There is a slight 'pip' when turning slightly left and right and every slight dimple in the road is audible. Feels like the way an old Ford with worn spring perches sounds. By reading the post here, it sound like ball joints or sway bar bushings. It is an equally sloppy situation on both sides. Side note: when wheel is turned all the way from a dead stop while parking break just released, I feel a sticky clunk on one of the rotors at 360 degrees (1 tire rotation).

Saying that, the rear end is a perfect compliment, in that, every bump is amplified buy the sound of banging, like the way a shock tower sounds when it breaks loose (I've spent some time around old fords obviously). The rear tires are wearing on the inside and need replacement and the alignment shop showed me it is a little "toe out" and the camber is of slightly in the rear, namely drivers side. Could the rear seals need replacing? the guy i bought it from said the shocks were recently replaced. i assume they are hydraulic. It looks a little lowriderish anyway, but perhaps that is a standard stance.

Also I think the trans mount needs replacing as the shifter moves a tad at idle.

So recap:
front end rattle
Rear end banging
Are these simple solutions or money pit solutions?

thanks for any insight
My 99 S600 had both of these "noises". Replacing the accumulators on the rear and replacing a broken spring on the front solved both problems. The rear accumulators are a DIY project of medium difficulty and under $200 or 10 times that at a dealer. Check the front springs as they are prone to breaking near the bottom perch on these heavy cars - also can cause your alignment problems (as can worn linkage). These cars are maintenance nightmares if you rely on a dealer/shop and therefore of decreasing value. Unless you do your own maintenance, they are money pits.
 
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