Here is my situation. I have read all (or most all) of the ball joint posts but I am still wondering about the cause of the following sources of noise coming form my 2001 E-320.
1) 2 types of noise appear to be coming front right passenger tire. One sounds like the typical "clunk or clink" heard when going over bumps and is attributed to worn ball joints. Dealer confirmed this after accepting $110 to tell me the same;-)
2) The other noise is what is stumping me. It is a flutter type of sound, almost like a very fast heart beat that directly correlates to my speed, and is most pronounced between 15 -30 miles per hour. It sounds very much like it is being generated by the tire treads which begs the question "how does the vibration of the tread hitting the pavement get translated into the frame of the car"? The dealer says it is the ball joint but I find that hard to believe....anyone had a similar experience.
Here is my situation. I have read all (or most all) of the ball joint posts but I am still wondering about the cause of the following sources of noise coming form my 2001 E-320.
1) 2 types of noise appear to be coming front right passenger tire. One sounds like the typical "clunk or clink" heard when going over bumps and is attributed to worn ball joints. Dealer confirmed this after accepting $110 to tell me the same;-)
2) The other noise is what is stumping me. It is a flutter type of sound, almost like a very fast heart beat that directly correlates to my speed, and is most pronounced between 15 -30 miles per hour. It sounds very much like it is being generated by the tire treads which begs the question "how does the vibration of the tread hitting the pavement get translated into the frame of the car"? The dealer says it is the ball joint but I find that hard to believe....anyone had a similar experience.
Thx in advance for any any suggestions.
BTW, this is a great resource!!
Hi, Sto, and welcome to the forum.
Have you taken it to anyone else for a second opinion? Even just a good indie? Lots of times when you tell them what you think they don't really dig, so I try never to help them out.
The "flutter" noise you're describing I'm having trouble getting a handle on.
Have you tried rotating the tires front/back on the same side? It may be related to a tire issue, and that would help isolate it.
Can you feel this "flutter" through the steering wheel?
A sacked ball joint (moreso for a lower one) can transmit some things a bit more directly that in would if it wasn't worn out. It's also possible if it's worn sufficiently that there is a shimmy or other sort of thing that is causing the wheel to more or less oscillate a tiny bit from side to side, which might produce the noise you're trying to describe.
In any event, you know the ball joint is bad, so why not go ahead and replace it? If the flutter is gone, you know the dealer was right and if not, it hasn't hurt you any since you had to spend the dough on the ball joint anyway.
Post back up and let us know the outcome. And post a pic or two as well.
Take care and enjoy the ride,
Greg
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Yes, the first thing I did was rotate and balance the tires. Noise remained as well which I then assumed was not related to a specific tire. The flutter seems to correlate to wheel rotation speed, so the faster the wheel turns, the more rapid the noise, which is closest to the rumbling of a tire tread over pavement, becomes. All in all, I am going to replace the ball joint as you suggest and eliminate possibilities. I'll take pics as well and post.
If you're doing the work yourself, and depending on mileage, you might want to repack your front wheel bearings while you're digging in there. Since I can't really "hear" the sound you're describing that's a remote possibility as well, and if you're in there a repack never hurts anything anyway.
Many thx. Any suggestions as to what brand to go with the ball joints?
I had to have my ball joints replaced recently. I consulted an independent Merc specialist and he advised using Lemfoeder (Germany)ball joints (please check spelling) , the OEM suppliers to MB. The parts are identical. You are paying more for the MB logo. I guess it's your choice.
I was also advised to have a front and rear wheel alignment to ensure that everything was travelling straight. Speak to your mechanic and get his opinion.
I'm only relaying to you what I was told in Australia.
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