[FMOverbay]

Hey All,
I have a 02 C230 Coupe and have recently noticed a loud knocking/vibration when braking hard or turning left at 35+ mph. The sound seems to be coming from the passenger front wheel area. I initially thought it was a warped rotor but the brake pedal doesn't pulsate and the sound only occurs when using moderate to heavy pressure on the pedal. It just started to make the same noise when turning left on gradual turns at highway speeds. It makes no noise at all when turning right, when braking lightly, or when taking turns below 30 mph so I’m starting to think the problem might be with the suspension or bearings. Has anyone had or heard of a similar problem or have any ideas what this might be? The rotors are in need of replacement due to age but I’ve never heard of rotors causing a noise when turning. Thanks in advance for any help!
-Mathias

 

[2002c230]

I have the same problem on my 02' coupe. Sometimes it will be present, and other days it will not. Sound is comming from the passenger side front wheel area, but braking makes the sound go away for me...

Oh, and comming from a guy who had his brand new rotors, and pads installed improperly.... You will definitely feel vibration in the steering wheel, and brake pedal with warped rotors. Sears Auto is going to be buying me the same rotors, and pads brand new. Along with free installation being that the tech installed the brakes without checking the runout...

 

[zeet]

Is the noise at wheel speed? If so, it could be a wheel bearing. Get it up in the air, spin the wheels, feel for any roughness. Pry gently on all the suspension parts and check for excess play or movement in case it's a ball joint or bushing. If you don't want to do this, any good custom alignment shop (think: where the racers go) can do this stuff, or of course your dealer or indy.

 

[FMOverbay]

I don't feel much vibration in the steering wheel or brake pedal. The noise doesn't seem to be at wheel speed, that's why it is so confusing to figure out what's causing it. I thought it might be a bearing too but the fact that it doesn't vary with wheel speed leads me to believe that it is a suspension issue. I'm going to jack it up and inspect everything tomorrow morning if it stops raining. Thank you both for the input.

 

[Whosdis]

While you have the car in the air, you should still check out the brakes again. My car has a warped left front rotor. Once in a while, I get a squeeking noise coming from that corner unless I am turning to the right. The point I am trying to make here is, there is enough force on that wheel as I turn that the rotor is no longer touching the pad that is causing the noise. Maybe it is doing the same for you.

 

[FMOverbay]

I got the car up on a lift today and found the problem right away. The lower control arm w/ball joint is completely shot and allows the wheel to wobble around. Should be a pretty easy fix.

 

[FMOverbay]

I found a replacement Lemforder control arm assembly for $89.95 on AutoPartsWarehouse.com, the part number is W0133-1795513.

 

[zeet]

Sweet deal. That shouldn't result in an alignment change but you might want to get the alignment redone afterward anyway. Is the other side okay? Strange that one side would be shot and the other fine.

 

[FMOverbay]

The other side seemed fine, so I'm not going to replace it. I definitely need new rotors too though, they are in pretty rough shape.

 

[cbionic]

I'm having the same problem with my 02 C230. Is there a DIY for this? How easy was the replacement?

 

[Eesjunin]

cbionic: its pretty straight forward, if you want pm me your email and i can sent you a pdf.
Also, to add to this problem, make sure its not your inner tie rod end...I have both the upper and lowe control arms replaced, new rotors and it was still doing that....so just had my car on jacks this past weekend and tried to turn my wheels with the rotor, steering wheel in lock position, and it looked like there was some play in the inner tie rod area... now i have to find a time to get that done...

 

[CoreyT2130]

Hey All,
I have a 02 C230 Coupe and have recently noticed a loud knocking/vibration when braking hard or turning left at 35+ mph. The sound seems to be coming from the passenger front wheel area. I initially thought it was a warped rotor but the brake pedal doesn't pulsate and the sound only occurs when using moderate to heavy pressure on the pedal. It just started to make the same noise when turning left on gradual turns at highway speeds. It makes no noise at all when turning right, when braking lightly, or when taking turns below 30 mph so I’m starting to think the problem might be with the suspension or bearings. Has anyone had or heard of a similar problem or have any ideas what this might be? The rotors are in need of replacement due to age but I’ve never heard of rotors causing a noise when turning. Thanks in advance for any help!
-Mathias

Did this fix the problem I have changed rotors brakes lower control arm on my c320 rear wheel drive and it's still present?

 

[rudeney]

Welcome to the forum @CoreyT2130 - please take a moment to read the information on the link below. It explains how to update your user profile so that your car's details and your location appear on each post below your avatar. This is good information for others to know when trying to help. It also has good information about how the forums are organized and how to use the search feature:

Find your Forum Section, Navigate & Search

Don't expect to get a reply from the OP - he has not been on the forum in nearly 10 years.