[bouzouki]

hey everyone..... for a while now ive had an ongoing issue with my car that noone could figure out....didnt want to take it to teh dealership because i was afraid of the cost....the problem was when i made a left turn, i had a noise coming from the drivers side front end like something was rubbing...i went to soem other guys that specialized in merdedes but none could find out the problem, one even charged me 400 bucks to change the transmission mount and the steering damper...end up the the lining around the driveshaft, by the transmission was loose and the driveshaft was touching up against it... the dealership found out this problem and fixed it for me for free...also, i got my 75000 mile service and tehy rebalanced my tires cause they were done wrong... whole thing cost me 135 bucks... gives me a little new faith in the dealership that i didnt have before...they fixed the problem and cheap too, something i didnt think the dealership could do....

Laz

 

[bouzouki]

has anyone ese ever had this problem???

 

[vtyagi]

Is it rubbing outside or inside the cabin?

-Vic

 

[UnshavenChauffeur]

bouzouki - 1/29/2005 11:27 AM

has anyone ese ever had this problem???

Yes, bouzouki; I had that very problem--insulation had dropped onto the driveshaft. I noticed it when I would be veering left - say on a windy road - starting at speeds above 40 Km/hr. This was enough g-force to shift the insulation to the point of rubbing/grinding away - but only going left!

At first, the dealership was stumped by this mysterious challenge. After hours of diagnosis and new front wheel bearings, the problem finally became apparent. The dealership seemed a tad abashed, said they had never seen anything like it before, and the complete work order was filed pro bono. I must say, they were good sports - and all things considered - tremendously fair.

I love a happy ending ~
UnshavenChauffeur

 

[mbenzz1]

bouzouki - 1/29/2005 2:27 PM

has anyone ese ever had this problem???

hi bozouki,
what dealer di you go to--they sound reliable and reputable, right?

 

[bouzouki]

i took it to ray catena in union, nj....my company works in the service dept with them so they are good to me about everything...20% off my bill and plenty of free stuff....they treat me really well...

Laz

 

[vtyagi]

I have this EXACT issue. Every time I make a left turn (even a slight left), I hear this soft screeching sound inside the cabin. It sounds like a fan blade touching/rubbing something. Screech-Screech-Screech.

But, here's the interesting thing: The sound only happens when my AC/Heat fan is turned on! So, this indicates to me that it has something do with the bearings in the blower going. I was going to wait until the weather got a bit warmer before I started to open up the filter housing under the hood and get access to the blower motor.

Anyone else know what this could be?

Vic

 

[ajalb]

thanks bouzouki for the great info about the liner rubbing on the the driveshaft. i have a 1999 S320 lwb with 38,000 miles and i had exactly the same symptoms as you did. i was told by a mechanic that it was the right front bearings. when i arrived home, i jacked the car up and could visually see the lining resting on the driveshaft with obvious signs of wear. i was able to physically move the liner up and the noise disapeared.[] i'll find out on monday if the dealer will replace the liner under my cpo warranty. thanks again!!

 

[carjoy]

RE: Notice to All on Transmission Pad

Earlier this year I shopped for and eventually bought two 140s ('96 and '99). In that process I personally inspected six or seven examples and talked to owners and techs about several more. In EVERY case, the transmission tunnel insulation pad had dropped away, and in most cases it was contacting the driveshaft. For those of you who have not inspected or replaced this pad, take a look now. A tech at the MB dealer in Laguna Niguel, CA, admitted that MB had reports of these pads "catching fire." While that may have been catastrophizing a bit, the entries in the tread illustrate problems enough. And yes, the fix is not cheap, though the pad itself is (relatively), and involves dropping the transmission and all the other bits in the way. pcmaher or Brett might do this for kicks, but they are, shall we say, exceptional.

 

[Guest]

sounds like an outer wheel bearning to me...

 

[King Tex]

Yep, I'm having the same trouble

Hi all,
I am experiencing the SAME issue here. When I corner hard to the left, I hear a rubbing noise (similar to the sound a car with a bad muffler makes, or a truck with snow tires). It sounds like a rubbing noise, but I see no evidence that the wheels are rubbing the inner shrouds. I've replaced darn near 1/2 of the front suspension, the alignment is fine, the front wheel bearings are find (repacked them with grease and re-tensioned them). I booked an appointment with a local mechanic because I was at whits end as well trying to figure it out. He mentioned on the phone that he saw a case where the driveshaft insulation was rubbing against the driveshaft.

Now that I've seen these posts, I am a little more at ease knowing what the problem most likely is. I will update you guys after my visit to the mechanic at the end of this month.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[UnshavenChauffeur]

Good luck, Steve - and welcome to the Benzworld Forums-!

UnshavenChauffeur

 

[S500L]

At first, the dealership was stumped by this mysterious challenge. After hours of diagnosis and new front wheel bearings, the problem finally became apparent. The dealership seemed a tad abashed, said they had never seen anything like it before, and the complete work order was filed pro bono. I must say, they were good sports - and all things considered - tremendously fair.

Funny thing: The only dealership here, and for what I understand by reading on other forums, most of the dealerships in the U.S. are quite aware of this common fault on W140s (insulation induced noise only noticeable turning left).

 

[King Tex]

That did the trick!

Thank you for the welcome UnshavenChauffeur!

I do have an update (better late than never ), it turns out the noise was exactly that same thing that everyone else on this thread had been suggesting...the driveshaft insulation rubbing against where the driveshaft mates to the transmission. I actually fixed it myself (or bought myself some extra time before having to replace it entirely). But, after a month it's still quiet when cornering left. Here is how I did it:
1. Ise wheel chocks on the rear wheels.
2. Jack up the front passenger side of the car.
3. Use a sturdy jack stand to support the car on it's frame (keep the jack raising the car in place, but also situate and secure a jack stand under the car frame for extra stability)
4. Use a large straight blade screwdriver and possibly a ratchet wrench (the rounded handle part, not the business end) and pry the insulation from around the part where the driveshaft mates to the transmission (where a very LARGE rub mark matched up to where the noise would be coming from).
5. Take the car around the block (find a nice isolated area where you can perform "at speed" left handed turns) and see if the noise is still there. If not, great. If it's still there, take another look underneath the car. Otherwise, just have it replaced.

Just seeing how close underneath the center console that the driveshaft and the insulation is, it is no wonder why the rubbing noise was so loud! Plus on a sidenote, I found a very reliable and HONEST mechanic locally (Santa Clara, CA) whom I trust with my car (stuff that I cannot do myself on my car, I will take to him).

Thank you again for the warm welcome and to everyone for the great advise posted on these pages! I will be contributing as often as I can so I may be of help to everyone as well.

Cheers!
Steve

 

[UnshavenChauffeur]

:beerchugr: