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SL500: Noise from rear interior wall (gas tank?)

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#324 · (Edited)
MAGNETS !!
I used two very strong magnets to hold the top of the baffle to the front of the tank. I followed a German youtube post. The audio is terrible but you can see what he's doing. He's using 4 10x10xL50mm magnets, I used 2 40mm x 25mm x 14mm slightly shorter but taller. These things are not coming off once in place.
These are the ones I used:
www.ebay.com

1-10 pc 40mm x 25mm x 14mm N52 Strong Block Rare Earth Neodymium Magnet | eBay

Neodymium N52 Block Magnets. They are also triple plated with NiCuNi for corrosion and rust protection. A Neodymium Rare Earth Magnet that is never handled, will never break but one that is not handled correctly will always break.
www.ebay.com



Image
Image
 
#325 ·
marko69 said:
MAGNETS !!
I used two very strong magnets to hold the top of the baffle to the front of the tank. I followed a German youtube post. The audio is terrible but you can see what he's doing. He's using 4 10x10xL50mm magnets, I used 2 40mm x 25mm x 14mm slightly shorter but taller. These things are not coming off once in place.
These are the ones I used:
www.ebay.com

1-10 pc 40mm x 25mm x 14mm N52 Strong Block Rare Earth Neodymium Magnet | eBay

Neodymium N52 Block Magnets. They are also triple plated with NiCuNi for corrosion and rust protection. A Neodymium Rare Earth Magnet that is never handled, will never break but one that is not handled correctly will always break.
www.ebay.com



View attachment 2680758 View attachment 2680759
Click to expand...

Is it safe ? Will any of the electronics interfere with such strong magnets ?
 
#327 ·
There are second hand tanks available from later model cars that don't suffer the baffle problem. Changing the tank is a long job due to the number of fixings and removal of trim but really it's not a difficult job at all. The only awkward part is removing the pipes underneath. It took me two (leisurely) days to do mine. If need be I could do it much quicker.
 
#328 ·
side1out said:
I have a 2003 SL500. I hear either a free dangling object behind the seats or perhaps a noise from an object in the gas tank (not sure where the tank is). This clanging noise is heard when car is shook. Even a light nudge of the car will cause it to clank. Like a dangling object, hard accelleration will cause the noise to go away but when the car stops accelerating a clanging noise is heard. The car is running perfectly. This may have started happening while my car was parked overnight seeing as though it would have been hard to miss it when parking the night before. I can not rule out vandalism of some sort but I am having a hard time seeing how this could be the case.

What is located between the rear storage compartments (CD changer) and the trunk?

Is it possible to get objects in the gas tank? I would think there would be a strainer of some sort preventing this.

Striking the rear wall of the interior compartment seems to make a noise consistent with the clanging.

Please help!
Click to expand...
E653666 said:
I have secured my baffle by way of securing the baffle with a stainless steel spring anchored to the gas sender. There is a thread on this forum somewhere that illustrates how to attach it. Mine has been in and installed for over 4 yrs and I have not had any issues with it. Key is to get pressure on the bafffle with the spring to pull it back and hold it into position with just allowing a slight allowance of movement when the gas sloshes back and forth, but not enough that will allow it to hit the metal edges of where the spot welds broke.
Click to expand...
spring or magnets method. what is the best method? How long does it take?
 
#329 ·
Cowiepeters said:
Gas Tank Noise Success

I did the hook and spring repair a few weeks ago and it works perfectly

I hooked around a row of slots in the baffle a few inches below the top edge with a length of wire about coat hanger size rather than just hook over the top edge which I thought might be prone to unbending

Thanks for the tips
Click to expand...
Source for spring?
 
#332 ·
lmarine76 said:
Latest Baffle Victim

I’m sorry to have to report I have now joined this esteemed group of MB baffle warriors. As with many other owners, I too started hearing the obnoxious noise of something banging behind my seat. After reading this thread, which goes back several years I was pretty sure I had the dreaded baffle problem. My car is a 2004 SL500 with approximately 75K miles. I’ve taken the car into Mercedes-Benz of New Orleans Service Dept. who confirms what we already knew, “BAFFLES LOOSE IN FUEL TANK”. Cost to replace fuel tank is $2,454.00. Service Consultant informs my husband the most they can do is to take 10% off the Fuel Tank repair. Will not confirm or deny this is a known problem. After discussing back and forth with the service guy their suggestion was for us to call Mercedes directly.

I placed a call to Mercedes and told the customer care person, I have researched this fuel tank problem on the Mercedes Benz (benzworld.org) forum and found this to be a recurring problem with 2003/2004 SL vehicles. Her response was “Anyone can put anything they want on the Internet and it’s not necessarily true, so she wouldn’t be able to respond”. My complaint has been assigned to a case manager who will contact me in the next 24 hours….. In the meantime we have place the order to purchase the new fuel tank but have also instructed the service consultant to keep the broken tank in case we should want to take legal action. If anyone is interested I can update this post (good or bad). Thanks, Laura
Click to expand...
What happened with Mercedes? Did they cover it?
 
#338 ·
Regarding the Fuel tank baffle problem: How has Mercedes avoided a recall or a statement that states the broken fuel tank baffle is not dangerous? It would seem like they would be forced to provide one or the other. Does anyone know of any legal challenge with Mercedes?
 
#339 ·
Mercedes modified the tanks years ago. On the first cars the fuel could be heard sloshing around so they fitted a baffle. Very soon after the baffles started to break away so the tanks were modified again, in 2004/5. It seems that its still some of early cars that are having a problem but after 15 years plus of use Mercedes will say that amount time is acceptable. I fitted a different tank from a later model. The baffles are different and have more welds holding them in place.
 
#340 ·
I used a pair of needle nose vice grip plyers to stick ends into the holes in the grey sections of the sender, turn counterclockwise from 12 to 11 o'clock to remove sender from the top of the gas tank. I used a t shaped long water main shutoff tool to stick into the gas tank; and turn/twist edges of the baffle up. This holds the baffle tight and immobile.
 
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