[belosch]

So yeah, I expect some rattles, but this sounds mechanical. I used to have a jeep with a vacuum leak so oil would blow back through the airbox and drip down the shocks and finally dissolved one of the shock bushings. thats what the rattle sounds like, or like... gah a trailer hitch on a ball thats too small?

its wierd, i crawled under and nothing seems loose or broken or out of sorts, and i only hear the noise at low speeds. it seems to come from the drivers side front wheel steering column area. im perplexed. it just doesnt sound good its a very hollow noise

anyone have any ideas, i know thats vague but i am not to sure what it could be, but it sounds like a loose joint. i thought maybe one of the springs was broken but they arent loose or anything, though i havent jacked it up to look yet. it doesnt affect handling or ride height or anything, i simply just dont know what it is and if its something i need to take in to ahve looked at. just doesnt sound normal.

 

[4x4abc]

you need to tell us when the noise happens - what speed, what terrain, what wheather, car empty, loaded, braking, accelerating, steering straight, turned left, turned right?????

Harald

 

[Thomas.Schumacher]

belosch,

While parked, and you rock the vehicle side to side, do you hear a "clunk" sound?
Sometimes the end joints of (what I call) the laterial stabizer bar will wear out and loosen. There is a kit for these from Europa. The rubber parts dry out and the bolt is subject to wear. It is fairly easily replaced - you will need four sets of bolts and rubber bushings, if this is the problem. Not expensive.

Do you have "play" or shaking in the steering wheel?

ts

 

[belosch]

well i only hear it at low speeds, over really random stuff, like irregularities in the road, brickbats, stuff like that. happens when going straight or turning in either direction, car is usually empty cept for myself, never when braking, and i cant hear it when accelerating really.

 

[belosch]

no, no shaking, ill check out the stabilizer. i dont have anything other than normal play as far as i know.

i only even bring it up because im not sure what it is, ive been ignoring it for a couple of months now trying to see if it was getting worse or better. i dont drive much, i probably put 120 miles on my truck in the last 2 months or so. its just odd and i was thinking about it while sitting at the computer today.

it basically sounds exactly like there is a bushing missing but all the ones i can see seem to be ok.

 

[belosch]

by low i mean 10-15mph

 

[belosch]

well, i went and looked just now while i was thinking about it and it all looks fine to me. though my knowlege is rudimentary at best. all the bushings look fine no cracks or bulges anywhere, the truck is brand new. the stabilizer isnt loose and didnt have any play in it when i tried to shake it, none of the fittings are loose the grease is basically new still. only have like 1200 miles on the truck if that. no clunking noise when i rock the truck from side to side.

the steering wheel has a little play in it but no more than i would really expect.

i just dont want to bring it to service if its just a clump of wires loose banging on a panel.

basically im more puzzled than anything. if its just a quirk of this truck thats not really a big deal, its the quirks you love them for. but if its something mechanically not right i want to get it fixed.

i just cant for the life of me find anything loose that would make that kind of noise.

 

[MarcO]

In my opinion, your brake pedal has loosened up and is now rattling a little bit. Note that there is no noise when applying brake. Here is the test, on a deserted local road go over an imperfection that causes the rattle. Then with your left foot pull up on the brake pedal by wedging it behind and pulling towards you (a fun maneuver) and go over the same imperfection. Voila! If no noise time for the dealer to remove the play. Or maybe they will just break something else (I am sorry, but that had been my experience until recently). By the way this has happened in both my G's. Very annoying.

 

[GwagenLover]

RE: Look here...

I first noticed a strange noise at low speed after I got my Gwagen. It turned out to be a lost nut on the heat shield on the exhaust system in front of the rear tire. Mbenz replaced the shield as it had split from the vibration. I put larger washers on it and have had no trouble since.[]

 

[Thomas.Schumacher]

I was once surprised that my new MB sedan (W201) with about 1000 miles on it, developed a slight clunk sound when turning and certain road surface change conditions. It felt very steering related, as you have noted. I took it to the dealer for the first service check-up and break-in oil change. The dealer indicated that at the first service there is a job for a recheck of the torque of the steering gear box attachment points - three bolts I believe. This solved the noise completely.

On my W114 and W 123 autos, the drag link can be the culprit. But these problems, like the horizonaltal stablized bar bushings on the G, or the motor mount at the rear of the transmission, are usually associated with many miles/years of use. I would also check the exhaust mounts to see if you have lost a rubber mount or hanger.

Good luck!

ts

 

[belosch]

yeah, im figuring its something loose i cant see or reach or move with the limited leverage i have by crawling under it.

nothing i can fiddle with is loose and all the bushings are good.

it could be the bolts are just loose on the stearing box, that would make sense it seems like thats the general area the noise comes from.

ill check that next.

thanks all.

 

[ewalberg]

exhaust hanger...

You know thomas, my hanger broke... the hanger which is welded onto my exhast system just before my cats, and that inserts into a little rubber bushing. If i still had the original part i could probably take it to a welder, but it's gone now. It doesn't make any noise, or seem to matter that it's missing, but i'd hate to catch the muffler on something and not have it supported.

anybody have any good ideas. i imagine there's a part number for the hanger, maybe if i get that, i can just have somebody weld on some extra metal to bolt the new part to...

 

[DUTCH]

RE: exhaust hanger...

ewalberg - 3/1/2005 5:14 AM

You know thomas, my hanger broke... the hanger which is welded onto my exhast system just before my cats, and that inserts into a little rubber bushing. If i still had the original part i could probably take it to a welder, but it's gone now. It doesn't make any noise, or seem to matter that it's missing, but i'd hate to catch the muffler on something and not have it supported.

anybody have any good ideas. i imagine there's a part number for the hanger, maybe if i get that, i can just have somebody weld on some extra metal to bolt the new part to...

You can purchase the upper piece as a spare part, but the broken lower piece is welded and a part of the cat assembly.

The EPC shows that as located after the cats.

 

[mb230s]

RE: Look here...

GwagenLover - 2/28/2005 9:57 AM

I first noticed a strange noise at low speed after I got my Gwagen. It turned out to be a lost nut on the heat shield on the exhaust system in front of the rear tire. Mbenz replaced the shield as it had split from the vibration. I put larger washers on it and have had no trouble since.[]

I concur - heat shields. They warp easily. Ask the dealer to replace and add extra spacers (washers) to increase the distance between the shield and the pipes. I had this done 6-8 months ago.

 

[belosch]

RE: exhaust hanger...

well, i just went down and looked and none of the hangers are busted, and nothing is loose enough to move by hand.

the only thing i could do was move the inner lining on the fender flare enough to bang on the heat shield lip. it was pretty loud. that might be it, but it really doesnt seem like the right kind of noise at all.

this is really perplexing. my thinking is that its probably something that just needs to be retorqued down like the steering box or somthing. i couldnt move anything but that doesnt meen it isnt loose, i would just think that something loose enough to make noise would be loose enough to move by hand. it sounds like something that has alot of 'play' in it.