In my 87300E I have this loud clattering noise..my friend said it sounded like the U joint in front or the drive shaft hitting the heat shield ...a mechanic said the front tie rods were bad..NO ONE can diagnose this problem they always find something else wrong to fix and I just want THIS NOISE FIXED. ok guys, COULD the tie rods cause a noise like this? HELPPLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Your model of Mercedes does not have any U-joints, it uses a disk instead, and it's very unlikely that would be the cause of your noise. (Unless your 300e is a 4Matic, in which case I am not sure how your front drive wheels are driven by.) Tie rods are also unlikely to be a problem of noise.

More description is needed to diagnose the problem area. Is the sound a clatter, grind, or clicking? Does the noise occur during coasting, just on acceleration, or just during braking? Is there a certain speed range that the noise is more pronounced in? How does the sound occur when reversing, and is it more pronounced when turning?

When you have performed some driving tests, tell us what you observed.

 

Do what cmscott16 said to help zero in on the problem.

What I would also do is lift each end of the car on ramps or a lift so the suspension is loaded--one end at a time if you can't lift the entire car at once. Don't set the car on jack stands because the suspension won't be loaded.

Get a rubber mallet and firmly tap on stuff underneath to check for loose/broken parts. Check both front and back. It's hard to tell which end a noise is coming from when you're sitting in the car. Don't rap so hard as to break stuff, though.

Also, do an eyeball check for missing or damaged bushings, especially at the ends of the anti-sway bars and shocks/struts.

 

Thanks for answering guys..ok..the sound is a clattering..and it doesnt do it all the time, but it does do it everyday. It gets faster as I accelerate, and if I brake REAl hard it does it..someone said the caliper was sticking but another mechanic said there was no signs of wear on the rotors?? It sounds like hmmm..lets say you stuck a pie pan in your bicycle spokes instead of a baseball card.. A mechanic also said 'a boot is torn'? Could THAt be it? and as far as the tie rods go-should those be replaced immediatley if they are bad? A mechanic BANGED on the caliper with a hammer and it stopped for a couple of weeks and told me it would come back and I needed to have it replaced..I had a caliper put on by someone else (cheaper) and its STILL doing it..is there something holding the caliper on that he banged on that could be the culprit and keep coming loose??

 

How about your center driveshaft bearing, up and behind that heat shield you talked about?

It could be your problem, but it's worth checking out. I found mine to make odd sounds and I had to use a flashlight to shine down the shaft to see it and the rubber surround was all shot.


Steve

 

As far as the tie rods go, I have never really heard of them going bad. It's just not something that happens. The only time you would ever need to replace a tie rod would be if the threads got striped or something, which would only happen if you were adjusting the toe. (like you might do after you get new tires) Anyways, the tie rods are are only affected by steering. (they are simply 2 bars of metal, connected with another bar called a centerlink, which is held up by an idler arm and a pitman arm, which is connected to your steering gear box.) as long as your front 2 tires appear to be wearing evenly, it would be a good indication that nothing is wrong with your tie rods or any of the steering components.

If the noise is definately comming from the front, a torn boot could not possibly be your poblem, unless you have the 4 Matic model. In that case, you would have 2 halfshafts in the rear(both w/boots) and 2 halfshafts in the front(both w/boots.) The boots hold in grease around the bearings of the halfshafts so that they can bend and flex. I do not believe this is you problem, as you would hear "clicking" and not a clatter.

The rotor is also very unlikely to be your problem. If the rotor was the problem, you would notice it on braking even at low foot pressures. Common signs of rotor warpage would be shuddering or vibration of the brake pedal upon braking, which you do not have.

As with the caliper, it is highly unlikely to be your problem, not only because it is part of the brake system which is not faulty, but also because you said you had it replaced and the noise is still there.

I am almost certain that your problem IS with one of your bearing sets for the front wheels. Bad bearings can make many different sounds, which can be caused by various reasons ranging from rusting to pitting to brindeling, etc. I know your problem is not with your heat shield you mentioned, because you said the hitting of the caliper with the hammer temporarily solved the problem. Most likely, the hammer just affected the bearings in the slightest sense somehow. Whichever wheel he originally hit to solve the noise problem, you should replace the inner and outer bearings, and the races which the bearings run in. A front wheel bearing set with races usually can be bought at a parts store for under $50. You will also need to buy a dust seal, which is usually less than a dollar.

 

Thanks much for the info! I'm starting with the bearings then and will go from there. I'll post the outcome just in case anyone else has this problem too. TY!