Here is what I found out and what solved the problem...

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/138443-disaster-averted-droning-sound-fixed-pics.html?posted=1#post1025600

__________________
~shell
As of 2/2010:
2001 CLK55 0o\=*=/o0
13.6 @ 106mph
10K mi
1984 300SD
260K mi and going and going...
97 S600
46K miles
1991 Sentra SE-R (extremely dorked with)
www.se-r.net

Hey,

sorry to hijack this thread. good tips...engine shocks (if I had a 5 cyl) and flex disk bolts are great places to look.

I fixed my high speed vibration and it looks like I misread the noise and gave lousey data to the forum about the sound. I said it was happening only under load and went away when I pushed the clutch. Well...that's part of the droning sound. On my 240D, the engine, tranny and diff make some gear roar at higher speeds but it is nothing to worry about because it happens when my engine is screaming at 70mph in 4th. I noticed after the sound progressively got worse that there was the gear noise COMBINED with some tire noise. More accurately wheel bearing noise.

It wasn't so bad at 60mph but really got loud at 70mph along with the engine so I got it all confused.

I picked up the car and spun the drivers side front wheel and it was pretty quiet with no play (this was the second time I checked). I took off the wheel and spun the rotor and it went around fine. Then it went thump thump thump and then went around fine again. I kept spinning trying to get it to do it again but it just wouldn't happen. WTF???!!!

So I pulled the rotor and found the bearing had been greased with this green grease the color of antifreeze. I usually like using the black high temp moly grease.

The history of this rotor is I bought it at Pick and Pull with the control arm and ball joint because I was too lame to press the joint out of the existing one on my car. The pulled part only cost me $15 and it "seemed" to have a good bearing so I just replaced the spindle and rotor and balljoint assembly with the used one.

Well...I should have taken the bearing apart and peeked inside. Along with the green grease there were flakes of chrome plating or something like that. The bearing was made in the UK (okay I'm prejudiced to Timkens and NMB so shoot me).

Since I'm unemployed and cash poor right now I went into the garage and got my old spindle/hub with the lousey ball joint and took out the Timken bearings and repacked them and installed them into the car.

All is fine. The car still has gear roaring but I think that is pretty much the nature of the beast after owning lots of old Volvos with manual trannys. The wheel roar is gone and the thing is wayyyy quieter.

Hope you'll find the source of your roar problems. Maybe engine shocks, u-joints who knows.

Good luck,
Yoko