strange noise, cant locate
 

1982 300sd. Intermittent noise from right front of car. Best described as sounds like something rubbing on the tire tread, but nothing is. Speed related, comes and goes at different speeds and pitch changes, but not consistently. Not engine related. Sound is unchanged when popped into neutral. Does not appear to change while cornering. I removed and inspected the outer wheel bearings, found nothing. Did not inspect the inners. Bearings were not loose before removal. Ordering a new set of bearings anyway. Brakes are decent and noise is unchanged during braking. Swapped the tire with spare, no change.

Sorry for the messy post, it is very late. Any help is appreciated, I am stumped.

also see:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/335430-strange-noise-s-getting-worse.html

check that harmonic balancer is tight on crank, check pulley attached to it.

Have someone ride in the passenger seat and see if they hear it from the same direction. Noises can be very difficult to pinpoint as the sound travels.
Frequently the center bearing will sound to the driver as if it is coming from the right front area. Or you could ride in the passenger seat with someone else driving since you know the sound, and then if it appears to come from the right front, pursue that area some more, but if it now sounds like it is coming from the left or somewhere else look to the center of the car. Possibly the center bearing, a dry differential seal, the rubber mount for the center bearing or something along those lines. HTH and good luck.:)

Wheel bearing sound like a good possibility.

I bet your motor mounts are weak, and you have powersteering belt contact with your oil cooler lines, or the driveshaft is contacting the exhaust...
check #1 IMMEDIATELY as it can kill your motor!

grinding noise when turning right
 

1982 300sd, Noise just started today when I left work. When making hard turns to the right, such as exiting the highway or turning a corner at speed, I get a grinding noise. Slight vibration can be felt in the steering wheel. I replaced the front wheel bearings this week as well as my engine mounts. When I got home I swapped the left front tire with the rear but the noise is still there. The bearings spin free and smooth, very little if any end play. No obvious movement in any of the suspension or steering linkage. No clunking or other noised going over bumps.

All this week I have been chasing a different noise that seemed to come from the right. It started suddenly when leaving work as well. Strange noise that sounded like something rubbing on the right tire. New wheel bearings made no difference. After changing my engine mounts the noise seemed to go away which made no sense to me as nothing was rubbing or making contact. that was two days ago.

Please help, I am really getting tired of throwing money at this car

any chance the rear swaybar links are broken?

Slight vibration in the steering wheel may indicate a problem with the idler arm. If the idler arm assembly has developed corrosion inside, this may be a source of "groaning" and eventually a vibration from the right side.