W210 rear suspension noise
 

My E300 is developing some noise from the back end when going over bumps. It sounds like the front did before I replaced the sway bar bushings. Could it be rear sway bushings? Are these as easy to replace as the fronts were? I'm guessing the other bushings are pretty worn by now - is there anything else back there that I should take care of once I'm there?

Thanks,

It's a multi-link rear suspension, so there are several possibilities. A good inspection should determine the culprit.

Another possible culprit are the rubber doughnuts on the upper shock mount. It's also possible you have a bad shock.

Good luck.

Note that you may have to examine it both loaded and unloaded.

Replaced the rear sway bar links, but rear end is still noisy. Replaced the left rear shock last summer, but I can't get the right rear shock off, the lower bolt is bent. Can a dead shock be noisy? Or does the loose clunk indicate worn bushings?

Are any of these bushings straightforward to replace? Just trying to figure out where to go next - take care of shock or look elsewhere.

Joint problems
 

Sounds like the outer LCA joint, where the lower control arm connects to the wheel hub. This is a common problem, I just replaced that joint in my '95 E300. It is called a "bushing" but it really is a spherical bearing that allows the LCA and hub to twist relative to one another while still being firmly connected. Access is fairly easy but a puller is required (home-made works). The joints are about $35 each. Best to replace both sides.

See this link for a detailed discussion. The discussion is about the W124 but the W210 has the same rear suspension, even a lot of the same parts.

Jeremy

OK, the links are very informative - I pm'ed the people on the parts rental list, hopefully one will have the puller still available.

FOLLOW-UP: Got the puller from a forum member earlier this week, had a chance to do this today. I followed Jeremy's tutorial on the W124, and it's pretty much the same on a W210, not very difficult for the most part. I should add to Jeremy's tutorial that on a W210, the bolt and nut holding the bearing in are 22mm at least on my '97. The bearings themselves looked awful, definitely time for replacement.

One observation - when I did the left side of the car, the LCA shifted forward about 3/8" when it had dropped. Pushing it toward the rear of the car and up when it was time to put everything back together was a challenge. Is there really supposed to be that much forward/rear play on the LCA? Or is the inner bushing probably toast too?

During the post-repair evaluation test drive, the noise from the back end seemed to be reduced, but not absent. There's still a clunk when I go over bumps. It's better than it was though, and will have to be good enough for now, I have other projects to move on to and a VW front disc brake conversion to do next.

Thanks to all who replied, and especially Jeremy for the excellent tutorial and bsharp for the quick response on getting me the bearing puller.

On a different vehicle (non-mb) we had a clunk on tight turns and bumps years ago, and it turned out to be a broken shock. Now, what's this about VW brakes on oyur w210? I'm sorry but you completely lost me...

Well the right rear shock is old and I can't get it off, so that could be it.

Re: brakes - check the sig, it's an upgrade for the '66 VW 1300/beetle.

Noise
 

Since the RR shock is already suspect, I'd start with that. Try to end up with two shocks that are the same type (brand) and stiffness, and new if you can afford it.

The Mercedes 5-link rear suspension, nice as it is for maintaining correct wheel alignment with the road as the suspension moves with surface irregularities, does have lots of bits and pieces that can cause the noise you are still experiencing. Each of the links has a rubber bushing at each end; a completely worn bushing will allow metal-to-metal contact. You should be able to see such a worn bushing when you are under the car; you may even be able to twist the link with your hands. The more it moves, the worse the bushings are worn.

Other possible causes of noise are the three bushings that hold the differential to the sub-frame, the four sub-frame bushings, and the flex plates in the drive shaft.

Jeremy