Wondered if anyone out there has noticed the front end thumping and feeling kinda loose on the 124 bodies after about 70 thousand miles ? Our 1990 300E started around then and I replaced the front struts and it didn't seem to help a bit. Our 1993 400E is starting at around 72K and I just bought a 1995 E320 TE with 87K, and it thumps pretty bad. I have had them up on the rack and can find no play in any of the suspension parts. Any thoughts ? Thanks.

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95 SL500 Smoke Silver, Parchment 64K
07 E350 4matic Station Wagon White 34K
02 E320 4Matic Silver/grey 80K
05 F150 Silver 44K

Lower ball joints....hard to notice on a lift. Push up and down on the front fenders and listen for squeaks. Althought they can be bad sometime before they start to squeak badly. Good luck.

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Brandon



2008 S550
1957 Dodge D100
1967 VW Microbus 21 Window
2001 Suburban
2004 Beach cruiser bicycle
-----------------GO DUKE!-----------------

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here." Patrick Henry 1776

Check your front sway bar bushings too.. They can also make a thumping noise when they're worn.

Freestyler

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Never criticize someone until you've walked a mile in his shoes. That way, when you do, you're a mile away -and you have his shoes!


'86 300E optically converted to '95 E300 (Sold)
-Blauschwarz on silver
-Black leather
-17" AMG & 15" AMG for winter

My 190 2.6 had a thumping sound from the front left.
The brake pedal had little to no pulsating when the brakes were applied and the thumping didn't stop. The thumping increased and decreased with the speed of the car. The dealer said the ball joints were shot and for $1600 they could fix them. Ball joints don't rotate so how could they make a noise related to speed? The Loeber Motors service manager insisted they do...I told them NOT to touch he car.
I had replaced the pads and rotors 3 months prior, but I decided to check them anyway. With the wheel off I could spin and observe the rotor and caliper. The caliper was moving side to side as the rotor spun. The balljoints were fine. I replaced the rotor and the floating guide pins. Both the rotor and guide pins had warped and the source of the thumping noise. Why this happened so fast? I used Zimmerman instead of Brembo...maybe. Think it was a fluke.
Hope yours is this easy.

Well so far The ball joints have no play at all, and I can get no movement out of the sway bar at any of the bushing points. Rotors are fine but SOMETHING is banging around up there. I'm surprised that none of the techs have picked up on this, as I really believe this is a common problem, as I have had 3 cars that have had it. I probably put in in the wrong forum and should move it up one spot.

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95 SL500 Smoke Silver, Parchment 64K
07 E350 4matic Station Wagon White 34K
02 E320 4Matic Silver/grey 80K
05 F150 Silver 44K

My 300SD probably has a different setup but the problem sounds the same as mine.

I have a thumping up front that increases with speed. Turns out to be a very slightly warped rotor that is catching one pad. With new pads it takes a while but eventually they seem to get a very small amount of movement. Turing the wheel by hand it is very hard to spot...holding the caliper in one hand and turning the wheel with the other I could feel the clunking in the caliper.

Previously I had thumping and it turned out to be a ball joint on one of the stabilzing bars. This was missed by a front end shop but I don't understand how.

Brian

I saw on one of the other forums here that a guy wanted to buy a used 400E, but one of the problems was a "clunking in the front end", and the dealer said it was something in the steering column. Anyone? That sounds very plausible in my case.

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95 SL500 Smoke Silver, Parchment 64K
07 E350 4matic Station Wagon White 34K
02 E320 4Matic Silver/grey 80K
05 F150 Silver 44K

SWAY BAR BUSHINGS!!! Always replace these first, cheap and easy fix. Your mileage is correct for these wearing out.

Astounding how much noise coming from front end just because these 4 simple pieces of rubber are worn. Sounds like you need a complete front end rebuild.

The problem with these cars is we automatically expect the worst and most expensive when something goes wrong, but sometimes you get a pleasant surprise.

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1995 MB E320 Wagon
2001 BMW 530i
2007 MINI Cooper S (!)

Miktvk!!!! I'll try the sway bar bushings,,, you sound pretty sure and that is a cheap and easy fix. As an aside,,, how do you like the E320 wagon? Just got one and I think it's my favorite Benz so far. It definately gets a lot of looks around here.

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95 SL500 Smoke Silver, Parchment 64K
07 E350 4matic Station Wagon White 34K
02 E320 4Matic Silver/grey 80K
05 F150 Silver 44K

PJG56 ,

For many years, I wanted one of these, they are rare, very nice looking, extremely functional and practical and have a ride like nothing else. We like our '95 a quite a lot, despite its quirks.

For a very brief moment we had a '94 wagon in Imperial Red-extremely rare color which looked awesome, and it attracted a lot of attention, but at only 78k miles turned out to be quite a disaster.

2 months after we bought it, the independent dealer we bought it from graciously bought it back, no problem. Everything that could go wrong went wrong with this particular car, all in 2 months!!!
The list:
-Alternator and Battery
-OVP
-Head gasket
-Timing cover gasket
-Upper timing chain guide , when this plastic item self-destructed, it sounded like the motor had thrown a crank bearing, I kid you not!
-Wiring harness (on all 93-95 MBs, these are defective to some degree, depending on higher mileage and how often it was moved around to make other repairs)
-Most of the front suspension and steering linkage--even after all the steering parts were replaced, the clunking noise persisted, replacing the bushings cured all the noises!

As you can see, the car had quite a nervous breakdown. Terrified, we returned it, trading for a nice '99 A6 Avant wagon.

This car we owned for 6 months. So disappointed we were with how this car drove compared to the older E320, we brought it back to the same guy and traded for a nice '95 he had just got at auction, most of the typical problems were already repaired, and it had 104k on the clock. This is the car we have now, and are quite satisfied.

The only thing bugging me is a persistent cracking/snapping noise coming from somewhere around the right rear wheelwell area, but I'm working on it still. Gonna follow my own advice and replace the rear swaybar bushings next.

I am resigned to the notion that it may just be old-age related flexing in the body structure, but weirdly, it won't do it when it is very cold (less than 20F), or just after I been to the car wash.

How's that for an earful?

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1995 MB E320 Wagon
2001 BMW 530i
2007 MINI Cooper S (!)

Miktvk,
Thanks for the info on the TE's. Have a few issues to take care of with mine also but should be well woth the effort. Al;so have a slight cracking in the left rear. Will check every bolt for tightness in the suspensiion.
Pete

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95 SL500 Smoke Silver, Parchment 64K
07 E350 4matic Station Wagon White 34K
02 E320 4Matic Silver/grey 80K
05 F150 Silver 44K

Pete, I am at the moment experimenting with injecting some silicon spray deep under the rubber molding at the forward part of the rear side windows, in other words, up and down the C-pillar, in and around the metal trim and the rubber inserts. I have a suspicion that this may be the cause of the cracking noises coming from both sides--that is old, shrinking window molding.

I am doing this on recommendation of someone else on the forum. This may do it. I'll keep ya posted.

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1995 MB E320 Wagon
2001 BMW 530i
2007 MINI Cooper S (!)

If those windows are in butyl, and I think they are, that might be true. If they are urethened in, I don't think that is a possibility.

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95 SL500 Smoke Silver, Parchment 64K
07 E350 4matic Station Wagon White 34K
02 E320 4Matic Silver/grey 80K
05 F150 Silver 44K

the sway bar brackets. On my 400E one of the brackets that holds the sway bar (close to one of the bends) was broken

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Regards,

Albert
aldedmon@yahoo.com

Thanks, Pete and Albert, I have the new brackets on hand, but I'm waiting for bushings to arrive. Want to do it all at once, 10 degree evening weather dampens my enthusiasm for tinkering in the garage.

Pete, by butyl, do you mean the sticky black bead of tar that seems to hold the windows in place?
-Mike

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1995 MB E320 Wagon
2001 BMW 530i
2007 MINI Cooper S (!)