So, I've been driving the 190E-16 more and more. I love the ride, but my tranny seems to make a strange yawning noise when easing off in a given gear, or coasting in gear. It's not a whine, just a rattling sorta noise. My mechanic calls it "singing." What is it? Is it a worn gear? A loose heat sheild? Thanks guys....

Check the shift and shifter linkage bushings.

It could be a thrust bushing. Those are really cheep things burried deep in the transmission.

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5 speed '91 190E 2.6 320,000 mi. (new car, fast, smooth as silk six, couldn't find any more Peugeots)
5 speed '85 Peugeot 505 2.5l Turbo Diesel 266,000 mi. (old car, fast for a diesel, had 2 others)
5 speed '01 Jetta V6 (new wifes car, pretty quick)
5 speed '85 Peugeot 505 2.2l Turbo Gas 197,000 mi. (wifes car, faster, sadly gone just short of 200k )
5 speed '83 Yamaha 750 Maxim 14,000 mi. (fastest)
0 speed 4' x 8' 1800 lb Harbor Freight utility trailer (only as fast as what's pulling it)

I'm thinking it may be a heat sheild of sorts.. Are there such things on the 190-16?

Check the heat shield above the catalytic converter.

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Glen Tokuhara
Beauty & the Beast and the wagon that could!

I've isolated it at exactly 2900 rpm. Certainly not the tranny, but its strange at exactly 2900 rpm, it makes a ratcheting noise of sorts....

Randall,

If it is a US model and has the factory cats, they come with a layer of insulating material and an aluminum sheet metal wrapper. The sheet metal is welded here and there to hold it together and after a while it begins to come loose. On my car, the cat was liberated from this cocoon in the first 50,000 miles and the noise was gone, forever.

There are a few other possibilities, all associated with the exhaust pipe. If the car has a cat and it is aftermarket, the chances are it is the problem and there is little to do to fix it. Something about the aftermarket cats that makes a raspy noise at certain flow rates that just cannot be fixed.

There are a few other instances along the pipe where the pipe has the opportunity to touch a sheet metal shield here and there. Those can be fixed by either bending the shield out of the way or adjusting the exhaust pipe position, or checking your engine mounts and seeing if the engine is part out of alignment, pushing the pipe one way or the other. Good luck, Jim

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Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)