260E with swapped engine shakes on highway at over 60miles/hour
 

I would like some opinions on what this problem might be.

I recently bought a used 260E that has a blown head gasket, I know I am so stupid not to know it when I bought it. After discussing with my mechanic we decided to put a used engine in it rather than try to fix the head gasket (as we don't know if the previous driver kept driving the car after the blown gasket, so fixing it might not have been worth while). Actually I regret not trying to fix the head gasket instead, read more below.

Long story ... short, I got the car back now, and it seems to run ok in the city, but once on the highway it start shaking as I drive the car faster. Once it gets to about 105km/hr (~ 60miles/hr) (rpm meter reads 3000) the car shakes from the engine compartment like you wouldn't believe. The steering wheel shakes so much it feels like my hands would shake loose from the wheel. So now I am such a nice obedient driver, never a speeder anymore cause I can't drive the car more than a 105km.

I called the mechanic, he says maybe I need a wheel alignment. I mentioned that it drives fine in the city. He also mentions that the car needs to have the 2 wheel bearings in the back replaced. But really the problems is in the front, not the back. It definitely vibrates from teh engine compartment.

I don't know what to do. Should I try to sell the car and cut my loss? Or should I dump more money in the car to see if it will fix the vibrations? I know I refuse the keep the car if all I can drive at is 105km/hr, what's the point?

Now the question: What could it be? Is the 2 wheel bearings at the back the culprit? Could it be a shoddy work when they pop in the replacement used engine? Is there any hope?

Did the shaking occur prior to the engine swap?

I have no idea. I bought it in a non-running conditions cause I thought it was a good deal. :-(

It sounds like it is drive train related, not an engine vibration. It could be an out of round tire, but I think it is some badly worn suspension component or components that have more stress on them as you go faster. Use the search function and see what you come up with.

By the way, where are you and what chassis and engine is your car?

Well then the possibility exists that the shaking has nothing to do with the engine swap, assuming the swap was done by a competent mechanic, the motor mounts are good, and everything was reinstalled properly. I would tend to agree with the suggestion to get the alignment and wheel bearings checked. I would also have the tires checked for out-of-round, and if OK they should be rotated and balanced. Afterwards you can drive the car to see if the shaking has been remedied.

I am in Ontario Canada. The chassis is of a 260E that would be W124.

What kind of worn suspension component would cause this to happen? When he swapped the engine, I asked him to put in new motor mounts. I am not sure if he did it for transmission mounts t hough, forgot to ask him to do that. Thx

If it is the drive train, and that sounds like a strong possibility to me, it may not be a huge fix. However, you should fix it pronto as it will be a very bad thing if it goes while you're driving.

Well he did say that the wheel bearings needs to be replaced. We test drove it around the block local traffic and he says the humming noise (sounds like the household vacuum cleaner on low setting) at the back is the wheel bearings needing to be replaced. I said I will take it back in a week or two. I just wanted to get the car out of the shop so I can start driving it. I immediately took it on the highway which was when I discovered the vibration.

Could bad rear wheel bearings cause engine vibration in the front?

I did a search for W124 vibration and came up with this. http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/search.php?searchid=975891 I did not see anything specific to your particular problem and I don't know if bad rear alxe bearings would cause a vibration in the front. I will say that vibrations can be problematic to diagnose. I had an out of round tire on the front of my wife's car and I would have sworn it was coming from the rear. I changed tires out until I found the culprit and it was the front.

First I'd check if the wheels are dented or out of balance. Maybe one of the weights fell off.

sounds like tires to me. or other front end components.

it doesnt sound like wheel bearings on either end.

and did you expect it to be perfect after doing the engine swap? if so that is probably not reasonable to expect. the car was parked by someone who didnt want to fix it anymore, so the odds are that there will always be multiple things to repair in a situation like that. i would suspect 3 to five thousand retail in a non running car. if you get off for less you are ahead of the game.

sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

i hope you didnt pay too much for a non running car. so if you didnt you can probably sell it and get out pretty well.

but if the shaking is the only problem, it probably will pay to fix it and drive it.

good luck in whatever you decide to do.

tom w

I forgot to mention, the model year is 1987 260E. Quite an old car. I didn't pay 3K for it, but end up paying that much for the swapped engine. You get what you pay for i guess.

Hi throne7,

Welcome to the forum!

I've moved this post to the Tech Help section - good luck with the car!

Chris

your problem is in the front end.out of balance wheel compounded by a bad steering shock.balance the wheels and replace the steering shock.if some problem still exists have a look at the flex disc behind the trans.maybe it's broken or out of line.bad rear wheel bearing will not cause a vibration in the front.

[[ BY: david s poole [your problem is in the front end.out of balance wheel compounded by a bad steering shock.balance the wheels and replace the steering shock.if some problem still exists have a look at the flex disc behind the trans.maybe it's broken or out of line.bad rear wheel bearing will not cause a vibration in the front.]]]


How much would it cost to replace the steering shock? And suppose its the flex disc how much roughly would it cost?

Hmm... I am having that thought going through my mind now whether I should flip the car to another poor soul, or try to tough it out and fix it and drive it. It all depends on how much it will cost to fix this vibration. If its even fixable.

Any of you experience driving a car with a swapped engine? Does it ultimately work out? or cars with swapped engines are a hopeless cause?

In the worst case scenario (I don't know what that would be? maybe total suspension retrofit) how much do you think it will cost me to fix the vibration? thx