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1989 w124 260E rattle
Greetings,
This is a bit long, but I need to explain a few things. I am trying to track down a rattle in my 1989 w124 260E. It is an intermittent rattle. It is not dependent on speed, temperature, braking or anything else. I can go 50 miles before it starts. That is the only thing that is consistent. i.e. if I start from a cold start in the morning it takes anywhere from 25-50 miles of driving before I hear it. The noise seems to come from behind the instrument cluster or perhaps the center of the dashboard. I have completely removed the instrument cluster and speedometer cable and driven the car and it still makes the noise/rattle. So, it has nothing to do with the cluster. I have tried all the heat/AC switch settings and it makes no difference. I have removed the kick panel below the steering wheel and checked things to no avail. I have removed the fuse box and relays in the left corner of the engine bay near the firewall and reached back where the wire harnesses are located to see if anything is loose but that did not do anything either. What does the rattle sound like? It kind of sounds like "delicate wind chimes", only not that nice or rhythmic. What I'm trying to say is that it does not sound like something rolling or bouncing around in the air ducts. It is more of a "floating" or metal against metal (?) noise. Here are my current problems: I gave the car to the dealer for 1 week with the understanding that they could spend up to 4 hours looking for it. They assured me that they have tools to analyze such things. I picked the car up after a week and they said they never got to it and basically don't want to deal with it and nothing is wrong with the car. They also could not guarantee that after spending their time and my money that they would find anything. Does MBUSA have a regional rep. who can reference technical service bulletins to see if this rattle is a known problem? I checked alldata.com and there was nothing that looked like the same problem. If the dealer won't look at it, what should I do? I don't really blame them for not wanting to take this intermittent problem and "own" it but, now I can't fix the problem even for $$. If I were to trade this car for another, the next owner would come back and complain about this rattle and then the dealer that sold it would be forced to do something, am I right? Well, all I'm saying here is that it has to have a solution and I would rather be the owner who gets it fixed rather than selling the car and having the next owner get it fixed. Are there any suggestions as which way to go now? I really don't want to tear the dashboard apart myself as my time is limited and this is my daily driver. Perhaps the noise is in the heater motor area? Thanks for your time, Jeff
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- Jeff 1957 W121 190 (history) 1966 W108 250S 1967 W108 250S (parts) 1982 W123 240D (history) 1989 W124 260E |
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Jeff,
A couple of questions and ideas: You said it doesn't depend on speed, but I assume that the noise stops when you stop the car, right? So that would mean that it something related to the chassis motion caused by driving, and not related to engine rpm or drivetrain rpm. First eliminate the relationship with engine RPM by letting it coast in neutral with the engine turned off. If the noise is still there, you've ruled out anything related to the engine running. How about getting the car warmed up to the point where it's rattling and then getting someone else to drive it while you climb around the interior, open each window and listen for it from different areas? This may help you isolate whether it's really coming from the dash versus the underside, engine compartment, etc. Is this a repeatable problem, or intermittent? Can you replicate it anytime? If so, take the mechanic for a ride when you can demonstrate the noise. Hope this helps...
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D.H. 04 ML500 02 E430 Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it. |
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Hi Dennis,
Thanks for the response. It really does not depend on speed. For example, if the car is in park in my driveway with the engine either off or on, I can take my fist and lightly pound on the top of the steering wheel and hear the rattle, but only 1 repetition of the rattle i.e. a single blip of the noise. I "believe" that I have heard the noise when lightly "pounding" on the fuse box area too. In this case also, it is only a single note and not a "echoing" type of rattle-rattle-rattle. Also when it /is/ making the noise, I can make it happen by being at a standstill (engine running) and releasing the brakes so the car moves only as much to jerk the body a bit. So my point is that it can happen under the least amount of movement (when it wants to). I have had passengers listen to it including the dealer and they all agree that it sounds like it is coming from behind the instrument cluster area. It may be in front of the firewall, but nevertheless, that is the general region. I have played with most everything in the area to no avail. As far as being repeatable, yes but only after it "decides" that it wants to do it. I never know for sure that it will start making the noise. Also, when it is /not/ making the noise, and I go over a rough road (construction, example) it will /not/ make the noise. i.e. it has to be in the part of its cycle where it "wants" (for lack of a better word) to make the rattle. Another clue: It starts out very quietly and with only a few noises, then quickly builds to a louder and more frantic rattle. As far as the level of noise, consider this: It's about as loud as a desktop Windows-based PC is when it is accessing the disk. Maybe a little louder. So it's not going to make me go deaf, only crazy. thanks for any other thoughts... Jeff
__________________
- Jeff 1957 W121 190 (history) 1966 W108 250S 1967 W108 250S (parts) 1982 W123 240D (history) 1989 W124 260E |
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