Low speed noise W124
 

When making low speed turns I've noticed that I can hear a faint moaning from the front end. I also have a faint clunking from the front end when travelling over uneven road surfaces. What should I look for on a W124 of this age? The car currently has 70k miles.

Something with suspension? Im not an expert so ill let these guys tell you what it is :P

Take off the front wheels, put the car on stands and pry/push on all suspension bushings. Look for torn rubber boots as well. Should be obvious as to what is making the noise once you look in there.

Ball joints, idler arm, tie rods.

Are you sure the moaning and clunking are related?

My E230 has a power steering pump that moans (its not that loud) under heavy load.

what you have failed to mention is....is this a 4-Matic? That makes alot of difference......is it?

No 300CE models were ever 4Matic.

It appears that my front end is fairly tight. I couldn't get any play in the front wheels when I moved them. Balljoints and tierods aren't loose. Is it possible that sway bar bushings could cause this faint thumping? I've also noticed some slight creaking when going over speed bumps especially when it is cold out.

Sway bar bushings will clunk when going over a bump with one wheel, but missing it with the other. If both wheels hit the bump, the sway bar just rotates in the bushings. It may creak a bit when rotating, if the bushings are sufficiently old and dry. I've only seen this on the rear of a 124, but don't see any reason why it couldn't happen on the front too.

Sway bar bushings are inexpensive and easy to replace. When the car gets to be 12 or 15 years old, I just orde up a set and throw them in.

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to go ahead and replace the sway bar bushings. How many are there?