’95 E320 terrible grinding metallic sound under hood.
 

I noticed a new noise coming from under the hood yesterday but it wasn’t too bad. Drove 80 miles on the highway and it was a little louder when I got back but still not too bad.
Later that day I had to meet a customer 25 miles away and figured it will drive fine.
On the highway you cant hear much but when I got there it was getting loud.
Grinding and popping sounds.
I was thinking a timing chain problem, or maybe the PS pump was going out but the fluid level was fine, possibly the water pump but no leaks or running hot.
I had another 25 miles to go in the dark to get back and figured if it made it this far, it should be fine.
I got home fine but it was real loud by then.
Today after some disassembly, I found the belt tensioner pulley wasn’t attached to anything.
The bearing had all the balls gone.
Don’t think it would have driven much longer.

http://www.fototime.com/8AA3C6C2CDB756D/standard.jpg

What other models in the junkyard would have this same tensioner and pulley?

Answer
 

MB# 104 200 08 70
Fastlane: Accessory Belt Tensioner without Pulley
http://catalog.peachparts.com/item.wws?sku=W0133-1613655




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Good plug for fastlane.:D You forgot the pulley so I'm looking at $150+. If it was a late model I wouldn't hesitate. This is a 200K $3K-$4K car so a $11 junkyard part is fine.

Deciding to replace just the pulley bearing. Who knows how long a junkyard pulley and bearing would last. The tensioner is fine and the pulley is just a hunk of steel and only the bearing is toast. $25 for an INA bearing and $5 shipping is about half the price of a new pulley assembly.

You gotta be lucky you went all that distance, with the tensioner failing. Above all you didn't smoke anything else in the process!!

When I was checking it out this morning with the engine running, one of the last few balls in the bearing flew out and almost shot me in the head. Thats lucky.

The tensioner changed to the late one (the one you have) in mid-'95. I suspect that the '96-up E320s have the same tensioner, but can tell you for sure that it'll be hard to find a late '95 E320 in a boneyard.

That's why I'll just put in a new pulley bearing.

Man, my bearing bracket for the fan went out on the wagon on the way home from charlotte last week. There is no telling how long I rode with a completely chomped bearing. the way that serpentine belt is designed, it seems like bearing failures aren't catastrophic. It just makes noise. Anyway, no 95 e320's around here at the boneyards...so I got it from here. Had to install it twice.....the 4 bolt washer goes on the inside of the pulley mount, not the outside...RUNS GREAT NOW :)

Got it done.
http://www.fototime.com/5C260BA6F8FF1E3/standard.jpg

FYI...the 4 bolt washer goes on the outside towards the radiator and fan. If you put it on the inside, it will block the hole for the fan clutch removal tool which accesses from the inside with the tool.