Years ago I sold my 190E 2.3 to a friend of mine. He's kept the car since, and came to have lunch with me today.

As we were saying goodbye, he put his car in reverse, and it made this awful "bang-bang-bang" noise. He immediately put it in park and let it idle for a minute. Then he tried it again, and it did it again. He backed out of the drive so that a tow truck could get access, and it stopped. So he drove off.

Hhhmmm?

He just called, and said it hasn't done it again. We're both puzzled. If it makes any difference, the temp was about -26, and the car had sat out in the cold.

Any ideas?

Car has 590,000 kilometers (366K-miles) but the tranny is a new MB unit installed at 500K, so it only has 55K-miles on it.

__________________
John Shellenberg
1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K

http://img31.exs.cx/img31/4050/tophat6.gif

which did that because the rear transmission mount had so deteriorated from oil spraying from various leaks farther forward that the rubber was almost completely gone and the trans hung so low that the front u-joint would tap the cross member when power was applied in reverse. It was an easy fix, but I'm afraid an M-B isn't made quite the same way.

Well, Don let the car sit out overnight at -33, and put it in reverse this morning. Nothing. He can't make it do it again, regarless of the conditions. It's only done it the once, in my driveway. I'd probably ask him what he's been smoking, but I heard it with my own ears...

...too weird.

__________________
John Shellenberg
1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K

http://img31.exs.cx/img31/4050/tophat6.gif

The Cat missing ????

Up here in Cold Canada - we have found that at -30-40F you can get all sorts of things that go bump in the night. Could just have been a chunk of -33F rock hard ice by the driveshaft that softened enough to break off when the temps went up. My speedocable in my GM car makes a loud ticking sound you can hear over the radio at all speeds at -30F. It warms up to -15F and it is normal. Been doing this for 3 winters. At -30F my wife always complains of a loud clunking sound from the front suspension when she hits a bump. When it warms up it goes away - ICE! I wouldn't worry.