Thanks so much for the replies, and very good trouble shooting tips!

To get full access to the belt, I would need to remove this part (yellow circle)



Would anyone know of any video / manual I could get for disassembly instructions? I think once I can get that part (yellow circle) removed, I should be able to navigate the belt / accessories.

So far, I've ordered a Haynes Manual, as well as a Mercedes WIS DVD (ebay). Would those help with disassembly instructions?


Some things I've noticed:
--> When its raining, sound gets louder?? (Will try testing this out by spraying water)
--> Sounds gets louder as I rev higher! (Sorry if this is a newbie observation).
--> Sound is there whether or not A/C is on or off.

That's the air filter housing. It "should" be easy to remove but I don't know.

As far as Haynes, if it is the one that covers the C230K then it should help.

I have no knowledge of the DVD

__________________
1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

Yep, dampness makes for a louder " cracking " sound , ( not sure why ) wetting with water will lubricate the belt temporarily making the noise go away. Don't be afraid to get the belt wet, it will dry off.

Observation is just fine.

This lets us know that the compressor is OK, but the clutch is still suspect. However, given more noise then damp I'm voting for glazed flat pulleys / belt. What ever you do, _DO NOT_ use belt dressing, this sticky stuff makes a real mess, won't last and, then the noise returns it will be far worse!

This flat belt noise is common across all cars that use flat belts and can even occur with very hard old style V belts.