'96 E-320 Rattle in Dash
 

My E-320 has 66K miles on it and is in excellent shape. My wife and I noticed a rattle in the dash some time ago that has gotten progressively worse. At first the rattle was very inconsistent but now it occurs almost constantly when driving. The noise goes away when the car is stopped. Although I am convinced that the rattle is in the dash on the drivers side, it is possible that it is coming from under the hood, maybe on the firewall. I do not feel any vibration in the steering wheel but it almost has to be vibration related. It does not change with engine speed but does change with road speed. It also seems to get worse on windy days.

I know these noises can be difficult to identify, but thought maybe someone else out there in MBland might have experienced a similar problem.

Any thoughts would be appreciated....


John Hamilton

There is a service bulletin about the plastic air grills on the windshield making noise. SI number MBNA 94/02 dated DEC 1996
Very simple modification that takes only 1/2 hr or less to do.

Interesting bulletin MBDOC. Our 96 has the same symptoms, I think it's the speedo on ours. I know the speedo on our cars is electronic (no speedo cable into the dash) but the noise is so speed dependent I think it MUST be the speedometer. It occurs at 30 - 55 MPH on ours, sounds like a buzzing plasticy vibration. I will take my stethoscope on the next drive to be sure.
-Tom

Dear Atomic:

The noise you described sounds exactly like my car. I too was convinced that the noise was coming from the Speedometer. I eventually convinced myself that such was not possibly due to the speedo being electronic.

Thanks for your input.

John

Dear M.B. Doc
 

Where can I find this service bulletin that you mentioned? SI number MBNA 94/02 dated Dec. 1996

Same problem
 

You guys are describing the exact same problem I have had for the past several weeks and it's driving me crazy! I do quite a bit of driving between Ottawa and Montreal, and two hours of that vibration is enough to put me over the deep end. Kind of ironic since I specialize in psychiatric research.

I too thought it was the spedo. However, this past weekend I was cleaning out the leaves from the air grill just a the base of the windsheild and noticed that the half grill on the driver's side is loose. I'm guessing that this could be the culprit.

guys it's not the speedo that making noise it's the the black plastic grill outside the windshield what i did is to put some 3m foam.

I can fax that info, just send me a fax number.

Thanks a million MBDOC; I sent my fax# to you by Email. I can't wait to see if this fixes it!!
-Tom

OK, I used the stethoscope and I stand corrected, it seems NOT to come from the instrument cluster! it sure seems to come from there but I cannot refute technology (the stethoscope).

MB DOC: please send fax, the number should be in your Email.

Thanks all, I love this forum! :D :D :D :D

-Tom