Hello.


The balancer is what used to be called the crankshaft pulley. My wife has the V6, which is the sum of my experience.


If you visually follow the serpentine belt through it's path you should be able to see the lowest pulley; that's on the crankshaft. There's a rubber cushion separating the inner driven part and the outside pulley. If it's bulging out anywhere it's suspect.


If that area is crowded, the cooling fans on my wife's 99 remove easily; hopefully yours is the same. If you remove them that should give you more room to see.


When the vehicle is running (do not put your hands down there if the vehicle is running) you should be able to see the balancer. Use a flashlight if necessary. If there is a visible wobble the balancer is bad.


There's an investigation but to this point Benz is denying there's a problem. Having it fixed now before it breaks is much cheaper.


I have much higher regard for Phil Smart than Barrier.

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Fix it 'till it breaks.