Ticking sound at Idle C-240
 

I have a ticking sound like its a lifter or somthing like that noise in my 2001 C-240. I would take it to the dealer and mention that I hear this sound every now and then at idle. The Service Writer tells me" all MB have that noise" I am of the opnion that if I herd that ticking sound when I was test driving the car when it was new I would have left the dealer to look for another car. What is the voice of the educated?

There is no ticking sound that is "normal." My '01 C240 is smooth and quiet. You can't hear it run.

Give the dealer another chance then contact MB USA about it.

Good luck,

Had that problem in my 240 and the dealer has repaired it under warranty. Go to the dealer.

Benzonline....what did the dealer fix? I am going to take it back as the car has 30K miles and still under warranty.

Dear Bob:

It looks like that the automatic belt tensioner on your c240 is going south. When you hear a ticking sound at idle that would go away at higher rpms, the problem usually points to a bad belt tensioner (especially on newer MB cars).

I think DCAG engineers do not know how to design a long lasting belt tensioner.

Eric

Hi Bob, your service advisor is incorrect. I've had a number of these complaints. The noise you describe is usually much more noticable after starting the engine first thing in the morning. If this is the case, your dealer should inspect the camshafts for telltale "chatter" marks and replace the lifters if necessary. This is not uncommon to 112 and 113 engines.

C240 TICKING AT TIMES AT IDLE.
 

YES ITS TRUE THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF A COLLAPSED OR COLLAPSING LIFTER CAUSING THE PROBLEM, BUT LETS START WITH SOMETHING SIMPLE. THE SERVICE ADVISOR AT YOUR LOCAL DEALER MAY BE REFERRING TO THE TICKING SOUND OF THE ENGINES PURGE VALVE. WHICH DOES MAKE A TICKING NOISE UNDER NORMAL OPERATION. HOWEVER SOME HAVE OCCASIONALLY BEEN A BIT LOADER THAN OTHERS.

Yep, M.G. is right. There's even a bulletin about this. It's a minor modification to the purge valve line mount. Have your dealer check this. Let us know what happens.

I have forgotten with what the problem was as its my moms car. I will check.

I have to agree with 'Ericnguyen' when he wrote:

It looks like that the automatic belt tensioner on your c240 is going south. When you hear a ticking sound at idle that would go away at higher rpms, the problem usually points to a bad belt tensioner (especially on newer MB cars).

I had my C220 diagnosed just today with that exact problem and symptoms. Unfortunately it's not all that inexpensive to correct as there are actually three parts to replace (at roughly $120 in parts and $200 in labor. If a DIY'r then it wouldn't be too bad.

good luck

I have a similar ticking in my '99 C280. It sounds like a bad plug wire arcing against the head 2 to 3 times per second, but I can't see any spark in the dark, so that's not it. It doesn't sound at all internal, nor does it seem to sound off continually.

Can anyone provide more information about the "minor modification to the purge valve line mount?"

Dan

took my car to the MB dealer yesteday and asked to have them look at the ticking sound....of course it comes and goes and it was gone when they were looking. I am convinced that the sound is coming from the small black silonoid on the drives side just behind the headlight. This sound is pulsating and telegraphs thru the body and sounds louder sitting inside the car. You can open the hood and look for the sound but can't hear until you sit inside the car. Real Strange. Does anyone know what this silonoid does?

The purge valve or Regeneration valve on the C class cars is pretty noisy. There is an updated line holding bracket that uses rubber instead of hard plastic to secure those purge lines.
This lessens the amount of ticking transmitted into the body.
It works pretty good too. The P/N # is 001 995 56 65.
The amount of these that get replaced are up to the tech, since there are more than one and some are hard to get to.
They were phased into production in 07/2001
Have fun.
Dr.D

My C230 has a clicking sound also. I have pinpointed the source of the sound to the top end of the tensioner "cylinder??." The eye at the top through which a mounting bolt passes vibrates and creates the noise. I'm going to try and put a couple of rubber bushings in there and dampen the noise. I put my finger on it to keep it from rattling and the noise went away.

I'm not sure where this is located on your specific model, but on mine the part I'm talking about is under the plastic cover on the front side of my engine where the thermostat is located.

On an older W202 chassis, that would be the Belt Shock.
When the rubber grommet fails, you should replace the shock.
Unless you can find a way to jerry-rig it to quiet it down.
The new W203 chassis cars (2001+) do not use a Belt Shock.
Dr.D