Thank you for responding, psaboic! In the research I've been doing, just earlier today I learned about the air cleaner bracket that many 300D owners report breaking - the 190D doesn't have that big air cleaner on it -
it has a small square one on the side of the manifold - it's a totally different design - but you are spot on about the 300D!

I think you made a very good point about if my rattle was an indication of something severe that it would have gone really bad within that mile I drove home. The rattle didn't change intensity or frequency but I didn't go over 30mph the whole way home - it's an automatic transmission and I had it in 'drive' the whole way but when I parked and shifted into "park" I don't think it changed - so those were good questions you posed because now more than ever, I'm sure it is just something that has loosened up. I'll go out there tomorrow and do as you suggest. Thank you very much!

__________________
Baby Benz Sandra

"We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately." ... Benjamin Franklin

1984 190D 2.2 W201 Baby Benz:
290,000 miles and still going strong; my daily driver
Motorcars of the past:
1973 Mercedes-Benz 220D
1973 Porsche 914 2.0
1969 Volkswagen Bug (Bought it brand new in '69 - the list price back then: a mere $1799!!)