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  #1  
Old 11-19-2005, 11:48 PM
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'99 E300D Engine Whine Noise

My recently purchased 1999 E300D is producing a whine on the driver's side of the engine beneath a manifold, I think. I'd just like to know whether it's anything that I should be worried about and if possible, if it's correctable. The whine gets higher in pitch and louder as the rpm's increase, and is particulary noticeable, at least to me, between 1600 to 1900 rpm from inside the car whether the car is standing still in neutral or cruising down the road. I don't think it's the turbo unit which is located on the passenger side of the engine and I think produces a higher pitch sound which is almost unnoticeable.

The engine runs smoothly all the time and doesn't hesitate on acceleration, and doesn't smoke unless I really push it, so I don't beleive anything major is wrong. But I've heard so much about noisy fuel injectors and IP's on diesels I was wondering if it could be one of these making the noise. I don't know what noisy injectors or IP's sound like. Or, it could just be the nature of the beast.

We've also had a 1993 300D in the family for some time now and that car doesn't make the same whining noise.

Your comments will be appreciated. Thank you.

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  #2  
Old 11-20-2005, 12:09 PM
t walgamuth's Avatar
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does the whine

follow engine speed or throttle position? if the whine builds up after the throttle is pushed down and is not directly related to actual engine speed it is prob turbo related, perhaps a little air leak. if not then i dont know what it would be.

tom w
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..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.
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  #3  
Old 11-21-2005, 12:08 PM
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'99 E300D Engine Whine Noise

The whine seems to follow engine speed rather that throttle position. When I'm traveling, even though I hold the accelerator pedal in one position, the whine increases and decreases with engine rpm as I go up and down hills, etc.
But thanks for your input.
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  #4  
Old 11-21-2005, 01:31 PM
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Does it go away when warm? Cold engine oil causes a sound similar to what you describe on cold mornings but goes away when the engine warms up.
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  #5  
Old 11-21-2005, 04:24 PM
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'99 E300D Engine Whine Noise

No. If anything, it seems to get worse as the engine heats up.

At the suggestion of someone else, I used the metal handle from my carpet sweeper (long handled screw driver wasn't available), and with the handle end against my ear, probed around under the hood with the engine running and a helper adjusting the rpms up and down. After several trys at various locations including the turbo unit, the only place so far where the frequency of the whine matched what I was hearing from the driver's seat, was at what I beleive to be the injector manifold - the one on the driver's side of the engine with all the small diameter brass tubes coming out of it. Actually, the noise was loudest at a cast part just to the rear of the manifold. It may have been a pump housing or something else. I'm not familiar with the engine.

From the passenger compartment, the whine is definitely more noticable from the driver's seat than from the passenger's side. Strange.
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  #6  
Old 11-22-2005, 02:36 PM
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I'm pretty sure that engine has a resonance flap in the manifold. On M104s I've seen them flutter when the pivot becomes loose causing an audible noise at the intake. Seems logical the same could happen on a M606.
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  #7  
Old 11-23-2005, 08:09 AM
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'99 E300D Engine Whine Noise

Thank you for your comments "Duxthe1". I'm traveling this week without the Mercedes, so when I get home next week I'll do some more listening and research. Not that I'm going to attempt to fix it myself. I'm just trying to get a handle on the noise so when I take it to the MB shop next time and ask them to check it out I'll hopefully know what they're talking about. Thanks again.
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  #8  
Old 11-28-2005, 12:10 AM
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Transfer case.
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  #9  
Old 12-03-2005, 11:47 AM
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'99 E300D Engine Whine Noise

The whining occurs even while sitting in the driveway and reving the engine in neutral. Could the transfer case still be the problem? I need to do more probing to try to determine more closely where the sound is actually coming from. It's not all that loud from inside or outside the car that I can't live with it, but at the moment it's a cause of worry because I don't know exactly what's causing it.
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  #10  
Old 12-03-2005, 02:04 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by swich2mac
Transfer case.
The transfer case is only on AWD vehicles - this is a RWD and does not have one, so it is unlikely to be the source of the noise
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  #11  
Old 12-07-2005, 10:32 PM
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Mine makes the same noise

I have a 98 E300 which makes a noise like the one Jack525 described. It is sort of a howling sound. The noise can be heard at any speed above 1000 rpm, but is loudest between 1500 and 2000 rpm. It actually resonates with beats when the engine speed is 1500 rpm. It is directly related to engine rpm. The noise is the same in the peak range whether your speed is constant, increasing, or decreasing. The sound is the same for a given rpm whether in park or cruising. It is loudest on the driver's side, and a vibration can be felt through the floorboard. I have not been able to pinpoint the source under the hood, even when using a mechanic's stethescope.

All the fluids and filters have been changed within the last 3 months. MB recommended fluids were used, and the levels are where they should be. I first suspected the power steering pump, because the rack was stiff at startup in cool weather, and I flushed the system a couple of times. The pump is making some noise, but it doesn't seem to be loud enough for what I am hearing in the car. The transmission shifts OK (except for an occasional momentary hitch between first and second at light throttle, but I think these early five speed automatics were a little quirky from the factory). The torque converter locks up properly, and the transmission is not slipping. I have listened to the bell housing area with the stethescope, and I don't hear the howling there.

The noise has gradually increased over the last three weeks. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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  #12  
Old 12-07-2005, 10:39 PM
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I had a 2000 528 and BMW always referred to my whining as transfer case (gear box). Do a google search for BMW or Mercedes transfer case and see what comes up.
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  #13  
Old 12-08-2005, 06:53 AM
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Typically a transfer case refers to the mechanism which directly power to 4WD or AWD vehicles, and 2WD vehicles only have transmissions not transfer cases. Anyway, since they describe the noise as being in either park or in gear I doubt it has anything to do with the transmission. For what it is worth mine also whines in that RPM range ...maybe it is just "normal" for these. How loud is it?? In my car it is fairly faint and seems rather benign so I never gave it much thought.
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Last edited by nhdoc; 12-08-2005 at 07:23 AM.
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  #14  
Old 12-12-2005, 06:30 AM
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'99 E300D Engine Whine Noise

In my case, it's loud enough to be annoying to some degree. At least to me. But sometime it's not loud enough to bother me. Most other people riding in the passenger seat either can't hear it, or if they can they say it isn't bothersome to them. The radio playing at normal level can mask the noise so I don't hear much of it. Probably nothing to worry about at this point, especially since others hear it in their cars too. The pitch is lower than the faint whine of the turbo.
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  #15  
Old 12-12-2005, 07:08 AM
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I think this is just a normal noise in these cars. Compared to earlier W123 diesels these are virtually silent, but they do make much more noise than the gas counterparts. If this is your first diesel maybe you just need to get used to it. If it is so quiet that passengers can't hear it and the radio will block it out at normal listening levels I would not bee too concerned...if you want to confirm the "normalness" of it just drive another one sometime and compare. Maybe another board member near you has one and you two can see if the same noise is present in their car too.

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