Hello -

Since this is my first Merc I'm especially paranoid about noises, rattles, shakes (of which there are plenty)... but one particular one has got me a bit concerned and wanted some opinions:

When I'm done driving I let it idle a bit in the driveway to let the turbo cool off a bit... then I turn off the ignition. As soon as I turn off the ignition, the engine stops running almost immediately but then I can hear the 4 (rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle) sounds before it all comes to a dead stop....

I know it's a pretty vague description - it almost sounds like marbles or dice (something small) in there as it's coming to a stop - anyone got any ideas on how to get closer to finding what it is?!

Thanks,
James

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1987 Mercedes 300SDL; SOLD
1985 Mercedes 300D; SOLD
2006 Honda Pilot - wife's ride; 122K;
1995 Toyota Land Cruiser - 3X locked; 182K

i get a rattle when i shut down..it sounds like some one kicking an empty soda can down an alley.... i bet its the exhaust pipe hitting against something underneath the car, ill get to that rattle since it is annoying and tarnishes what others think of Mercedes Benz...

Thanks - doubt that it's the exhaust pipe on mine though, I believe it's coming from under the hood somewhere - I hear it spinning around in something and rattling 4 distinct times before all quiet as the engine stops turning.

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1987 Mercedes 300SDL; SOLD
1985 Mercedes 300D; SOLD
2006 Honda Pilot - wife's ride; 122K;
1995 Toyota Land Cruiser - 3X locked; 182K

Check the bracket that holds the air cleaner on. It's common for those to break

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It would not hurt to check your timing chain elongation... lots of threads about doing that and how important it is.
But that may be just a normal sound... both my old MB diesels had that sort of clankity clank upon shutdown....

Yes - just gearing up to do just that in a couple of days... thanks.

__________________
1987 Mercedes 300SDL; SOLD
1985 Mercedes 300D; SOLD
2006 Honda Pilot - wife's ride; 122K;
1995 Toyota Land Cruiser - 3X locked; 182K

I don't know, the rattle he's describing doesn't sound normal to me. My car doesn't do that.

I see you have an '85, MercFan. Any chance it's a CA emissions car? If it is and the Trap Ox recall work hasn't been done, then maybe there are small ceramic parts rattling around in the turbo from the trap oxiydizer. Frankly I doubt this is what's causing your rattling, though, as I wouldn't expect ceramic parts to make a certain noise four times every time. But I will throw it out there.

I think if your car is NOT a CA car, the air filter housing will be right next to the engine. If it's a CA car like mine the air filter housing will be up near the grill on the passenger side.

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Ralph

1985 300D Turbo, CA model
248,650 miles and counting...

I really doubt my car had CA emissions - it spent its life in Kansas and the filter housing sits directly on TOP of the turbo charger right next to the engine...

Hmmm... Ceramics do come to mind as I recall the noise... something hard, though you'd think that the Turbo would NOT be spinning during normal idle just prior to shutoff... Thanks for the clues.

MF

__________________
1987 Mercedes 300SDL; SOLD
1985 Mercedes 300D; SOLD
2006 Honda Pilot - wife's ride; 122K;
1995 Toyota Land Cruiser - 3X locked; 182K

Is the clanking caused by engine run-on? Maybe the enging shut-off valve is getting tired.

Does the clutch fan keep spinning after the engine stops?

Sixto

Hmmm... good questions - need to check tonight.

__________________
1987 Mercedes 300SDL; SOLD
1985 Mercedes 300D; SOLD
2006 Honda Pilot - wife's ride; 122K;
1995 Toyota Land Cruiser - 3X locked; 182K

We have lots of forum members in that area..
Choose a good BarBQue place with a big parking lot and call for a get together...then stand around listening to other's cars when they shut down...and let everyone listen to yours....

Oh this is just too much, do you *really* have to have DIESEL smoked BBQ ribs to *eat*? I have never heard of THAT???!! Shome mishtake shurely

Maybe I am just too ignorant about that diesel / wvo mystique

A road and track compendium described the 1892 300SD as "a slug of a tub that crawls on its hands and knees to 60 mph and clacks like a sackfull of castanets, perfect for the Reagan era, a hugely expensive car that dominated its market, perfect for the time"

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

make that 1982 (too quick on the send button)

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Just hit that edit button in the future and go back and change it Jimbo.

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Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John