I posted a videos last year about a weird knocking noise when I go over a bump on the drivers side rear tire.

I had my mechanic look at the noise problem in the back. He said it was probably coming from the differential. Told me to check the fluid level and if that was ok, then I'll need to bring it in for further inspection.

Here's the old video

Car Sound02 - YouTube (you can really hear it around 11secs)

Another bouncing the car from the rear.

Sound when bouncing car up and down - YouTube

So the question... Is this hex set the right thing to buy for the job? I believe it's a 14mm hex that I need. http://www.amazon.com/Neiko-10074A-Metric-Pro-Grade-13-Piece/dp/B000GYLGU8/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1333987062&sr=1-1

Thank you!

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1984 300td euro turbo

That socket set looks nice - it will do for other jobs too. You don't need to buy a whole set like that for just this job though...

...depends whether you're planning on developing a tools fetish or not.

I wouldn't go straight to the differential for that though. There's no harm in checking the fluid though - always good to do.


I'd be checking for oil in the axles. I'd be checking to see if the screws that hold the axles in place at the wheel hubs are still there / tight. I'd be looking for damage / rust related problems. I'd be checking shocks. I'd be looking at the condition of the rubber parts on the rear suspension.

Let us know how you get on.

Does your car have SLS?

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Have you checked the ball joints on the rear sway bar linkages??

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Beagle

Check rear axle shafts for play, at 296k its about time for them to be replaced

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1985 300TD Turbo Euro-wagon
1979 280CE 225,200 miles
1985 300D Turbo 264,000 miles
1976 240D 190,000 miles
1979 300TD 220,000

GONE but not forgotten
1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e485-1-2-1.jpg

Thanks for the reply! Tool fetish... Ha just collecting I guess!

Well what the mechanic did was he got under the car and I bounced it and he was looking for any looseness but couldn't find anything. He then lifted the rear of the car and said he thinks the noise is coming from the differential but he's not sure. The thing is I only hear it when the driver's side rear tire goes over a bump. He checked the boots and the axle. He said they were ok. I would definitely say the noise sounds like something is loose and definitely 100% coming from the drivers side rear.

One thing I did notice when he had the rear of the car up... Is that when he turned the back wheel by hand, it made a noise similar to what I've been hearing. Is there something I can inspect with the rear of the car up and the wheel off? Maybe I'll get a vid of that too sometime today.

Yep! My car has SLS.

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1984 300td euro turbo

Hey 79Mercy. Does the car need to be lifted to check for play? Do I just onto the axle shaft and shake?

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1984 300td euro turbo

Check your swaybar links. They are S shaped links with little ball joints on the ends. Pull them off and if the ball joints have torn or are missing boots, or the joints are floppy and not stiff then you need new ones. They can make all kinds of racket when they are bad. Usually is a rattling noise over smaller bumps, but can also make more noise.

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Just checked the rear axle. There is absolutely no play. I changed the swaybar link about 8 months ago because I thought that was it. It wasn't. Im in the car now. Took some pictures... ill upload them in a sec.

Now im pretty certain its the strut. There's lots of fluid at the base and it hasn't rained here in about a week. That's expensive no?

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1984 300td euro turbo

New struts are spendy. I have a used one from the junkyard. Never used it so I can assure that it's good, but I'll make you a deal. First I'd try wiping it all down, tightening the lines, and see if the leaks stops or if the sound goes away.

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Thanks! I'll probably take you up on your offer. Do I have to remove it to wipe it down? Is there a DIY somewhere on this?

EDIT: NEVERMIND Found the answer to remove the strut here http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/752377-post3.html

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1984 300td euro turbo

Bad Pictures I know... but it's really wet in there. The other side is dry.

On the underside of the strut, you can see a single tear about to drip.

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1984 300td euro turbo

Have you checked trailing arm bushings? The outer is invariably the first to go. Rather difficult to see as it is partially enclosed and you will need a pry-bar to check for movement.

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Beagle

Hey Beagle. Is this the trailing arm bushing? I'm unsure...

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1984 300td euro turbo

That's the sway bar.

These are the trailing arm bushings courtesy Army. Check out his thread here

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Beagle