my w201 190td just got new tie rods, center drag, and a new alignment but the car shakes violently and intermittently at speeds between 55 and 65.

it does not happen all the time. it happens more when i go over bumps.

when I replaced the tie rods, i noticed the that driver's side motor mount was leaking. obviously needs to be replaced but the question is...is this the cause of the violent shake?

I have purchased the Lemforder motor mounts from Pelican and they should be in tomorrow.

Quick question, when I lift the motor up via the oil pan (on wood), can I do it one side at a time or do i have to loosen both mounts first? Is it really as simple as removing the top nut then raising the motor? I have never done this before.

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Ben
1987 190d 2.5Turbo

or drive shaft maybe?

.

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do those cars have flex joints on the shaft? If so I'd take a look at those real quick before hittin the road again.

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that is a good point. thanks. a busted flex joint would be catastrophic.

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Ben
1987 190d 2.5Turbo

The vibrations I experienced due to bad motor mounts disappeared at higher rpms. As indicated above I'd check for drivetrain issues. Also check your fan - bad bearings can cause vibration that increases with rpm.

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I don't think it's a motor-mount.

Good idea to check the driveshaft flex-joints and center bearing, Usually a driveshaft vibration will be a much higher frequency rumble and by the time it becomes violent, you will notice it at speeds well below 55 mph.

If the vibration is at about the same frequency as the wheel rotation,
I'd first check for any loose front end parts and possible worn-out steering-damper. Then tire or wheel damage and out of round or out of balance.

I had an old Ponton 180 that stared shaking violently at about 20-40 mph whenever I hit a big bump. Would have to slow way down to get the oscillations to stop. Turned out it had a loose, broken steering-box mount.

Just be sure when you jack the motor, that nothing is binding, pinched or gets pulled too far.
Radiator, heater & AC hoses, cooler-lines, wiring, fan hitting fan-shroud, etc....

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

fan? i didn't know it had bearings. do you mean the viscous clutch?

i am going home at lunchtime to switch cars. i don' need the drama of a driveline failure on the highway.

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Ben
1987 190d 2.5Turbo

sounds like a worn tire to me. balance hits around 60 mph... also, sounds like your shocks are weak, likely from bouncing due to the bad tire balance...

swap front to rear and see if the problem changes.

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My drivers:
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1987 300TD
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funny you mentioned that. I did swap the front and back tires (both sides) and the problem remained but became less severe and started happening at a different speed range.

does this address the problem definitively?

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Ben
1987 190d 2.5Turbo

yup. sounds like tires are worn. hows the tread pattern look? uneven wear on one side or the other? feathering? any bulges?

visit a tire shop, and they should be able to spin balance them for cheap...

__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

well i went home and swapped cars. i put the w201 on blocks and took a peek the flex disks. they looked fine.

i looked at the driver side motor mount more closely and noticed a chunk of rubber was missing. it was also oil as if the oil inside just leaked out.

I will change the motor mounts (something i have never done before) on Wednesday. I will also have the tires balanced. hopefully that will be it for now.

are there any pitfalls or tricks to know about when changing motor mounts?

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Ben
1987 190d 2.5Turbo

You check the motor mounts with 3/8 extension. If it clears between the ending and the cross member from the side all the way down then your motor mounts are fine. If your motor mounts aren't causing issues when revving the engine then I'd say you are on a wild goose chase. Now if the front AND rear motor mounts were shot, then you might be on to something. Still unlikely. Pop the spare out of the trunk and start rotating it around (start with rear based on what you said).

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Make sure you BLOCK YOUR ENGINE UP ! if you decide to change your motor mounts.

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I would say so. I'm about to replace the rear tires on my Buick for the same reason.
...oil inside the engine mount? Did I misunderstand that?

How good are the tires themselves?

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yeah it looks like the motor mount has some kind of goo inside. it all leaked out when the chunk of rubber came off.

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Ben
1987 190d 2.5Turbo