Scraping noise from wheel!!!
 

okay, ive put this off long enough but now is the time to ask you guys as ive no where else to turn. see if you can problem solve better than MB Dealer and private MB mechanics in richmond.

first, the problem is intermittent.

from the right rear wheel, there is a scraping noise as the wheel turns. in reverse it is constant as the wheel turns only when you are braking. in forward it is scrape-quiet-scrape-quiet-scrape-quiet as the wheel turns. getting faster the faster you go, slower the slower you go, and louder the harder you brake.

it is not the pads. the pads have plenty of time left.

im not sure if this will help but... i live on a cobblestoned road and as i drive down it (whcih is very bumpy) when the windows are open, i hear a rattling noise bouncing off teh buildings. the rattling is coming from that same wheel. ive looked under teh car, taken the wheel off, examined all i can and can't seem to find anything.

MB Dealer can't find anything. MB mechanics can't find anything. IT seems to be getting worse. Any ideas? Perhaps it is the emergency brake?

Cheers

Eric

I have had this problem on my car. What turned out to be my problem was a rock that lodged between the brake rotor and the back gaurd plate. It has a lip to it that a rock can get trapped behind and not get out. Take a look and slightly bend the plate back as if it was a paper plate. Not to hard but just enough. A rock might drop out and could be an end to your mystery.

Henry

I'd have the emergency brake checked out. May or may not be that, but I had problems with mine. They wouldn't release all the way. The cable eventually broke. Must have been frayed somewhere. But the shoes were badly worn and kinda made a mess of the mechanism inside the drums. I could hear a scraping sound once in a while.

I once had a similar problem with my Volvo and it turned out to be a bad bearing. Just a thought.

Alex

I had a very similar problem with my '84 300d, although the sound was coming from the front end. What caused the problem was rust buildup on the inner rim of the front brake disk. Not the area where the pads clamp down, but around the hub recess where the grease seal is. The rust built up and started rubbing on the brake shield as the rotor turned. Fortunately I could remove the rust without removing the disk by just sticking a screwdriver behind the disk and gouging the rust off. I imagine the same thing could happen on the rear disks, but you might as well check all of them while your at it. The sound you are describing is exactly the sound I heard.

Good luck,

Greg
'84 300D, 168k

hmm
 

okay, no rocks in that shield. no visisble scrape-age on the rotor. pads look great. no visible rust. im at a loss. i have a feeling it is the emergency brake. but im still not sure.

actually Greg, I bet it is what you guessed it is. ill need to further investigate. it just seems to be getting louder and it is so frustratign that i can't figure it out!

eric

Greg S is probably right. fixed mine the same way.

Try applying the emergency brake lightly while you are driving and see if that has any effect. May help in narrowing this down to the emergency brake mechanism. I have a similiar rattling noise coming from the left rear tire and when I apply the emergency brake it goes away. I don't have the grinding noise that you desribe.

Henry

Hey Eric,
I had the same exact almost scary sound in my wheel.
It was the e-brake adjusted just *slightly* too much.

Get the wheel in question off the ground and stick a flathead screwdriver in the hole to back it off one click at a time. (Haynes manual tells you exactly where it goes)

After each click, spin the wheel and see if you notice it getting easier. You may still hear some noise, but you are feeling for resistance here.

That solved it for me... :D
-Brian

thanks diesel daddy
 

thank you. that sounds like a good idea. but.. my question is how do i do that without the car rolling away. the emergency brake and park brake have to be on so the car wont roll away while it is on the jack. i must need to put it on the lift hey?

eric

May be something that happened to me..
 

A reall sort of flimsy suspension piece hooked up to the wheel was there, clipped on somehow, and had freed itself. Made a scraping noise against the wheels during big turns...going to replace...may that be it?

Roll Away
 

Block the front tires and jack up0 the back. One at a time if you want to but I am not a very patient man so I like to do things all at once!

okay, still not sure!
 

it seems the noise is getting worse. through the process of elimination and troubleshooting thanks to your help, i think it may be the emergency brake. does that make sense?

the e-brake doesn't hold the car unless you REALLY mash it down, and then even it's not very strong. i think ill get my mechanic to take care of it come christmas.

cheers

eric