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  #1  
Old 08-22-2001, 09:01 PM
abekani
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Annoying sound from 560SL

Greetings,

I hope you can help me out to identify the source of this annoying noise. As I speed up the noise becomes more pronounced and stays. It goes away when I stop pressing on the gas. I showed this to a mechanic during recent test drive. He says that this is normal on the old cars. He added that the newer cars are engineered better. I asked him to explain whether this noise existed when the car was purchased new. He said he doubts. I said then the noise has come about as a result of something that seemed to have worked properly when the car was new. In any rate, I am used to quiet engines and my 87 560 SL is not quite by any means. Since I never drove an older SL before I bought this one, I don't know if there is any truth in what the mechanic was telling me.

Thanks,Abe


Last edited by abekani; 08-23-2001 at 06:00 PM.
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  #2  
Old 08-23-2001, 10:33 PM
mburman's Avatar
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My '76 450SL is quiter than a sleeping baby (that doesn't snore like my daughter!) !! What does the noise sound like?
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  #3  
Old 08-23-2001, 11:04 PM
abekani
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Hi Michael

It is very hard to describe it. It kind of sounds like a loose wheel. I have not had that checked. May be I should. It is not a buzzing noise but rather a whining one. You know, I am trying to compare the ride in my SL to my 96 BMW 740IL. My Benz mechanic tells me that is not a fair comparison. I should expect rough ride and a reasonable amount of rattling because the SL is a street car and it is not built like a luxury sport car. Frankly, none of this make sense to me. My car's engine is very strong but it is not quite.

Thanks,
Abe
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  #4  
Old 08-24-2001, 11:03 AM
steve c.
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abe

i own a 280sl euro 107 and mine has a whining noise that seens to come from the rear end when i accellerate. its always been that way. i was told a while back on the sl posting board that it was not a big problem that had to be delt with. my mechanic has driven the car and said the same thing.

steve
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  #5  
Old 08-24-2001, 12:39 PM
abekani
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Hi Steve

Thanks for your feedback. I am supposed to show my car to another mechanic next week. frankly, for a 5.6 liter, V8 engine, I should have much less noise coming from the car. Also, I am inclined to drive somebody else's 560SL and compare its performance from that of my car. I can honestly say that I love the look of the old SL but I am not too impressed with the performance and too much of rattling. I am sure other SL owners may disagree with this statement.

Abe
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Buzzing noise from 560SL-5602a.jpg  
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  #6  
Old 08-24-2001, 01:10 PM
BlackE55
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This might be a long shot as I don't know what kind of buzzing it is, but it could be the fuel pump.

It's located towards the pass rear of the car. My 560SEL buzzes and this is deemed normal. I've heard it on other MBs and Euro cars as well.
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  #7  
Old 08-24-2001, 05:26 PM
Ezzy
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Maybe.....

Hello, I am Ezzy from Japan.
I have 1988 560SL and worked pretty much everything since I bought my car.
Does the noise exist only when you push the gas pedal or when the car is actually moving?
If it comes out when the car is moving, it could be bearing or wheels.
If it comes out when you push gas pedal even the car is not moving(when you push gas with your transmission is in N position), it could be from Engine, such as fan, mount, fuel pumps, or something near engine.
I had a similar noise when the car was moving so I changed flex disc and bearing to solve the problem.
Hope this helps.

Ezzy.
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  #8  
Old 08-24-2001, 08:23 PM
abekani
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Hi Ezzy

Thanks for your feedback. I will definitely share your insights with the mechanic I plan to meet next week. The problem reveals itself when the car is moving and I press on the gas. When I move my foot of the gas pedal, the noise goes away. When the car is sitting idle, it sounds just fine. By the way, how do you like the comfort and quietness of your car when you drive on a rough road? I have just had the entire front end done and replaced all the shocks and still I am not satisfied with ride.

Thanks,
Abe
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  #9  
Old 08-24-2001, 10:47 PM
Ezzy
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I hope your mechanic will find a reason.

So your car makes noise when the car is accelating.
Well, it could be some drive train parts and/or engine.
Possibly parts are
1. bearing
2. flex disc
3. engine mount
4. transmission mount
5. distributor/rotor (misfiring)
etc....

Since I changed pretty much everything and also did some special work on my SL.
I changed
1. Major engine electronically parts (plug, wire, rotor, cap, coil, DS, alternator, and etc.)
2. Major mounts and suspension parts (engine, transmission, def, subframe mounts and all suspension bushings with Bilstein shocks as well as bearings)
3. exhaust parts (ANSA muffler, sports catalytic converter)
4. interior parts (all wood panels, dash cover, wood knob, and all chrome parts)
5. inject hard Urethane form to the both side sills (giving 2 solid fat bone to the floor)
See this HP.
http://www.sun-inet.or.jp/~bellco/essh.htm
Also custom made front brace.
Since I have AMG 17inch wheels on my car, I should have stiffer body even it is convertible. So I came up to all these modifications.
With all of them, I think I have pretty flat ride even better than original body.

About engine, it makes much better gas mileage with MDS and power coil. I had about 4km/1L when I bought, but it is now 6km/1L or better.
They even makes better idle/accelation so I think they worth to pay $150.00

Ezzy.
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  #10  
Old 08-24-2001, 11:17 PM
abekani
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VOW

I am very impressed with the amount of attention and money you have put into your car. I will definitely print your feedback and show it to my mechanic. I guess I have to wait until next Wednesday when he will take my car for a test drive. I will definitely keep you all updated as the result of my mechanic's inspection. What is giving me headache is the fact that I have already spent over $3K in the car and will have an ulcer if I have to continue to spend more on it. You mentioned that you have 17" AMG wheels on yours. I have been thinking about replacing my wheels too. I am looking at two sizes, either 17X7.5 or 15X7. Do you have any suggestions or advice that I should keep in mind?

Thanks,
Abe
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  #11  
Old 08-25-2001, 10:01 AM
Ezzy
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Yes, I also spent pretty good amount on my car. I am lucky that I can do the most of easy work by myself to save some labor cost.

About wheel size, please make sure you complete rebuilt your suspension bushings and bearing before you change to bigger size since W107 suspension is really not made to use any bigger size. I am aware that I need to change steering dumper and control arm bushings more often than one with normal size wheels.
I have AMG 17x8 with 11 offset. If you are planning to go for 17x7.5, there are more choice of wheels with offset 20 to 22.
Please confirm the wheel disc would not contact to your brake caliper because 560SL has bigger caliper so some cannot use.
I could not install Speedline wheels when I tried.
My tires are all 215-50/17 ZR. I could go to 235, but did not want to increase road noise. Narrower tire makes less noise.

Today, when I was discussing with mu mechanic to make a special front exhaust pipe (equal length from the both banks of engine), I found out that my ABS warning lights.
I will check and clean all ABS related relays tomorrow to fix this problem.
Things like this is coming frequently since electronic parts are getting old as well.

My friends at work are also loves cars.
They have Porsche 993, targa, convertible, coupe, Audi RS4, Porsche 996 GT3, Jaguar XKR convertible and Ferrari 355 spider.
We are planning to take our car to racing circuit to drive own cars.
I know my car is very slow compare to their car, but would like to prove them how well balanced.

I hope you will enjoy SL life. Not just drive around, but also knowing well about your car.
I know they are both fun!
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  #12  
Old 09-02-2001, 03:28 PM
abekani
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Hi again

As I promised to give you a feedback after meeting with the mechanic, here it is. He drove the car and said that my car is one of the tightest 560s he has ever driven. He also said that I could not find a better SL since he works on many of them. He said that all SLs have some noises. He tried to convince me that the older SLs were built using an older technology. He said if I want to, for $1500, he could put a new differential which removes some noise that he noticed coming when increasing speed. Frankly, I could not make any sense out of what he was saying. I cannot believe that someone paid $56K in 1987 to buy this car knowing that there are some annoying noises. One thing that I could agree with him was he suggested that I should have driven an SL before I decided to buy one. But again, what if I had driven a perfect SL and had set my expectations too high. In any rate, the humming sound is still there. I have decided to listen to the radio often.

Regards,
Abe
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  #13  
Old 09-02-2001, 10:55 PM
Ezzy
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Can't believe him!

I am sorry to hear about what your mechanic said about your SL.
I am pretty sure that the most SL do NOT make strange noise even they were built with older technology. If there is any strange noise or move, there must be something wrong. Is your mechanic from MB dealer?? If not, you should ask your nearest dealer mechanic to take a look at. Or if he is from dealer, I would change the dealer right now.
If you hear any strange noise from your axle, try Redline gear oil for LSD. It should keep noise level very low.

I really wish I was there so I can give you better advise.

Ezzy.
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  #14  
Old 09-03-2001, 09:15 AM
abekani
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Iwish you could

Hi Ezzy,

Yes, I wish you could be here to get me out of this situation. This mechanic used to work for the local MB dealership. The other shop which replaced my entire front end works on German made cars only. They are very reputable but again, I agree with you. Every noise must have a source. It is just the matter finding the right guy who knows more and is a better expert. I am not pleased with the local MB dealership. They are very unfriendly and expensive. I might just take it there and see what they say. If I could get rid of this noise I will be very happy. Otherwise, I will probably sell the car because I cannot keep on pouring my money into it. I love the body style of my car but I may have to buy a newer SL which are roomier, more comfortable, have better suspensions, and faster.

Regards,
Abe
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  #15  
Old 09-03-2001, 10:14 AM
Ezzy
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Let me summarize

Abe,

I am very sorry to hear that you are thinking to replace your W107 to R126.
I know newer SL is faster, but old SL has more taste to me.
Also, it is very common that 2 model older MB usually trade higher than 1 model older MB, such as old 280SL is traded higher than our 560SL.
I am believing that our SL market value will go up since brand new SL just released.
So if you could fix this noise, I hope you will keep your nice SL for a little longer.
Please let me ask more about the noise.
Could you tell me where does it come from?

If it is coming from rear section, it could be
a)drive shaft
b)drive shaft joint disk(rear)
c)rear axle
d)transmission mount
e)axle mount
f)sub flame mount
g)exhaust connection and/or muffler mount rubber
h) rear brake disk pads

If it is coming from front section, it could be
a) drive shaft joint disk(front)
b) engine mount
c) sub flame mount
d) front wheel hub bearing
e) transmission
f) front brake disk and pads

Also, it is very common that wheel rim is sometimes hot straight caused by running over stone or something.
Usually, it is very hard to identify by just view test, it must be checked by wheel balancer to spin the rim to see if it is not evenly round.
I know the most of MB dealers are not too friendly to used car owner(they like new car owner or possible owners!), but they have proper tools to find the cause of your noise.
Also, they usually do NOT charge anything for just finding out the problem source, only when you decide them to work on the car.
So, please try the dealer and show them my advise.
Please do not waste your nice SL!

Ezzy.

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