hi im new on this forum and i have a 2002 c230 sports coupe with a 2.3l 6spd tranny. i have a little over 106,000 miles on it.

after driving on the highway from work i noticed a little grinding noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. as a drove for about another 20-30 miles the noise got worse. it wa happening at any gear and got worse around 2500 to 3500 rpms. third gear was teriable. i also noticed that if i drop the car in neutral, it was still making noise recardles of the rpm beaing at idel. as soon as i go under 10 mph on neutrol the noise disapears. the noise mad is soming grinding. no vibration or power lose. when in neutrol the prms a strong. clutch doesnt slip and everything is dry underneath the car.

i took the car to my mechanice. he put on the lift and took out the drive shaft. he told me that the middle x like goint was bad and had it rebuild. after reinstalling the driveshaft i took it for a spin and nothind changed.

i left the car in his shop and came back to him the next day on saturday morning. he took out the shaft again and said he wats to but it on the machine and spin it to see if its bent. if its ok than he is doing to drop the rear end. odviously my mechanice doesent now whats wrong and i dont want him to take everything apart. please help me with the solution of this problem and any recomindations on how to solve it or who to go to for help. im in the new york city area.

thanks

bump...

does the car have factory wheels or aftermarket?
Ray
mercedessd@cox.net

factory wheels

Sounds a lot like the CV joint on one of the rear axles is bad. Get the car up on a lift and examine the rubber boots on the axles. There are four of them, two on each axle. When the rubber fails due to age (not likely in your case) or due to being struck by debris on the road (more likely) the grease comes out and water makes its way in. Eventually the joint begins to fail and it makes some horrible noises as it goes. Crunching and cracking noises are not uncommon.

If this is the problem I would not use the same mechanic. He apparently knows nothing about the driveline of an MB.

On newer MB's changing the half shafts with the CV joints is pretty straight forward. You might consider doing it yourself. Jim

__________________
Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)

when he had the car on the lift i examended the rubber boots on the axles. they seem to be fine. not lose no cracks and no sighn of greace on them

what are some of the signs when a rear end goes?

Let your mechanic isolate the noise with the uses of a stethoscope with the car on the lift running in gear. If he thinks it’s the differential, remove the rear cover and do an inspection.

he told me that in order to remove the rear end, he needs to drop it. is it true?

I have done it in others models by removing the drive shaft, differential bolts, and mounts then push the differential forward. But if the differential is the problem it has to be removed. If he does, make sure he marks the drive shaft so you do not end up with a vibration.

thanks for the reply everyone ill keep you posted on my results.

I find it unusual that a differential has gone bad abruptly. Pull the drain plug and see what the condition of the fluid is like, or if there is any fluid in there. If the differential is coming apart there should be ferromagnetic particles in the fluid. I am not sure about your vehicle but most of them have a magnetic drain plug and if this item has more than fuzzy stuff on it (pretty normal unless it is the volume of a table spoon or something like that - but no chunky stuff), that might be a clue. When was the last time the fluid was changed? Jim

__________________
Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)

thanks for the reply Jim

i had the car for a year and a half now and when i got her she had 77,000 miles. i never changed the fluid and i dought that anyone changed it before.

I too find it odd that it would go like that. After reading the initial symptoms, it might also be wise to check the rear brakes. I had a problem with the emergency brake pads rubbing on the rotor after putting new rotors on for awhile.

Have you done any brake work on the rear just prior this starting??

Just a thought if it isn't the differential.

__________________
89 190E
2.6L
Arctic white
Grey leather
Sunroof
Pirelli P400 rubber
Smoked corners

If it were my car and the person I took it to didn't know the first time .... I would seek someone who is VERY familiar with these cars.

I agree with everyone above, it is unsual for a half-shaft to go out suddenly. Also, check the brakes. Have the rear pads been checked?

Did you run over anything or have anything hit the underside of the car?

I understand one doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings but an expert will ALWAYS cost you less money in the long run. (my 2 cents)

Haasman

__________________
'03 E320 Wagon-Sold
'95 E320 Wagon-Went to Ex
'93 190E 2.6-Wrecked
'91 300E-Went to Ex
'65 911 Coupe (#302580)

thanks for the reply everyone, i really appriciate it.

i took the car from my former mechanice. he took $250 for changing the half shaft. which had nothing to do with my problem. this was very disapointig

i made a search on this great forum and came across some great local mercedes shops. i decided to take my car to Kraft German auto in brooklyn.

this guy steve their drove the car for inspection and put it on a lift.

he concluded that the rear diferentual (rear end) went and told me $900 is going to fix the problem. i decided to let them fix it. they seemed like they new what they were doing and all they work on is only benz's. he was serprized that the rear end went on the car himself.

thanks alot ro everyone and this form for all your help ill keep you updated on the situation.