98 E320 Harmonic Balancer
 

Hi all,

I'm new here but was a member several years ago by the screen name of JetForeman and loved the site. People like Arthur Dalton and manny were my heros!!!

Anyhow I'm getting back into the Benz scene (been out of it for about 3 years now) and am looking at a 98 E320 with 99k miles on it. I've done a little research and found that one of the things to look for was if the harmonic balancer had been replaced. Is there any way visually that I can tell if it has been replaced? I see they are fairly cheap to buy but can wreak havok if they are the old ones and let go. Also are there any other issues or items I should be aware of with this particular model?

Thanks all and it's good to be back!!


Oh yeah, one more thing. It has a slight rattle at idle, I think I've narrowed it down to a loose element in the right cat. I know these things aren't cheap but is this common? I pressed on all of the heat shields so I know it wasn't one of them.


Dale

Welcome back Dale.
As I understand it, you'll have to look at the number on the balancer & see if it is the latest ( " New & Improved " ). number.
Other than that, your local M-B dealer can probably tell you from the VIN, if it has been replaced.
I would also check the front spring perches on that model, to see if they are corroded/seperating.
The rattly cat maybe worth mentioning to your dealer as well.
Maybe you'll get lucky , with the dealer that is. :D

Hi old buddy, and it sure is good to be back!!!

The dealer also has a 2000 E320 that I'm looking at as well. Its a silver on gray whereas the 98 is a silver on black (which is the color combo I'm really looking for) so I'm not 100% sure which one I'm going to get. There's only a $2K difference between the two so I'm really trying to get the one which will due us the best. The mileage between the two differ only by 4K miles so I'm really trying to decide between the two. Hey, did the 2000's suffer from the same balancer problems the older ones did?

For only $ 2 k difference, the 2000 would be my choice.
Nothing wrong with gray on silver, that's what I have. :D
I believe the 2000 still has/had the balancer issue.
It's not such a big deal.
Replace it ( if necessary ) and be done with it. ;)

Yeah, that's kind of what I'm thinking too. The dealer is fixing a bad wheel sensor on the 2000 and a bad motor mount. Both of which sound kind of unusual to me but the car does have 95K miles on it too, so I guess I shouldn't consider it out of the norm.

Go for the 00, the 98 did not come with side curtain air bags for the rear seats.

Welcome back Dale,

I have a 98 E320 with 125K miles and love it. Other then fluids & filters I had to replace my engine mounts, sunroof cables & harmonic balancer.

I would also suggest the 2000 model since the 98 may start showing signs of air conditioner problems. The other item you might consider is the so called "filled for life" trans fluid. I replaced mine around 75K miles and installed the transmission pan magnet since I have an early build 98 model. I don't believe the 2000 model has a drain plug on the torque converter were the 98 model does.

Keep us informed what you end up with.

I just bought a 2000 last weekend. There are specific part numbers to watch out for on the harmonic balancer. They are:

112 035 00 00 up to 112 035 06 00

If you have one of those part numbers, you could be looking at a problem. It is an easy thing to replace, apparently, and Phil has them for about $50 on this site. Apparently you can see cracks in the rubber, and in some cases you can see the rubber starting to work its way out of the pulley. Lots of stuff on this problem on the site. My mechanic verified it is the original balancer, so I'm just going to have it replaced so I can forget about it.

As someone pointed out, the 00 has more airbags than the 98. As well, the 00 came standard with ESP. These were influencing factors for me because the car is for my wife, and she'll have my one year old son in it every day.

Thanks all for the info, I'll be checking it out probably tomorrow or Saturday. I'll be sure to let you all know which one I get.

Thanks again,

Dale