ok, strange problem.
00 e430 4matic.
all is fine when driving straight or turning right, but whenever i make a sharp left turn, and the weight of the car seems to be on the front right tire, there's always a clicking/ticking noise that comes from the wheel area. it's as if with every rotation of the tire there's something that's rubbing against the wheel. kind of like the noise that is made when a playing card is stuck between the bicycle spokes. (those of u who did it ). Seems as if something rubs against the wheel making a noise at every tire revolution.
i had the car on the lift, didnt find anything lose/leaking etc. all seemed to be intact. indy didnt find anything either.
any ideas etc ?
thnx.

__________________
Whether you think you can or cannot, Either way you're right!. by Henry Ford.

hmmmm. is there a way to confirm that before. having to go through the process of changing it. perhaps another test etc ?
thnx again for the input.

__________________
Whether you think you can or cannot, Either way you're right!. by Henry Ford.

Inspect right-side motor mount. Engine weight shifts that way on "sharp left turn" and if the mount compresses to point there is metal-metal contact, vibrations are transmitted.

__________________
Kent Christensen
Albuquerque
'07 GL320CDI, '10 CL550. '01 Porsche Boxster
Two BMW motorcycles

They arent so much vibration. I know motor mount vibrations but this is different. more noise than vibration if any. and the noise comes as the tire rotates as i can hear the tick at every revolution of the tire spin. So my guess is either the bearing or the axle. didnt see the boot for the axle cracked or any leakage. so the bearing is what i'm thinking. if someone could perhaps post a quick check that woudl be great
thnx again everyone.

__________________
Whether you think you can or cannot, Either way you're right!. by Henry Ford.

Sometimes you can feel if the wheel is warmer where the bearing is bad.
I once had such a noise and it was caused by a little stone that was catched in the top of the vented disc so it was hitting the caliper in tight turns...

__________________
-94 E 36 AMG Coupé, Brilliant Silver
-98 G 500, Obsidian Black
-05 Mini Cooper, Solid Black
-97 993 Carrera S, Ocean Blue

had the car drop of at the dearlership.
the service adviser called saying the rack and pinion needs to be changed as taht is waht's causing the noise ! i'm confused. how can a clunking noise only when the car is running and the taking a steep left turn be caused by a bad rack and pinion.
there's absolutely no p.s fluid leak, and while at a stop there is no noise when turning the wheels either. more over the car doesnt always make that noise when making a left turn. only when the whole weight seems to be shifted on the front right tire while make a left turn. is this a money making scam of the dealer ? I am being quoted rougly 4K to change rack and pinion. If it indeed is the problem, can I get a rebuilt rack/pinion from somewhere else and have it done at an indy. how much woudl that cost ?
thanks.

__________________
Whether you think you can or cannot, Either way you're right!. by Henry Ford.

sounds fishy. go for a second opinion.

I agree. I'll have a second opinion on it from another place. thnx for the input.

__________________
Whether you think you can or cannot, Either way you're right!. by Henry Ford.

Do you hear the noise primarily on acceleration? Does it get louder if you accelerate harder? Does it diminish or cease if you coast?

Rack & Pinion isn't going to tick-tick-tick when you're cornering and holding the steering wheel steady.

HOWEVER - CV joints make this EXACT sound when they're going out. Since your car is a 4MATIC, you've got 4 CV joints in the front connecting the transfer case to the front tires. The outer joints are the ones that usually fail due to the amount of flex they go through on a regular basis. Sometimes it's from a broken boot allowing all the grease to get out and the joint to run dry. You'd see one nasty mess behind the tire and perhaps on the inside of the rim if this were the case. CV joint grease is nasty beyond all belief. Makes axel grease look like cake icing.

Joints can still fail just due to plain wear and tear. They don't have to fail as a set - they can go out one-at-a-time.

Quick diagnostic - find a place in the yellow-pages that does R&R on CV joints. There are lots of places where I live that make that type of repair their sole business. They can quickly diagnose the click and confirm whether it's your CV or not.

When you find that it was the CV and get it fixed by someone other than the idiot at the dealership - take the repair order back to them and point out the error of their ways. OF COURSE, you still may need a rack & pinion - but if I'm right, the ticking noise is NOT the rack.

you're right. it's not so much as a ticking noise. more like a growling sound that does increase if i accelerate harder. and this happens even if i'm keeping the steering steady.
I did have the car up and had the rubber boots checked on the CV joints. they were intact. no leak etc.
at this point based upon everyone's input here it's either the bearing or the CV. no one is agreeing with the stealership on a bad rack.
I'm also shocked how the stealer is giving me an estimate of 4K where a rebuilt rack on fastlane is about 750. How many hours of labor would it usually require to change the rack on a 4matic from an indy ?
thnx again.

__________________
Whether you think you can or cannot, Either way you're right!. by Henry Ford.

Sorry to say, I was getting a bit of that growling a couple years ago. It think it was happening when turning, I don't recall it making noise when going straight though. Dealer replace the rack & pinion under warranty - no more noise. I always wondered what that would have cost if I had to pay it.

__________________
2002 E320 4-Matic
2008 Subaru Outback
2009 Subaru Forester

interesting post. and thanks for sharing. given you have a E 4matic as well. I wonder what the rack and pinion has to do with that noise.
could someone else give some advice here. thnx.

as for the rack and pinion, here's an interesting document which says that noise could be from rack and pinion.
http://delphi.com/pdf/techpapers/1999-01-0397.PDF

__________________
Whether you think you can or cannot, Either way you're right!. by Henry Ford.

update:
no it wasnt the bearing. so i guess for those who are about to replace that please wait and get it diagnosed
it turns out that it was the rack / pinion. the joint where the pinion attaches to the rack had become lose and was making that noise.
mercedes has a kit for it. kit is about 150 but the 4 hours to take the rack out and in is what costs the most. noise gone. lesson learned: sometimes it's best to let the dealer diagnose and do the job

__________________
Whether you think you can or cannot, Either way you're right!. by Henry Ford.

But at least you didn't get bilked $4K for a whole new rack...

__________________
John Shellenberg
1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K

http://img31.exs.cx/img31/4050/tophat6.gif

lolz absolutely. actually the dealership ray catena here in edison are pretty honest most of the times . it was the service advisor who later called and told me that I didnt have to change the whole rack etc and could get around it by just using that kit. So I have to say they were honest in that regard.

__________________
Whether you think you can or cannot, Either way you're right!. by Henry Ford.