Wind noise even at low speed
 

I recently acquired a 1993 300e. The car is Ok shape, and i performed a head gasket change on the car, changed front struts, tires...and a couple of small items...anyhow, the car drives well, and engine is great.....it has a problem that bugs the hell out of me....WIND NOISE......:mad:

the noise is that of gushing wind, and it is noticeable even at around 30mph !!! my dodge neon is quieter so things are not good ....

any how, i have done the following in an attempt to trouble shoot this...

1-using electric tape, i taped down the outside mirror rubber parts, as they are badly cracked. test drove it ----Wind Noise Continued....

2-Using tape, I taped the driver's window edges, i though maybe the window was not up all the way for some reason....drove it again....Wind noise continues!!!!

3- I taped the upper part of the door, which is were i am suspecting the problem to come from.....still the noise continued........!!!

4- I cleaned the contact surfaces and the rubber really well, used some silicone grease on the rubber and let it sit for tonight to see if that helps ....

so what to do with this? i could compromise on a lot of things, but this is making me really hate the car..............I noticed that the upper corners of the two front doors are slightly off (protruding outwards ever so slightly), which i guess it is normal with the use. I tried bending them back into shape, but this is one true tank and not a car...so i could not do that....i wanted to get new door seals (although the existing ones look fine), but i want to make sure that they are the problem before i start spending money.....

the noise is clearly on the driver and passenger side (individually) at head level, so it is not under the car or anything..........

can someone post a picture of a front door seal in good condition? i need a reference point to see if mine are good or too compressed......

Ideas?

thank you

up^^^^^

Door adjustment if the door is not fitting properly, it should fit flush regardless of age, they don't warp. Gaskets if they're bad, you're in FL so a car parked outside frequently could have hardened rubber parts.

Most likely a window adjustment issue. A car of that age has probably gotten the window mechanism replaced or repaired, and there is some alignment that has to be performed so that the window seats properly.

There are several adjustment bolts on the front door window mechanisms that will allow this, and it could get tedious...which is why some folks don't even bother as long as the window raises and lowers properly.

If the window isn't seating correctly against the window gasket in the "up" position, all the gasket sealing R&R in the world won't get rid of the wind noise...

You can use a piece of paper to check the tightness of the door seals. Close the door on a piece of paper and see how much resistance there is when you pull it out. If the fit is very loose perhaps the door needs to be adjusted ... hard to tell without seeing the door alignment firsthand. If the rubber seals are hard a rubber conditioner/protectant may help.

I will post pictures this afternoon, and see what you guys think......

G-Benz,

What is the deal with window adjustment? it sounds like a slightly open window, but i did tape the window completely and the noise is unchanged. i read somewhere over here that the regulator sometimes does not go up all the way to seal properly, is that what you are referring to?

Edit: could poorly done tinting cause this window misalignment ? this car the worst tint job i ever seen, i am waiting to save some money to remove it and replace it

thanks guys

Also, does it have the inside and outside door seals? The inside one is a bulb-seal, is to seal the door, the outside one (flush with the outside of the door) is to prevent wind noise.

There is also a seal on the rocker-panel that the door cladding seats against.

What I do on the 190e is to "knee" the door. Examine the fit of the door against the body, from the outside. Find where it is too loose. There should be a smooth transition between window frame, seal, and body. Wind the window down. Open the door. Put your knee against the top of the inside door panel and pull on the widow frame. It will give a little. Examine the fit again. When done, road test.

It sounds incredibly dangerous: shattered glass in the driveway. In fact, it is so easy that it is obvious why the problem arises in the first place. A bit of careless handling distorts the window frame and causes the air leak. These cars are quiet when properly adjusted.

Andrew

That is what i tried to do, this thing is strong !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


anyhow, here are the pictures

First, Driver's door. everything seems ok when closed, although the door has the 'saggy' feeling when open....
http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...sLatest108.jpg

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...sLatest108.jpg

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...sLatest114.jpg

The corner i don't like as seen below

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...sLatest109.jpg

seals seem ok, a little cracking but they don't seem damaged, but again i don't have a properly sealing mercedes to compare with. what do you think?

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...sLatest110.jpg

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...sLatest112.jpg

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...sLatest113.jpg

Finally, Hinges so that you can teach me how to align these if i need to...

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...sLatest111.jpg

Passenger door, looks good on the surface

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...sLatest116.jpg

I don't like the corner though...

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...sLatest115.jpg

What do you guys think? seals, alignment? both?

Thanks,

pics are up^^^^^^^^^^

latief, the seals appear normal for a 16-year old car and the door alignment seems OK too. Did you try using a piece of paper to check how tight the seals are against the body? Open the hood and check for filler pieces on either side of the radiator. Those pieces are missing from our 1995 E320 and at highway speeds I hear noise from air blowing through the engine compartment and exiting at the base of the windshield. I suspect a previous owner, or tech, removed them when working on the radiator or A/C evaporator and never replaced them. Bought new ones, but haven't installed them yet. If these pieces are missing air bypasses the evaporator and evaporator affecting their performance too, especially in FL.

It's also possible the window tint installer damaged/removed the interior window seals.

It would be good if you could compare your window seals with another 124 car that's in excellent condition.

ah, I forgot about that test... i will do that today.....

so not a door alignment issue?

I am curios about the filler pieces you talk about, i don't see where the could fit in the engine bay considering the fan shroud covers the whole radiator ...do you a pic or a part number?

Finally, i am curios about the corner of the door seal i show in the picture. there is a small strip where it is very smooth and very different from the rest of the seal (each door), is this normal or is it missing something such as a piece of tape? there is factory tape on the corners of the rear door seals........

thanks

latief, if there are no gaps (talking 3" to 4" wide) between the headlights and the radiator then that's not the source of the wind noise.

Please give more detailed information about the tape on the rear door seals. I am unfamiliar with tape on MB door seals.

Your doors appear aligned OK. Of course, if a paper slides through with no resistance then perhaps you will need to adjust the strike plate so they close more tightly. Having said that, I would be reluctant to fool with the door alignment. Try to compare your door seals with a MB in excellent condition. Perhaps you need new door seals with pliable rubber.

With the doors open lift up on the door to check if there is any movement in the door hinge due to wear. If the doors sag that could cause a gap in the door seal, but I wouldn't expect that to be the case. Any chance that your 300E was involved in an accident?

Thanks,

I already did the door movement test. their is no movement.....and their is no sag (at least not enough to cause wind noise at 30mph) ....

i will post pictures of the tape on the rear door seal corners, maybe that is the problem?

thanks, i will dig into this deeper.....

So further testing now, I should have thought of this before....

I took pictures of the upper door corner while the rear doors were open....the driver door seems to be sealing perfectly despite the apparent sepeartion with aging obvious from the outside

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...tief_Q/001.jpg

good seal i think ^^^^^

As for the passenger door, it seems to be sealing fine also (below)...

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...tief_Q/003.jpg

Now as for the tape at the corners, this stuff is so well placed that i think it is orginal. but if this is not original, then i think i found my problem :o

Both doors below....

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...tief_Q/002.jpg

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...tief_Q/004.jpg

So is it original? or were they attempting to mask a broken seal with it?