t4pizza

Looking to buy an 06 E350 but need to know if it may have the balance shaft issue. I already had this issue with my wife's R350 (and the differential issue as well) and don't need to deal with another one. I called my local MB dealership for the info but they have yet to get back to me. I tried checking those russian vin sites but got nothing. The VIN of the car is

WDBUF56J16A753258

Thank you in advance for your help.

cetialpha5

Pretty much all 2006 E350's have the the balance shaft issue. You'd have to look at a 2007+, about a 1/3 of the early 2007's have the issue, sometime after Sept 2006 was fine. And which Russian site did you use?

Here's two that still work:

http://www.neoriginal.ru/cat/mb

http://carinfo.kiev.ua/cars/vin/mercedes

jimbo1763

I get your engine number as 272 964 30 039 245 based on the VIN you posted, and since the affected range of engines is up to 30468993 (going by the last 8 digits), I think that car is at risk.

That being said, though, not all of the cars were bad. My wife's car is that year, and so far, so good. Mine is a 2007, and I had to have mine replaced.

BenZBoy95

I would like to know if this MB falls in the particular range I am looking to buy it the VIN is WDBRF52H26A893036 thanks guys.

jimbo1763

You can check it yourself if you like at the site given at Post 5 of this link.

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w211...et-engine.html

Based on that, it looks like your engine number is 272 920 30 322595, and that would put it in the affected range, as that goes up to engines having 30 468993 as the last 8 digits for the 272 engine.

bchalou

I went and spoke with the Service director (David) at Tyson's corner MB and he helped me with the repair. He was very understanding and very down to earth. I ended up paying $3,500.

Fingers crossed that this pig can last me 2 to 4 more years.

recon110

Got me. Just had this fixed at approximately 4K with additional front end and brake service. Total was $5200. My vehicle is outside the range of 5 yrs and 120K miles. The check engine light came on several yrs ago and out of need we continued to drive it until this past summer when we finally got it fixed. It wasn't until this past Spring that Mercedez settled a Class Action Lwsuit in Caifornia where they took no blame but would pay for 37% of the cost to fix. The car now runs great. And is currently back in at Action One in Rochester Hills MI for the 500 mile checkup they recommended to check for any issues.

bewbzout

So my car has the 1208 code (intake) but not the 1200 code. MB says they cannot do anything until the 1200 code appears even though you can hear noises in the timing chain area. I have replaced the magnet and the code is still there. Any way I can make that 1200 code appear? I'd rather not recline it at the dealer until the engine blows just to get the damn thing fixed.

It is really embarrassing driving a mercedes that sounds like a VW diesel.

bewbzout

I am curious how this works if I decide to have a independent shop do the repair. Will mercedes cover 37.5% of that as well?

vpipis

You may not have ANY repairs done at an independent shop and get reimbursed by MBUSA anymore, as the Effective Date of the settlement has already occurred, it was October the 20th 2015. For any repairs done after that date, if you want MBUSA to participate in any way financially, the car can only be taken to a MB dealer and MBUSA will participate at the percentage determined in the decision based on the year and mileage of car at the time of the repair.

bewbzout

I also have a ticking noise coming from the drivers side timing cover. Is it common to have a ticking sound with the balance shaft issue or is this something else.

vpipis

I had the balance shaft replaced in my M272 engine at an independent shop (based on wrong information provided by the claim administrator, long story..) and now I have a slight low frequency vibration when idling at 500-600 rpm, and a higher frequency vibration in the 3000 to 4500 rpm range, that I do not recall feeling earlier. I wonder could this be the product of a balance shaft not alligned correctly on the chain link. Does anyone know if there is there a way to check if the balance shaft is installed correctly? Would a borescope inserted down the intake cam of the right bank allow viewing of notches and chain-link? Is there another way perhaps?

Petmerctech

The timing chain might have been installed a tooth or two off. There is a method of removing the cam position sensors and checking the alignment marks of the camshafts.

vpipis

Petmerctech thank you for the reply. Looking at the way the chain runs, from crank to right intake to balance shaft to left intake to crank, and the installation video of the balance shaft by MB on youtube, I get the feeling that the timing of the engine that is required for the engine to run, camshafts position to crankshaft position can be correct, and still have the balance shaft 3-line mark not on the marked chain link. if you do not position the balance shaft with the 3 lines on the marked link, if you have not blocked the balance shaft from rotating you can still pull the chain to correctly time the camshafts so that the engine will work and the marks will appear fine (assuming a chain that has not lengthened and good pressure on the tensioning screw). But the balancing weight of the balance shaft will be in the wrong position, not countering the engine vibrations correctly. The engine does not seem to monitor the correct position of the balance shaft to me. I also seem to remember my M272 engine to be idling 100% vibration free even with the balance shaft worn. Now immediately after the repair when at full operating temp when RPMs fall to 560, I can see a 3 mm wobble bassy vibration side to side seen on the air filter cover, that I also feel when at drivers seat (door, console, pedals, wheel, pedals, etc). And a hard to explain revving resistance and resonant vibration at the 4K RPM region. The engine before the repair would JUMP to 6 K RPM is you touched the gas pedal a bit heavily while in park, almost instantly with no hesitation at all and without vibration. If I use a flexible bore-scope inserted down the right intake cam chain path (the same way MB instructs to confirm worn balance shaft teeth), can I perchance also see the marked chain-link and 3 lines on side of cam, or the timing mark on the right side of the weight? Is there a way to confirm the balance shaft position without pulling the engine?

konigstiger

vpipis

Thank you Konigstiger for the reply. I have seen this video. My understanding is that in this video the teeth of the gear on the balance shaft are worn at various degrees, ranging from worn totally to perhaps a bit less, etc. What causes the right side of the engine to lag is the fact that the chain is now loose due to the balance shaft gear being worn. The extra length allows for the right cams to turn a bit behind (lag) as compared to the left (drivers side) cams. I do not think it indicated what the position of the balance shaft gear is on the chain. I now have a new balance shaft, and the markers of the camshafts are in place, and no codes are stored. But the engine has vibrations as if it were off balance. I feel the balance shaft 3 little lines are not positioned on the correct spot on the chain, which would cause the balance shaft to be off balance, but all else can still be timed correctly. Is there a way to see any timing marks if I look in there with a borescope? So my balance shaft is not failing, it is not positioned correctly and does not counteract vibrations. Its gear is new and the chain fully tensioned.

vpipis

vpipis

the picture above is from the video "M272 & M273 Engine -Balance Shaft Installation and Timing". If on the above picture the balance shaft had turned a bit (or a lot, several teeth off) and the dark link was not on the 3 lines, all else can still be timed correctly other than the fact that the engine will be vibrating. There seems to be no engine sensor that cares about the position of the balance shaft. It only acts as a pulley to route the chain and kill vibrations. I want to somehow confirm the 3 lines are on the link above. Can that or perhaps see the other marking on the counterweight of the balance shaft that is supposed to align to a notch of the block for correct weight timing, along with the 3 lines on the link

Petmerctech

The only mark that determines the correct position of the balancer shaft is on the front of the crankcase and to view that, the timing case cover needs to be removed. The mark is shown at 4:35 in this video:


Did your mechanic align the notch on the balancer weight to this mark when installing the timing chain? There is a plate with a hole in it that bolts onto the rear of the balancer shaft and when installing, a punch or similar object is inserted into that hole that lines up with a hole in the crankcase that basically holds the balancer shaft in position for proper installation.

Although the engine doesn't need to be pulled to remove the timing case cover, it's still a labor intensive job. On the other hand, you might be able to remove the driver side cam adjusters cover and use a borescope inserted next to the chain rail and try to view it but due to the viewing angle, it might be difficult to determine if it's spot on.

vpipis

the mechanic is a Mercedes only non-MB usa mechanic. I paid $4800 and he did the repair. When I picked up the car, the engine had rough idle, and during driving I noticed the vibration at 4000 rpms. Took the car back immediately and tried to ask, the owner of the shop (I cannot talk to the mechanic) told me he would do nothing then, because the car had "major heart surgery" and we had to wait for the motor mounts to settle. In my opinion the vibes we were having were not the kind that settle. I agreed since he is the specialist. A couple of weeks later when the vibes continued, I told the owner that the balance shaft may be installed with wrong timing, and he told me "that is not possible we do too many" but also had no explanation or remedy for the new unbalanced behavior of the motor. I do not know what to do next, but the vibration is annoying me at every light I stop and my belly fat jiggles... haha And yes, first I believe you need to immobilize the balance shaft the way you mentioned, and then place the marked chain link on the 3 lines of the gear. I need a way to verify if it is correct, and so far the borescope is the only thing that comes to mind. I seem to remember the M272 idling totally still at 560 rpms, do I remember wrong? In noisy environments, I had to look at the RMP gauge to see if the motor was running. Now I can feel it run. I thought you may have vibration from the balance shaft being worn, and it goes away after the repair not the other way around. So does the M272 idle still or a bit rough normally?

Petmerctech

Well, the motor mounts on these engines aren't known to be especially stellar. If in fact this shop is experienced in replacing balance shafts, then most likely, it is installed correctly. I would then probably suspect that the motor mounts and transmission mount are to blame. Perhaps removing and installing the engine compromised them in some way.

vpipis

The shop is allegedly experienced. Before completion they called me to say my front drive axle is "too stiff" and they would like to "deal with it" now for another $1000, or I would experience vibrations later. I declined to "take care" of the shaft without even being aware of the problem. I asked if it was the rubber with the 6 screws, they said no, the other end...The vibrations I mention are with car in Park anyway. I will have the motor mounts checked. thank you for the information.

edm163

Contact me for any balance shaft repair in the NYC / NJ area. Will beat any price and job done in 3 days. All work GUARANTEED!

butter123

For those of you wanting to check if your engine is affected, here is a helpful website:
http://www.vindecoderz.com/EN/Mercedes-Benz

It will tell you the serial number of your engine and major issues.

butter123

How many miles does the car have on it? Depends on your driving condition, those mounts could go bad before 90k. Should have replaced the mounts when you did the balance shaft and they are about $250 parts for both. The motor mounts shouldn't have any additional labor cost since the engine was removed when doing the balance shaft.