chrlbake

Hey all, I was driving the other day, in 13 inches of snow, and now I can hear a sound that sounds like an exhaust leak coming from under the gearbox area. From outside the car it doesn't really sound, and when i first start it up and drive it(when its cold), it is a LOT worse!! I mean, to behonest, it kinda sounds like a piece of SH**. Anyways, i took it by the dealer today and they couldn't find anything wrong, the guy drove the car with me in it(of course the engine had been driven for a little while then so it wasn't as loud, but i could still hear it).
They put it on the rack and could'nt find any exhaust leaks and said everythinhg looked fine under the car, no signs of damage. If any one has any clues to what could be causing this please let me know,... ity sux to have a mercedes and feel like its a POS, otherwise i'll have to get rid of it. By the way the car is a 6-spd and i can also hear it when i shift gears, the car drives fine though, but when its cold and i can hear the noise it def. rumbles the car and it does drive rougher. Thanks!!

Glyn M Ruck

This could be many things but the last car on the forum that had this sort of thing, but not caused by snow was a chunk of catalyst honeycomb that had broken loose in the cat converter. Hot exhaust, very cold snow - could have done the same thing. You are going to have to go through a procees of elimination

chrlbake

That does make sense to me... it does sound like its exhaust related, but why when the car gets warm does it get better???
I appreciate your help, I know nothing about the exhaust on this car and for that fact very little mechanically, i used to be in to modiifying cars and working on them, however, dental school has taken that outta me. sux we have to figure out whats wrong with our cars, isn't that what we pay the dealers/mechanics for? thanks!

PA_Pete

Here you go, here is the thread Glyn is referring too, it was one that I started. https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...n-ticking.html
How many miles do you have on your car? I had less than 70,000 when this occurred to me. You should definitely look into this as being the culprit. My car had some off days where it was fine, and then there would be days where it would be bad. Read through the whole post, beginning to end. Also, here is a link to the EPA's warranty on Emission Related parts (If your car is inspected and registered in the United States and qualifies for the year/mileage minimums)http://www.epa.gov/obd/warranties.htm#a

Glyn M Ruck

The broken piece could be moving around & when hot the catalyst is almost incandescent so it expands.. This catalyst thing is a shot in the dark - but you never know. Read Pete's thread. That led us on a merry dance. Listen to his video clip.

LOL - I leave my own car to the dealer but spend hours on the forum helping others - that's life.

chrlbake

Hey, thanks for all your help again. I listened to the video and read the thread. Mine isn't really that ticking sound, it almost sounds like I have a monster exhaust on my car. Just as your thread said, pinpointing these sounds are so hard because its hard to explain the noise.
The weird thing from mine is that I cannot really hear it that loud, if at all, from the outside of the car. Its just coming from underneathe the gearbox.
BY the way, my car is a 2005 with 46K on it, i'd say i'm a spirited driver, I don't beat the absolute **** outta it, but i do use the car. It does see redline a few times a week(maybe not for the past couple of months).
After reading the thread i'm thinking that if its not exhaust it might be a mount, maybe a tranny mount, because when i slowly realease the clutch, i can kinda hear it a bit as well. However, the car really doesn't drive bad, just when its cold(when the noise is most evident) is the only time it drives rough. And with that being said, the car shifts and the gearbox seems great(clutch seems excellent as well, the mechanic at the benz dealer thought the same). The car is going in for a service A on monday, so i'm going to drive it straight there and hopefully its still cold so they will hear it better. Is it possible for an exhaust leak where the pipes meet to go away when the car gets warmer? When i have heavily modified front wheel drives I found this to be, but then again I was always dealing with custom manifolds and exhausts for turbo apps so chasing exhaust leaks was pretty routine.

Well thanks again, by the way, is there a tool we can buy to reset the computer ourselves?? thanks! Chris

chrlbake

hey by the way, if you don't mind me asking, what did a new catalytic converter run you?

Glyn M Ruck

Chris,
I thought reading Pete's thread might help, we looked at many options - all worth checking apart from flex plates etc which you don't have. Check mountings & get them to check the exhaust properly from one end to another & every hanger etc. It could still be just exhaust related. You might have disturbed a baffle plate.

Regarding tool - Yes - buy yourself an OBDII/CAN scanner. I've just bought the Equus 3130 Innova Diagnostic Code Scanner. There are a whole host of these things starting at about $70 for a basic unit at Kragens or the like. Do an internet search and see what you might like regarding capability. The 3130 is a more upmarket unit which does what I want - I don't want to go scratching through manuals to see what a code means & wanted it internet updateable. If all you want is to cancel CELs, read codes & reset the service indicator then a basic model is fine. There are very expensive units & you can even buy a full Merc STAR DAS for US$ 20,000 +++ To me a US$150 +- unit did everything I wanted.

chrlbake

awesome, i'll probably get one of those soon, however, i already have an appointment monday morning at the dealer for the service A, sucks, basically just a 300$ oil change! Not too happy about that, do you all even think the other stuff they do is even worth it?? thanks again Chris

UK-C200

Hey Chris - your question regarding service A is really specific to the market. In the UK, the 2-3k worth of "dealer service" over the 5-6 years of ownership translates into 2-3k worth of resale value when you go to sell the car. Here in the UK (and was the same in France) people won't even look at a car if you don't have a dealer stamped service booklet.

In the US, I usually do all the service on my SLK - it's good therapy - and I save the receipts, etc to document the service. I've had it a couple of years now, and intend on keeping it for a couple more, so I guess it's kinda a wash. My dealer has never had a problem with it at all, and I've had no problem with warranty service. To be fair, I've also not had anything warranty related that would have been related to oil and filter changes, either...

Glyn M Ruck

+1 for South Africa - No dealer service history & you have trouble even selling. In the US throw away society these things are less important from my experience living there.

Glyn M Ruck

Chris - it is if they actually do it. I have a deal with my service manager. I watch them service the car and make sure everything gets done. I won't even allow them to wash the car without me being present or buttons, rings & watches scratch the car & vacuum cleaner nozzles scratch the woodwork etc.

PA_Pete

It didn't cost me anything, it was covered under the EPA Emission Systems warranty. See my link in Post # 4. Then again, this is only because the converter was bad. If it were anything else, I'm sure they would have charged me for the work. Once you find out what is wrong, go from there, I just wouldn't start replacing parts.

chrlbake

Hey, so just got my car back from the service, and they found nothing, once again. I only live about a mile from the dealer, so it was still cold and could hear it by the time i got it there. He said they couldn't reproduce problem and everything looked fine.

i've noticed also that when i slowly pull out the clutch in reverse and 1st gear, I can hear a small clatter noise, which i am pretty sure i've never heard before. today when i pulled it in my garage, i opened up the door and when i reved it i can't really here anything from the outside of the car, its just from inside, right below the gearbox! I mean before this fu**** snow storm the only thing i could hear was the supercharger whine. Still sounds like ****, i just don't know where to start. I don't have any time to really look at it myself, dont' have jack stands at my townhouse, think i should go by a muffler place like midas? When something is worng with myc ar and i can't figure it out, it drives me crazy, i mean i've already checked into getting rid of it, problem is, its not worth crap!
Well thanks again guys for your help chris

Glyn M Ruck

Check out the exhaust - otherwise leave it at the dealer overnight & go start it there & show them.

chrlbake

I think i might go by the exhaust shop this week. I might be going back where i got the car this weekend and letting them repaint the hood (b/c they did a ****ty job when it got keyed a while back) so if I take it there, maybe that dealer can find out, who knows,
Do you think it might be transmission related?? I mean when i was stuck in the snow, For a good couple mins I was wocking back and forth shifting from 1st to reverse when the car was at very high rpms, I mean I didn't grind the gears (well maybe a little once) but besides the "throaty rumble", the clatter when slowly feathering the clutch, and slight roughnessduring heard accleration, the car seems fine. I do remember the rear end making a clunking noise when shifting to try and get outta the snow, maybe that jarring caused a mount to break loose?
Can you visually see the transmission mounts when looking at the underside of the car? I'm just trying to figure out what could cause this that the dealer couldn't see, and that makes sense about the clattering when i'm feathering the clutch.
I also did a little experiment, I really only hear it when i'm driving, when the car is in neutral or the clutch is engaged, when I rev the motor it sounds normal, that another reason why i'm thinking its drivetrain,

well thanks again, sorry i'm kinda frekaing out about it.... just hate car issues, thats why I bought this car brand new over 4 years ago, now its starting to age

Glyn M Ruck

These cars spend much of their life in snow in Europe & there is lot's of life left in your car - It's just a matter of diagnosing the problem. It's either exhaust or something touching something, or you injured something in the snow. Clutch mechanism, thrust bearing, broken pressure plate spring, broken mount, damaged output shaft donut after the gearbox. Displaced heat shield. You have to replicate it at the dealer.

PA_Pete

True, could be a number of things. As you state, you were rocking the car back and forth in 1st and Reverse for a while, I know that doing this in an Automatic will fry your Automatic Transmission Fluid, so maybe as a precaution, you may want to replace the gear oil in your Transmission.

Glyn M Ruck

I searching the forum today I find a lot of reference to exhausts knocking against displaced heat shields caused by abnormal driving conditions. Mainly inclement weather.

chrlbake

Hey, I found a merceded specialist in town, i'm taking it by there in a bit. One thing he thought it could be was an exhaust shield as well, well hopefully i'll get a little closer to the problem!
Seriously, all the help and suggestions are very greatly appreciated, thanks!
Chris

Glyn M Ruck

A pleasure. I found 5 or 6 references to W203s with displaced exhaust shields touching - good luck

BF_JC230

Here are two images from the bottom of my car...

I live in the south towns of Buffalo, NY and we have had 87" of snow this season in Buffalo...So we in the south must have had 130"...

Anyway,
Good luck,
Jake

chrlbake

Hey thanks for the images, by the way, are those pics from when your car was brand new??/ I mean that exhaust looks flawless!
So the mercedes mechanic that i took the car too said at this point he prolly wouldn't find anything, so he said take it back to him when it gets worse. Frustrating is what comes to mind. I just wish i had a lift, i would put my car and my friends c230 next to it and compare, oh well, thanks again Chris

BF_JC230

Thanks! - Those pictures are from around 30,000 miles...I hope they help give you a reference to the under side and the heat shields...

Good luck with your noise...
Jake