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W203 Vibration when in D or R when at stop (not a mount issue)
Hey everyone. So i'm having this vibration issue in my 2005 C240 4matic, only has 55k miles on it, very well taken care of and all sudden i'm feeling this vibration when the car is on and i put it on drive/reverse, completely goes away on neutral, and also when i'm driving. It comes back only when i'm at a complete stop with foot on brake and car in D or R. This is what i've done so far:
1. Changed motor mounts
2. Changed transmission mounts
3. Changed air filters
4. Changed all 12 sparkplugs and coils.
Vibration is still there and can't figure out what the issue is. Any guidance would be really appreciate it. I really enjoy fixing these myself but i ran into a wall with this one and i know someone who had a similar issue might be able to help me out.
p.s. If it helps, i feel the vibration mainly on the steering wheel and little bit in the seat.
Check the alternator sprag (one way) pulley as well. Not sure about the latest version (so far so good) but the original ones were known for seizing up. Not sure if this is the problem you're having, but your symptoms describe exactly what I was dealing with, except that mine also came with a squeaky belt that went silent as soon as the car started rolling (even if it was 0.1km/h).
You might also want to look here and here. Even though you have the V6, there's a good chance your alternator will have the same problem. The job will be roughly the same but the PN for the pulley will probably be different.
While the belt is off, inspect all pulleys and the belt itself as well.
Lastly, you might also want to post in the C32 forum if this doesn't solve your issue. That place will have more information for your specific model.
Last edited by slammer111; 02-11-2021 at 05:55 PM.
Thank you, i appreciate the help, my username is C32 because i used to own one but this car is a 2005 C240 4matic. No codes at all. car runs beautifully, just the vibration is bugging me. i'll check the belt but no belt noise and seems in good shape last i checked few weeks ago. i'll check the alternator as well. Engine doesn't seem to shake either btw. could it be front axel from what i'm reading as well? going to check that soon.
it's not oem brand but even the ones i removed were still in great shape. i can try putting old ones back since i placed the transmission mount after but i don't believe that's the issue, there would of been some kind of change wether good or bad. it was exactly the same after the change.
it's not oem brand but even the ones i removed were still in great shape. i can try putting old ones back since i placed the transmission mount after but i don't believe that's the issue, there would of been some kind of change wether good or bad. it was exactly the same after the change.
Don't wasts your time. Get new Lemforder mounts. Vibration in D and R but not in N is always engine mounts. None of the aftermarket mounts are built the same way as Lemforders. I learned the hard way.
Make sure they have the ribs along the bottom Lemforder left Knock off right
even OEM ones are very bad? because they looked good when i removed them. i will def. try since i really can't figure out what else it might be. thank you, appreciate the help!!
even OEM ones are very bad? because they looked good when i removed them. i will def. try since i really can't figure out what else it might be. thank you, appreciate the help!!
What are "OEM"? How old were they? How many miles? Did they have the ribs on the bottom? Were they collapsed?
car has 55k miles on it, barely driven. i'm not sure if previous owner changed them, here are some pictures. i really thought they were oem, can't find a part number on them. you might know better if they are oem or not. they weren't collapsed. just dirty, although alot of dirt was coming thru from the small holes in them, not sure if that's normal
Those are junk aftermarket mounts. Lemforders are filled with oil. When they wear out and fail they leak out goo. Aftermarket mounts usually aren't filled with oil. They're just rubber. Your 4matic needs lemforder 2032401617. Notice how the black rubber part has 2 rings instead of 1 and the aluminum part has ribs. https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/mer...20-2302400117a
I own a C320 and E320. When I bought the c320 4 years ago I installed lemforder mounts and it's been dead smooth ever since. Then I bought the E320 two years ago and it came with records saying the engine mounts had just been replaced by a Mercedes specialist. going back and forth between the two cars I noticed the E320 would vibrate at idle in gear while the c320 didn't. As soon as I pop the E320 into neutral the vibration goes away. Last month I finally replaced the engine mounts in the E320 with lemforders and it's finally smooth and quiet just like the c320. The old amounts weren't collapsed they're only two years old. You can see them in the picture above. But the difference in vibration is night and day.
OEM mounts will have the MB logo and PN stamped on them. Your old (rusty looking) mounts look pretty rough and do not look OEM at all. I wouldn't bother putting them in.
Lemfoerder make very decent products. My understanding is that Corteco is the OE supplier for MB, for my model at least. In other words, the mounts sold in the MB box are just repackaged Corteco ones with the MB PNs stamped on them.
Both Lemfoerder and Corteco are good, on top of the dealership ones which cost twice as much. I would not use anything other than those 3 brands.
I replaced my engine mounts with Corteco ones a few months ago and the car instantly ran smoother. The car was vibrating before that but I didn't think too much about it. New mounts definitely make the difference. See link for the old and new mount comparison. The old mounts were the original ones from the factory when I bought the car. Notice that the new ones have an updated design.
Last edited by slammer111; 07-10-2022 at 11:17 PM.
thank you guys, i've went ahead and ordered new OE mounts. A Mercedes mechanic friend was telling me to check the half shaft, could that be causing this issue as well?
If the car is vibrating with the car stopped, it wouldn't be the cause of the vibrations. With that said, it never hurts to take the occasional look as part of routine maintenance.
On these cars the rubber bits on the driveline last quite a while. I'm still on my original flex discs as well as the rear linkages.
Last edited by slammer111; 02-20-2021 at 04:27 AM.
thank you guys, i've went ahead and ordered new OE mounts. A Mercedes mechanic friend was telling me to check the half shaft, could that be causing this issue as well?
Yes, I have seen 4matic cars (S-class but not C-class yet) vibrate at idle due to the front driveshafts. This is also why the aftermarket driveshafts are no good.
so funny thing is, i decided to check the cv axel since my friend recommended and the boot side that' opposite the one attached to the wheel is broken and completely damaged (passenger side). idk if that's the issue but i don't hear any noise coming due to that, usually there is noise coming from that if it's bad. would a broken boot cause vibration? i guess i will have to fix that anyways now so i will see.
Here is a picture of what i found on my passenger side CV axel, i'm going to go ahead and order one as well but do you think that broken boot is enough to cause this vibration?
All, Just wanted to update on what happened. I did change to OEM mounts and the vibration went away. Still some vibration but very minimal compared to what i had (it's probably because i'm comparing it to the vibration of the car on idle lol). Thank you for those who recommended the OEM mounts instead. I can't believe that's all it was. Well at least i changed the transmission mount as well which looked like it was toward end of it's life. Still waiting for the CV axel but that's another issue. Thank you guys again!!
So an update on this, i changed the CV Axel which needed to be changed anyways and after i completed this, now the vibration is much much worst. I can't fathom how a cv axel change is causing the vibration to increase this much, doesn't make sense to me, remember this is ONLY when i have the car in Drive or Reverse and parked or stopped. Not when being driven. it's very smooth when being driven. Few things i did notice while working on the car is that there is trans fluid leak, not big but not small either. I will add some today, a question i want to ask, could a vacuum air leak cause this as well?
i did not but i don't believe that was my issue to begin with, i asked a few mechanics and they said OEM will last much longer but wouldn't be cause of vibration, i just changed it because it needed to be changed, the vibration never really left.
Have you cleaned out your throttle body? I recently cleaned out my throttle body after owning the vehicle for 15+ years never had this done until recently and it was definitely the cause for my rough idle at stops while in drive.
02-10-2021, 07:57 PM
But I don't think it will.
