C32 AMG, C55 AMG (W203) 2001 - 2007

C55 engine whine

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Old Mar 17, 2011 | 12:24 AM
  #1  
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C55 engine whine

I've heard it since new, just wondering what it is. I know what it isn't (now).

It's not the alternator, water pump, ac, power steering, or idler pullies.

My car makes the same noise with no serpentine belt. Maybe the oil pump?
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Old Mar 17, 2011 | 12:37 AM
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Originally Posted by mikekuriger
I've heard it since new, just wondering what it is. I know what it isn't (now).

It's not the alternator, water pump, ac, power steering, or idler pullies.

My car makes the same noise with no serpentine belt. Maybe the oil pump?
you mean when you're at a stop?
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Old Mar 17, 2011 | 12:54 AM
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i mean, when the engine is running. I suppose if you're stopped you hear it the loudest.
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Old Mar 17, 2011 | 01:15 AM
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there was a thread on here a while back i remember reading, it is perfectly normal. mine does it sometimes when i come to a stop, but i realized it's the A/C. if yours does it all the time, you really have something going on. or there's a blower under there that you never noticed
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Old Mar 17, 2011 | 06:25 AM
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I've had two idler pulleys replaced within the last year. Don't know which one or if they were the same one though. Both had the normal symptom of a whine that varied with engine speed.
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Old Mar 19, 2011 | 01:35 AM
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i think its normal? ive had that for a while
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Old Mar 20, 2011 | 09:47 AM
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It does appear that most of the noise is from the oil pump/timing chain area on my car. The AIR pump makes noise too, but I can hear when that stops and the other noise is still there. Been told multiple times it is normal, wish it wasn't.
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Old May 20, 2011 | 02:07 AM
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It's the oil pump for sure. You should hear how loud it is under a car, without the engine under panels, and it's cold started.
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Old May 20, 2011 | 07:14 AM
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Originally Posted by tri-star tech
It's the oil pump for sure. You should hear how loud it is under a car, without the engine under panels, and it's cold started.
Yes, that's how I determined what it was when I was doing my transmission service.
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Old May 20, 2011 | 07:21 AM
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Originally Posted by advans
i think its normal? ive had that for a while
+1, I've got two whines, one from the engine compartment that I blame on Kleemann and the other in the passenger compartment that comes from the old lady when I mash the gas!!
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Old May 20, 2011 | 11:23 AM
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Originally Posted by Newzchspy
+1, I've got two whines, one from the engine compartment that I blame on Kleemann and the other in the passenger compartment that comes from the old lady when I mash the gas!!
Same for me on the second whine
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Old May 20, 2011 | 04:10 PM
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I hear some whine when i start the car but it goes away after 1 min.. I guess this is normal.
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Old May 20, 2011 | 04:29 PM
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Originally Posted by Quicktwinturbo
I hear some whine when i start the car but it goes away after 1 min.. I guess this is normal.
That "whine" goes away because you gave her what she wants!!
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Old May 20, 2011 | 08:15 PM
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Glad to know I'm not the only one. Right when I first start the car up in the morning, it's OBNOXIOUSLY loud...then the rpm's settle and it's not as prevalent, but it's still there. And whenever I give it throttle it seems to increase in volume, so I'm guessing the noise is somehow related.

So you guys are sure this is normal?
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Old May 20, 2011 | 08:57 PM
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Originally Posted by porschefan1013
So you guys are sure this is normal?
I've researched it to no end. Talked with AMG direct, reps, etc. Many AMG's have the noise and I've settled for it just being normal.
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Old May 20, 2011 | 09:13 PM
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Ive heard its normal too. I really dont like it though. My solution is the secondary cat delete and muffler delete. Now I mostly just hear the V8.
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Old May 21, 2011 | 03:12 PM
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Originally Posted by kjb55
I've researched it to no end. Talked with AMG direct, reps, etc. Many AMG's have the noise and I've settled for it just being normal.
Funny thing is, the C55 does it BUT the ML55 does not??? C32, ehh, quiet as a church mouse!!
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Old May 21, 2011 | 06:44 PM
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I've heard the noise on a 2007 SLK55, on 2006 E500, and on a 2001 SL500, though none were as loud as my car.

Last edited by 91RS; May 21, 2011 at 06:48 PM.
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Old May 23, 2011 | 12:24 PM
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I've done a little more research and found some possible causes of this
1) hydrolic timing chain tensioner - noise will be loudest on cold start then go away after 10-15 seconds when oil pressure builds up. I believe this is what is causing mine, as I noticed that the noise goes away really quick if I use 10w oil instead of 0w. Tensioner possibly going bad?

2) transmission oil pump. I don't know much about this fix but I've read about someone who got it fixed and cured the issue.
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Old May 23, 2011 | 12:44 PM
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Low oil pressure to the TC tensioner will cause chain slap but shouldn't cause a whining sound.

As for the discussion regarding the whine coming from the oil pump, I've been fiddling with just about every configuration of oil pump over that past 30-odd years and I can't say I've ever heard one whine. That's usually the domain of idler and other bearings.
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Old Jun 9, 2011 | 10:28 PM
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I see at least 25 113 AMG engines in our shop a week. You know exactly when one starts cold in the morning. It's the sound of a beast waking up.
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Old Jun 10, 2011 | 10:49 AM
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I'd prefer a nice growl like that coming from the exhaust.

The whining is annoying.
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Old Jul 13, 2011 | 09:25 PM
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C55 Whining

So my mechanic told me that my oil pump needs to be replaced or watched very closely because of the whining. I am wondering if there is an engine oil pump and a separate transmission oil pump?
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Old Jul 14, 2011 | 12:16 AM
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The whine in the morning is the air pump which is normal, but they also fail a lot so it could be worse due to failure. Mine is getting very loud as well I think it's time to get a new one.
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Old Jul 14, 2011 | 03:23 AM
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just had new air pump & pulley fitted & noise still there so much for mb dealer diagnostic lucky covered by mb warranty which ran out day i got car back.
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