fluffybunny

Hey guys,

Lindsay here from Sunny South Africa

I'm absolutely desperate .. so really hope someone can shine a light on this.

Firstly, I've been searching online for hours, my eyes are bleeding.. I've watched (listened) to the videos posted by other members tagged with 'ticking',
there's a ton of information available but can't seem to find anything that either sounds similiar or hasn't already been replaced on my vehicle.

Long story short, I've got a 2010 C63 AMG with 77k km's.
It had the epic cam gear failure about 3 weeks ago.
The list of repairs covered everything from engine mountings, camshat (left and right), cam gears, valve tappet, cam adjusters (replaced twice), cam lifters, spark plugs .. etc.
They even replaced the steering pump lol.

Got my car back and it hasn't been the same.
There's a very very slight ticking sound, but not consistent ticking when lightly accelerating in a high gear.
It only started after the massive repair and has been back 3 times.

No error codes and of course, each time Merc reckon they've fixed it. They even replaced the rear right bearing as they thought the sound was coming from that.
Picked it up for the 4th time today, just got back from a test drive and it's doing it again.
Now I'm not entirely sure if it's also feeling a bit sluggish,.. I'm going to reset the TCU.. air it out a bit and give it horns.. am hoping that's just my imagination,.. but I'm truly at a loss?

I wouldn't be so concerned if I wasn't planning to leave on a road trip this weekend from Johannesburg to Cape Town before I trade it in on another vehicle early April.
After the catastrophic engine failure, I'm booting it.. I'll be sad to see it go, but this failure has literally destroyed my soul.
Am I completely nuts to be doing a 1200km road trip in it just to experience the awesomeness of my V8 NA car at sea level

Some of the noises posted by other members are hectic in comparison to mine.. so that kind of puts my mind at ease... but being female, driving from one city to the next, .. and possibly getting stranded in the Karoo by myself does worry me. I don't know kung fu

Thoughts?

craig.pulliam

I had a light ticking a low speed. I needed new brake pads.

-ian

Sounds daft but have you checked your tyres to make sure there isn't a stone stuck in the treads. Also have a look behind your brake disk shields that something isn't wedged in there.

SaphGreyC63

If you can post a video that should really help in diagnosing it possibly

fluffybunny

lol.. no, there's nothing stuck in the tyres .. and wish it was as simple as just brake pads

On the plus side, reset the tcu and it doesn't feel sluggish.
So that's one thing at least.

What's so infuriating though is the inconsistency.
One out of every ten times it's really loud as if something is about to rattle lose, but generally you have to listen for it and it's hard to replicate with a 100 percent success rate.
On my run now, I managed to hear it up to around 3500 rpm before being drowned out.

I'm getting frustrated just typing this post.. argh.
Merc have obviously heard it while in the car with me, but they seem to be shooting in the dark replacing parts left right and centre. $$$$

I kind of just want to ignore it, take it down to the coast and rip up some tarmac.. than hand the keys in at the dealer when I'm back.
..But my luck, I will literally get stuck in the middle of nowhere.

@SaphGreyC63, thanks. Will try get it on video.. Hoping it's audible enough to be of any use.

abcut973

That taping sound is pretty common on the M156 engines. Replacing cam adjusters and lifters usually do the trick. Not too sure why your dealer replaced camshaft and all . Lol! spark plugs???
Like you said they don't really know what to do anymore. But since you keep paying for it they won't say no
Well I never experienced that issue so I cannot tell you if you'll be good to go on this road trip. But my common sense tells me you should be OK. Car has just been at the shop with new parts so if something was extremely wrong they or you would have noticed. M156 are pretty solid engines if maintained well. And I assume you did.

CarHopper

Did they pull the motor when they did all the work?

It could still be the lifters. On the other hand, it could also be an exhaust leak if they pulled the motor and headers (not sure why they would, but you never know). Also could just be a bolt, nut, something that may have wandered off and is just resting up against some metal which is why it is so inconsistent.

The drowning out eventually has me thinking along those kinds of lines.

snowmuch

Lifters.

fluffybunnies

Thanks abcut973.. strange thing is, I never heard the sound before the cam gears failed.
Only after they replaced everything with new sparkly parts. But you're right, it could still be the lifters, in which case I guess it's just a matter of time.. tick tick boom. But that would throw an error code? aaargh
Maybe I should just pack a tent and ample supplies.. flares and maybe a gun before heading out.
hahahaha.. if you guys had to see me, you'd realise how funny that statement is. I'd never last an hour fending for myself in the desert.
I wouldn't even manage camping in my own back yard.

@PurpleHeartAMG, I've actually had that before on my track car. Did my head in lol.
I don't know if they lifted the engine out, I'm guessing they'd maybe have to given the major repair that took place a few weeks back, but I've never actually been downstairs to their workshop so it's a complete guess.
I'm certainly going to ask them though.. good point. thanks.

Ultimately, I'd agree with you guys, based on everything I've read I'd also go with lifters.
Merc reopened the engine when they heard the sound, thought it was actually the cam adjusters the second time around.

I've just woken up and will be heading to Merc this morning.
They have one day to figure it out as I plan on leaving this Sunday.

Wish me luck

fluffybunnies

Sooooo... am here at Mercedes, with the whole of service management and a guy from MBSA looking at my car.

They're now trying to tell me that after they spent all that money fixing things, hearing the sound, replacing parts.... it's the fuel.
I call BS and am about to explain that to them in as colourful a language as I can muster. Talk about guessing!
I don't know if it's because I have ( . )( . ) that they think I don't know what it feelings like to have detonation, pulled timing or what pinging sounds like.

Look, I get it's possible to get a bad batch of fuel, it happens, but not a chance is that the problem, considering I'm 3 tanks down and only after the repair is it now making the sound.
Is it possible when they put it back together, they've advanced the timing too much? But still, that's what the knock sensors are for and would feel the timing being pulled.
Crickey, I'm even beginning to doubt my own sanity now.

I've only ever put 95 RON in as that's as high as we can get.. so they're trying to say that I must change from BP, SASOL, Mobil and all other petrols to Caltex which in SA is probably the lowest rated fuel there is.
It happens under light acceleration around 1000-1500 rpm .. and can hear it all the way up to 3500.
Yes,.. it could also be carbon build up,.. awfully strange how it's only happening now suddenly after the repair and they've spent a fortune replacing things.


/end rant

Wow, I feel a lot calmer now ..
Hopefully by the time America wakes up, this will all be fixed

bhamg

Have you considered changing the type of oil from what you were using? Specifically, a 229.5-approved 5w-40 oil with a spec'd Viscosity, cSt@100ēC of perhaps 13.8 or higher? It might be worth a shot...I have definitely noticed differences in idle ticking between the three oils I've used.

fluffybunnies

Thanks bhamg,.. the car's still under motorplan, so I've never had to top up any fluids.
No idea what oil they use at Merc, I'd imagine it's something like mobil1

Appreciate the suggestion,.. Merc are going to go with the story that it's possibly carbon build up.
So they're putting in a fuel line cleaner.

In the interim, I'll be doing burnouts in the courtesy vehicle they've given me.
Drive angry has new meaning in my life.

I'm actually sad that this whole experience has literally made me hate the brand.

abcut973

I was about to say the same thing on the oil specs.
Well let's see what will be the outcome this time.
Which MB dealer are you in? I used to work in Jo'burg back in 2010. I remember the dealership in sandton on rivonia ?

fluffybunnies

They don't know.. They've put fuel line cleaner in .. in the hope it'll help.
157k's worth of repairs so far. There's so much wrong with the way they've handled this.. I need to calm down first.

I'm at Sandown Motors - Merc on William Nicol