The damper basically dampens vibrations in the crankshaft and rotating assembly to allow smoother operation of the engine. I know that failed dampers causes very rough engine operation, feeling alot like a broken motor mount. The reason these dampers are being recalled is that when they break apart, the take out parts of the engine like pieces of the oil pan, which results in thousands of dollars in repairs. Definitely worth getting fixed if necessary...

Ok so is the dampner a part of the recall and does it have anything to do with the harmonic balancer?

The harmonic balancer is the same thing as the harmonic damper.....just another way of saying the same thing. Sorry to cause any confusion.

I know this is an old thread...... I just went through this problem on my clk430....
Is this a real recall ? Does this recall only apply to US vechicles and not Canadian vechicles ? Thanks

It's time to consider buying US vechicles....

My harmonic balancer just went on my 98 CLK320 w/ 118km on it. It was running rough and I was on my way to my mechanics to drop it off when the AC, ps, battery charging, etc. went kaput.

Thankfully I pulled over and after looking in the engine compartment and seeing the rubber ring lying on the bottom and some metal shavings I decided I better just get a tow.

Anyways...long story short....called MB Canada and they have no recall for me for the harmonic balancer based on my VIN. Then went on to tell me that there has been no recalls for my vehicle ever.

So it would appear that the US cars were recalled but the Canadian ones weren't.

On the positive side....a harmonic balancer is only $140 canadian through the dealer. Much less then I though it would be. I had visions of the $1,500 pulley dancing through my head as I waited road side for my tow.

Just made an appointment for monday to have mine replaced! im not the original owner and dont know if mine has ever been replaced. Went to the dealership and had my vin ran and it came up as under the recall. all the work will be done free of charge. But about 5 years after! haha. I have kinda felt a rough idle and one mechanic told me i had an oil leak on the front of the motor i needed to have looked at. maybe this is it! hopefully it all works out. I love the forums!

reading this last night i figured i ll give them a call. Turns out my VIN number came clean. All it took was 5 minutes of my time and money saved.

I have not received any notice, but seeing this thread, I called my dealer and after getting transferred four times, I was told that YES, there is a recall and I am on the list. Have an appointment monday. I have a 430CLK 2001

Ok, so if my harmonic balancer is "going bad" on my 2001 E430 (65K), what are the symptoms (warnings) before all hell breaks loose?
James

Dredging up an old thread is see. You can inspect your harmonic balancer and see if there is any degradation of the rubber around the hub. If it is close to going out you may see some unusual vibration of the balancer while the engine is running. The recall is for balancers with a part number of A112.035.00.00 or A122.035.06.00. If yours is one of those, get it replaced.

Your VIN will indicate whether your car is eligible for a recall. You can go to any MB dealer and have the recalls pulled for your car.