Changed control arms , tie rods, inner tie rods..still some clunk
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 214
Likes: 1
From: Brooklyn, NY
2003 CLK500
Changed control arms , tie rods, inner tie rods..still some clunk
Whatsup guys i recently changed alot of suspension parts on my clk500 2003 77k miles 3 months ago i changed my shocks to bilstein hd , and h&r springs, rear h&r sway bar. Yesterday i changed the lower control arm both sides outer and inner tie rods both sides even though the passenger side was not due for inner and outer tie rods i figured since im doing the drivers side and i drive hard let me do it while i can my car is all over the place bushings and ball joints shot feel every minor imperfection. After i changed it the car felt
much better much smoother and more precise but i still have a problem with my rear.
I wanted to first do the front and see maybe the noise and the rear stepping out could be because of the front but, and i obviuosly need an alignment now, and i searched the forums but most the problems came up on the E class forum about a torn subframe which is not a common problem on our car so i doubt thats my problem. Whenever i go over a bump i hear like a clunk not a loud one and like a thump noise from the rear not always sometimes, and when i drive on the highway switching a sharp lane or turning to tight at a higher speed feels like my rear is stepping out of the lane ,..i did the tire wiggle test side to side and top to bottom and it feels tight, so i dont know is there any other bushings that i need to look out for that im missing, my current setting is stock front sway bar and hr rear at the second setting the tightest with 19inch rims 235 35 up front and 265 30 rear could it be maybe my rear sway bar is to tight and the front soft or anything i can watch out for ..Thanks guys sorry if im not to clear on the problem
much better much smoother and more precise but i still have a problem with my rear.
I wanted to first do the front and see maybe the noise and the rear stepping out could be because of the front but, and i obviuosly need an alignment now, and i searched the forums but most the problems came up on the E class forum about a torn subframe which is not a common problem on our car so i doubt thats my problem. Whenever i go over a bump i hear like a clunk not a loud one and like a thump noise from the rear not always sometimes, and when i drive on the highway switching a sharp lane or turning to tight at a higher speed feels like my rear is stepping out of the lane ,..i did the tire wiggle test side to side and top to bottom and it feels tight, so i dont know is there any other bushings that i need to look out for that im missing, my current setting is stock front sway bar and hr rear at the second setting the tightest with 19inch rims 235 35 up front and 265 30 rear could it be maybe my rear sway bar is to tight and the front soft or anything i can watch out for ..Thanks guys sorry if im not to clear on the problem
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 214
Likes: 1
From: Brooklyn, NY
2003 CLK500
I also didnt mention during acceleration from a stop like a quick acceleration it feels like the wheel hops the traction light blinks and it feels like the car just jumps up and down in the rear to try to gain control but its not like im putting out 500hp/500tq to get such wheel hop.
Super Member
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: NJ,USA
'10 c63,'03expedition,ducati999,22'Donzi
i have the same set up as you.the only difference is i have koni adjustable shocks.i just did the same work on my front end. i have 131k miles. when i replaced the rear sway bar with the H&R,one of the brackets fell off about a week later.it was tightened well when installed but it seems that there is so much flex on that component now that the bolts worked themselves loose.the sway bar was hitting on the undercarriage and creating the same noise you are describing.my mechanic installed longer bolts with nuts on the other side with locktite so they won't work loose again.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 214
Likes: 1
From: Brooklyn, NY
2003 CLK500
Fastdonzi, thats deff something i should check as well could be the problem. Did u ever get the esp warning go on because after a certain time of driving over bumps and highway ill get the esp defective go on, and like tonight for example after some driving it said esp not available which really bugged me out. The sound seems to be getting louder and louder over time its just really strange, Thanks in advance for the advice
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 214
Likes: 1
From: Brooklyn, NY
2003 CLK500
can somebody please help guys i cant seem to figure this out its really driving me nuts and affecting my handling if i cant figure this situation out i will consider taking a huge loss and trading my car in 
... I have changed just about every suspension component there is in the front...when i make any sharp left hand turns the wheel seems to lockup or sieze for a second then releases the same problem does not exist on right hand turns, could it be the rack that might be bad ?. The rear has a problem i get a thumping, and clunking noise on some bumps and when i am going anything like over 80 on empty roads say the road curves the rear end steps out of the lane its very unstable my alignment was done everything in the rear seems tight all control arms is there something im missing ? something else i need to check. is it possible that offset of wheels would cause such a problem ? ..TIA for all replies i really love my car and put thousands into it and would hate to just give it up but the pockets are crying already.
... I have changed just about every suspension component there is in the front...when i make any sharp left hand turns the wheel seems to lockup or sieze for a second then releases the same problem does not exist on right hand turns, could it be the rack that might be bad ?. The rear has a problem i get a thumping, and clunking noise on some bumps and when i am going anything like over 80 on empty roads say the road curves the rear end steps out of the lane its very unstable my alignment was done everything in the rear seems tight all control arms is there something im missing ? something else i need to check. is it possible that offset of wheels would cause such a problem ? ..TIA for all replies i really love my car and put thousands into it and would hate to just give it up but the pockets are crying already.
Super Member
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: NJ,USA
'10 c63,'03expedition,ducati999,22'Donzi
what condition r ur tires in? when you have ur suspension really stiff then you will notice the smallest change in the way the car handles,and it will react very differently to every change in the road surface as well as tire wear. i have a good shop in jersey that can look at it for you if you are interested.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 214
Likes: 1
From: Brooklyn, NY
2003 CLK500
Yes i feel every little tiny imperfection and i was well aware of that and i dont mind as long as i get that perfect handling its like my car is stiffer then a bimmer but handles like a honda or something no offense to anybody. My front tires are yokohoma s drives 235-35-19 they are 90% tread and my rears are nexen n3000 265-30-19 and about 85% tread i think maybe because the nexens are kinda like stiff hard tires compared to the yokohomas? ..and like i mentioned before i have only the rear sway bar and stock front sway bar is that enough to cause my rear to step out of the lane at speeds over 80mph because the rear is to stiff ?.
At the same time though at slower speeds reversing out of the driveway and going over some bumps when i press the brake i hear some sort of squeak in the rear and knocking thumping noise it happens at slower speeds. Im still not sure if a high offset wheels would cause such a problem. Where is this shop in NJ that you speak of and are they opened on the weekends it would be a great help if they can help me figure this out. Thanks Fastdonzi your the only one to help me.. appreciate it.
At the same time though at slower speeds reversing out of the driveway and going over some bumps when i press the brake i hear some sort of squeak in the rear and knocking thumping noise it happens at slower speeds. Im still not sure if a high offset wheels would cause such a problem. Where is this shop in NJ that you speak of and are they opened on the weekends it would be a great help if they can help me figure this out. Thanks Fastdonzi your the only one to help me.. appreciate it.
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Super Member
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: NJ,USA
'10 c63,'03expedition,ducati999,22'Donzi
the shop is in cliffside park.its called bergen imports.they will be closed for the next three weeks though.going on vacation.it sounds possible that the miss matched tires and what you mentioned about the sway bars might be causing your debacle.don't give up on your car yet bro.mine felt just like you mentioned when i had two different tire compounds on and i had the rear shock soft.when i went into turns on the highway the rear would step out and made the esp come on really early.it was very unsettling.
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Super Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 605
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From: NJ,USA
'10 c63,'03expedition,ducati999,22'Donzi
hang in there bro.you'll get it all straight.sometimes when we mod our cars we think we are making them better but sometimes the mods actually make things work against each other and screw things up.it's trial and error.why do you have the stock front sway bar?
Junior Member
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 21
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From: Seattle, WA
CLK 550 Cab
Okay, so you may have gotten this problem fixed already and if so, great. However for anybody else searching through here with the same problem I thought I would give the resolution the dealer did for me with my similar problem.
I had the exact same clunk and squeaky noise from the rear of my car. The clunk happened at low speeds and either over speed bumps or going around a corner up hill at low speeds. Sounded kind of like metal on metal. So I took it into the dealer and luckily on our test drive I was able to reproduce.
The squeaking noise was the rear sway bar link arm and they replaced it under warranty, the clunk was an unseated spring in the rear. They re-seated and rotated the spring and now no noise. Not sure if this is your problem or not, but it's worth a shot.
Good luck!
I had the exact same clunk and squeaky noise from the rear of my car. The clunk happened at low speeds and either over speed bumps or going around a corner up hill at low speeds. Sounded kind of like metal on metal. So I took it into the dealer and luckily on our test drive I was able to reproduce.
The squeaking noise was the rear sway bar link arm and they replaced it under warranty, the clunk was an unseated spring in the rear. They re-seated and rotated the spring and now no noise. Not sure if this is your problem or not, but it's worth a shot.
Good luck!
Super Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 605
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From: NJ,USA
'10 c63,'03expedition,ducati999,22'Donzi
good info.i gotta check out my rear spring as well because I'm getting a clunk sound when i hit pot holes on the passengers side.I'm also getting this loud rattling sound that seems to be coming from inside the passengers rear window assembly.i think some bolts have come loose from the stiff suspension.
