TennisPlayer106

Hi
My 300TE 4matic wagon was recently involved in a flood (water a bit above the bottom of the doors for an hour or so). Once it dried out, everything worked fine, except there is a roar from the rear end, more predominantly on the passenger side, I think.
Could the flood have washed the lubrication out of a bearing or something?
Thanks in advance!

ptoro01

rusted bearing or leaked in rear end. Get it checked out asap since the bearing can lock up

TennisPlayer106

Thanks, unfortunately, I need to drive it like 200 miles to get home before I can do anything with it. I'll try to take it easy.
What can I check for (which bearings, and how)? Is there any distinctive evidence?
Thanks!

neanderthal

are you sure its not just a door seal or something?

roar is not quite clear. is it all the time, only when you step on the gas, when you turn, when th car is cold.

it could be the exhaust for all we know.

more symptoms please. and get under your car to look at the exhuast. get somebody to drive it while you look around and inspect that whole area.

TennisPlayer106

ok... here goes

it's not an exhaust issue (although I have some problems there too)
not a door seal
it starts as soon as the car reaches about 3-5 mph, and gets a bit louder by 15 mph. it's kinda like a droning sound-pretty loud, especially in the back seat
at highway speed it isn't quite as pronounced, it's a bit higher pitched and not any louder than at slow speeds.
It sounds almost like something rubbing (at first I thought it was a frozen caliper that had loosened up and started rubbing on a very rusty rotor (separate brake problem that is also in the process of being fixed...why do brake parts have to be so expensive for Mercedes?))
I did figure out that it's not the brakes because I remembered that the caliper freed up after the problem had started (all it took was a hard stop).
The noise isn't terribly pronounced in the driver's seat when the radio's on and the a/c is on high (it doesn't cool as well with the r134a retrofit), so I didn't notice it immediately, but now that I think about it, it was definitely there, before the brake issue.
Oh yeah, the car is a 1992 300TE 4matic with 209,000 miles.
I don't know if this is related, but for the last 150,000 miles the rear diff has been wining a bit when you are decelerating slowly (let off on the gas a bit, but not completely), and the 4matic transfer case is inopperative because of the infamous leak (which apparently isn't worth fixing because it's so expensive-it's better to replace the car). Also, the car seems to "bind" when accelerating, from a stop, around a corner (not like the differential locking, just a momentary jerk, or sometimes several jerks). I will most likely be replacing the car soon, but not immediately, and it will be hard to sell, if it makes that much noise.
(sorry for the long, sloppy explanation, I'm in a bit of a hurry)
Thanks a lot, in advance, for the help! This looks like a great forum.

ptoro01

figure out if at speed while turning, the noise changes, if it does then its the wheel bearing. It compresses and changes the tone of whine due to compression during turns. Figure out which side its from and then get it changed before it welds itself in place from all the heat

TennisPlayer106

When I was driving it today, I didn't notice it changing significantly while turning, but I wasn't concentrating on that. I'll check it tomorrow.

TennisPlayer106

I went around some turns today, and I didn't notice a significant difference in the sound. Since the noise issue, I have noticed that it binds a lot more going around corners-it used to make the "jerk" maybe once a month, going around a corner. Now it will "jerk" several times on most somewhat tight corners (I'm not talking hard cornering-just driving gently around a corner).

What can I do to check for bearing problems? I've done plenty of work on this car before, but I don't know what to check for because I've never seen a problem like this before. If I jack the back end of the car up and turn the rear tires, in neutral (with the front tires blocked, of course) do you think I will be able to feel anything?
Could the howl have anything to do with the transfer case leak that I have?
I'm pretty sure the problem isn't a bearing because the bearing would have welded itself together in just a few miles (I've heard). A bad bearing would never have lasted for the 400 mile trip the car just went on (there was no other option, but drive the car with my fingers crossed).
Thanks for some suggestions!

YNVDIZW124

Not true, I drove with a bad wheel bearing for 8,000 miles and all you get is a hummm from the rear tire. If you jack the car up and the wheel is lose then that's your problem. I changed the wheel hub and bearing and now my car drives smooth without any noise.

ShoreBenz

Could be a corroded parking brake.

TennisPlayer106

I meant a bearing without lubrication, not just a worn one.
I don't think so-the parking brake still works fine. Also, I think there would have been some sort of burning smell from driving 200 miles with the brake dragging. (There was no smell.)
Thanks for the suggestions...keep them coming!

schurmann

The back differential was submerged right? Im thinking you have water in the differential, the water probably entered the diff through the vent (some diffs have a vent tube) to allow hot air to escape.

Go get the Diff lube changed now, I bet you it will drain out all milky-color (water contamination) and do it now- or your looking at buying a new rear end.
(PS: is isnt expensive to get this done if the housing has a drain tap, and hey it probably needs it anyway)
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Oh Gud, 2006 -Im too late, 2006? Oh Lurd, Im so so sorry,
Where was she laid to rest?
My condolences.