cmy_bimmer

I noticed a slight ticking noise, mostly upon cold start. At first I thougt it was coming from the motor, but when im in front of the engine bay, I dont hear it as clearly. I peeked underneath the car and heard it much clearer. Im thinking its the tranny or maybe the lower half of the motor

What does this sound like? Tranny is going out?



Oh and a nice little surprise from the PO:





TIA

tirona

don't worry, that's normal. catalytic converters or other exhaust parts are cold and sound like that when warming up. it definitely isn't a tranny sound, and engine sounds normal for a cold start. if that sound bothers you much, then turn the volume up in the morning
though from looking at that tire it seems you need an alignment and wouldn't hurt to check the front steering/suspension parts.

cmy_bimmer

Well, even after it warms up, the sound is still there. I let my neighbor (pretty good with motorwork) and he as well thought it was a tranny problem. Also, when we take the motor up to 5k rpm, the car vibrates a little then shifts. Its worrying me...

And the tires are just shocking... Thought id share lol

tirona

do you take the motor up to 4-5k rpm while driving, or at idle in park? if doing it at idle in park it won't let you rev it past 4k or 5k rpm as protection.
regarding tranny, first thing to do is to check the fluid level since it is sensitive to proper level. also if the fluid looks dark brown (not red) then it needs to be changed. vibration could be because of mounts also.

cmy_bimmer

No no no. Im not that stupid to start revving at idle, 5k is while driving. Yea I was going to check the tranny fluid next. I wish I had a lift to check out everything else while im under there...

Air Marshall Eldritch

After you check the fluid in the trans, also consider the rubber engine/trans mounts. They do compress over time and need to be replaced.

A whacked mount may cause the alignment of the drivetrain to sag and go out of kilter. I did this repair earlier this year, and the response of the trans is noticeable.

My 2 cents.

cmy_bimmer

*update*

Checked around some in the engine bay again and had no luck finding the tranny fluid level mechanism thing (as you can tell, i dont know the name of it lol). So im assuming its the same as a bimmer in the way that you have to check from the overfill plug in the transmission oil pan. Ill have to see when I can get the car up on the lift.


And we're picking up a tail light socket, a new dipstick, and a set of AMG wheels today (if the guy gets back to us on time).

I really want to take both badges off, the e430 and the AMG. Im pretty much convinced the car is an e420, and i just hate the fact that we have an AMG badge when the car is def not one.

tirona

if your car is an e420 (m119 engine, whereas e430 has m113 engine), then the ticking you are hearing is most likely because of the oil tubes. do a search under "m119 oil tubes" and you will now what i'm talking about. this might be helpful http://www.peachparts.com/Wikka/M119OilGuides
regarding tranny fluid level, you need the special mb atf dipstick. it is a tool, so it doesn't stay in the car, it's only used to check the fluid level. can find it on ebay for pretty cheap http://motors.shop.ebay.com/__?_from...pstick&_sacat= w210 section on benzworld has great info, read under transmission http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210...ain-drive.html
you are right, amg badges look stupid on a non-amg, remove both e430 and amg. the clean look seems to be much better. don't forget to post some pics

cmy_bimmer

Cool! Hey, thanks for those sites . Ill definitely check those out, although im not liking the looks of that oil tube DIY... Ill be reading up some more for sure .

Oh, and yea, even though my dad likes both badges ill probably end up debadging the car when he's not looking . The negative thing about it is that underneath the e430 badge, there is a dent that will become exposed. Ill have to try to pop it out or something. But I do agree that the badge-less look is MUCH cleaner. Thats the first thing I did to my bmw .


Just to ***** out my beloved one

tirona

yeah, do some more reading, there is a lot of useful info there and this way you will understand more about the car.
nice e36 by the way. i used to have a e39 (2001 530i) with manual tranny. that car was really fun to drive.

cmy_bimmer

Oh, after some time of studying and such, I become very familiar with the engine bay. Ive only digged deep into my e36, a few nissans, and our civic. Mercedes are a new chapter for me .

And thanks! The e36 has come a long way, including a 5-speed tranny swap . And why did you leave the e39?

tirona

i had to leave the country for over 6 months and i sold the e39 to my cousin, i knew he would take good care of it. i did like that car a lot, actually it had m package from factory, so it was lowered and with manual tranny. it was very fun to drive.

cmy_bimmer

Damn, thats a shame . ive been having an eye out for a good e39 for my mom. Sounds like you had a sweet rig, but looking at your current cars, looks like you are satisfied with the benz .

Sorry for the OTness.

cmy_bimmer

Well, update... We finally put the car up on a lift and found that there is a fat dent on the oil pan where we think the ticking is coming from. Im putting my money on that being the culprit.

What are some good sites I can check for parts like that? Thx