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Doing an oil change on my 2017 GLE350...lowered the splash shield to access the oil drain plug and this rubber part was laying on the top of the splash shield. It's about an inch long and an inch in diameter.
Looks like some kind of feet bumper. It does not look like belongs to GLE. Might be flown into the engine compartment from road or dropped by a machnic that might belong to some other vehicle. Curiosity lead me to do a general web search, the closest thing to the image I found is on Amazon ( see link ). You can take it to the MB dealer sale shop and show them they might know.
Thanks so much for replying.....but it doesn't look like a foot/bumper. Both ends have the same appearance and shape as what you see in the photo. It looks like a vibration absorber or something like that. Also, it is not tapered, although it might look like that in the photo.
It is a vibration damper/bumper for a pipe or hose. Follow the transmission oil lines around and the brake lines. Have you had any service work done on the vehicle?
Hang on to it. If you hear a rattle, like a metal tube against sheet metal sound, look along any metal lines underneath the car for metal to metal contact and you will know where to put it back.
Thanks for the replies! I bought the car in 2020 and have had no work done to it. I changed the oil once before and this piece was not there. There is no way it can go over an existing line without removing the line as the piece is not cut with a slit to enable placing over an existing line. It appears as if maybe it was stuffed in a hole, so I put it in one of the holes of the front cross member (the one that the front of the lower suspension arms is mounted to). Of course, this would appear to be a senseless place to put it - no function.
Have a look at the refrigerant pipe near the abs control unit. There are two of these insulators keeping the refrigerant pipe away from the body sheet metal. Open the hood and look to the right/driver’s side.
Chassis - good thought....I looked and saw 2 insulators on the refrigerant lines... these are much smaller than the one I found and have a flat side to rest against the inner fender. I looked as carefully as I could and could not see anything similar to what I found on the exhaust system. I had it up on the list and had the splash shields off. So I give up. Must not be important. Runs great and is quiet. Thanks for all your comments!
Maybe take it to the MB parts and ask if they have this or show it to the MB mechanic. If it is supporting something heavy then you already have heard or felt the vibration, might be preventative cushioning at the most. If it came from the exhaust system then it might have hit the road rather than staying in the splash shield. When you find the answer let us know, just curious. I personally hate any vibration from anywhere so I like to know the location of such preventative pading.
You all definitely helped! I stopped by the Mercedes parts counter and the guy went and asked the techs and they said it looks like something around the air cleaner box. So I pulled the air cleaner housing and found where the bushing belongs! It was missing from the front bottom of the air cleaner housing. I've attached some photos that show where it goes and with it in place. I'm pysched!! Thanks!
Last edited by thammel; 01-05-2022 at 07:53 PM.
Reason: spelling
You all definitely helped! I stopped by the Mercedes parts counter and the guy went and asked the techs and they said it looks like something around the air cleaner box. So pulled the air cleaner housing and found where the bushing belongs! It was missing from the front bottom of the air cleaner housing. I've attached some photos that shoe where it goes and with it in place. I'm pysched!! Thanks!
Thanks this will help me as when I will do my first filter change I will keep in mind.
Thank you very much for the update. Wow.. Glad you found out where that part goes. It is definitely not listed as part of the air intake components (neither around the blue nor red marks). Perhaps the ones in the exhaust components that are called "vibration/insulator dampers".
I guess you already know how it came off. Last time the air filter intake was taken off: air filter check, spark plugs, coils check, etc? Very likely the intake was not set on the correct longitudinal position (slightly forward), and a bit of push down and backwards and the bushing slid out position
I replaced the engine air filter on June 10, 2021. And I found this loose part on December 23, 2021. Wow...Must have not been on tightly and worked itself off. I'm fortunate that it was on the splash shield and that I finally determined where it belongs. Amazing that it isn't clearly shown or shown at all on the parts diagrams!
12-23-2021, 03:20 PM
Thank you very much for the update. Wow.. Glad you found out where that part goes. It is definitely not listed as part of the air intake components (neither around the blue nor red marks). Perhaps the ones in the exhaust components that are called "vibration/insulator dampers".
