Early today on the interstate in the pouring rain, our 99 ML was making a horrible sound. It sounded like the headers or something had become disconnected from the exhaust. We continued driving and then a little while later, the battery light came on and then the power steering went out. I battled with it and eventually pulled off at the next exit and stopped the car. Soon after the engine started smoking. A mechanic who happend to be at the gas station looked at it and told us the harmonic balancer was shot. We were in the middle of Florida, and had to have the car towed 40 miles to the nearest Benz dealership. I did a search on the forum and found that other people have had this problem or a problem similar to it. My question is, what causes this, and if it is a chronic problem among some ML owners, why does MB have people driving unsafe cars? We have had way too many problems with this vehicle for what it costs. Anyone have any thoughts or had similar experiences? If so, what was the outcome?

-Brett

 

I know nobody responded to this, but I felt like I should give an update in case this happens to anyone else. The car is out of its MB warranty, but is under an extended warranty through All-State. The dealership we left the car at called to day and said it was a shot Harmonic Balancer, the oil pan was damaged, and part of the exhaust (I am almost certain it is around the headers due to where the sound came from) had to be replaced. When I began giving him the information to give to All-State to file the claim, he said I did not have to, and that MB is going to cover all costs associated with this problem, including the towing. I asked if this was something MB knew about, and he timidly said yes. So, all is fixed at no cost to us, but MB still has other ML owners driving around with the possibility of this happening. That's the latest.

 

That was a really helpful update. I think everyone in this forum would agree. It's definitely a good post since not everyone can afford a brand new ML.

 

I was just done changing my spark plug on my 98 ML when I decided to check on my serpentine belt for wear and tear. I notice that a chunk of rubber was sticking out of the crankshaft pulley. I started the engine and the pulley was turning wobbly. I called my mechanic and he said to bring it in. He said that he has seen this problem before with the harmonic balancer coming off and that it was redesigned eight times since then. He said that I caught it in time and could have been worse if I was driving in high speed. I have 87000 miles on my ML. I paid $343 including the new serpentine belt, updated harmonic balancer, and a new bolt. I was looking at the new balancer, the rubber piece is much smaller comparing to the old harmonic balancer which is much larger.

 

stolenheartt,
At least you caught yours in time. It is clearly a weak design. All of my issues occurred during interstate driving, and I lost virtually all power steering on the interstate in the pouring rain. The harmonic balancer and all parts that were harmed as a result of this issue were replaced by MB at no cost. My ML only has 57000 miles on it. You should see if you can get your $343 back, it is a poor design on MBs part, and they should pay for the fix. It also took them over a week to fix the problem. I know I will be getting rid of my current ML as soon as it arrives herer in So. Fl. tomorrow. I have had too many issues with this car. Good luck.

-Brett

 

I did call the dealer about this problem here in California and they're telling me that my ML was past the warranty. They gave me this bull**** that it was never a recall and that my ML was a high mileage at 87000. I ask how much it would cost me to get it repaired thru the dealer. They quoted me so much that I just hung up on them. Good thing that you did not get into an accident when that thing came off. I was fortunate that mine did not come off when I took a drive with the family on memorial weekend. I took a drive on the coastline and some of the roads were really steep. Just thinking about that balancer coming off and trying to control the truck going downhill gives me the chill. For the amount that I paid my mechanic was not bad comparing it to the dealer and my mechanic seen alot of mercedes with the 112 engines with the same problem.

 

That blows. After I got the car off the interstate and to the gas station and it started smoking, we cut it off. A mechanic who happened to be at the gas station looked at it and told us the harmonic balancer was screwed up and had we gone any further something serious could have happened, to both us and the car. It is a shame that MB won't cover your costs, but at least you got the work done before the problem became serious. They should have done a recall on it. MB has people driving potentially unsafe vehicles. If you don't mind me asking, how much did they quote you? Sorry to here they wouldn't pay for it.

-Brett

 

Here' another forum that I have posted about the harmonic balancer.
http://www.mercedesshop.com/shopforu...monic+balancer

They are asking people in the forum about the harmonic balancer coming off.

 

So, having a 99 ML430, should I be checking something??? What do you look for...anyone have a picture??? Should I have my dealer check it at my next scheduled visit?? What rubber piece or belt should I be looking at??/
Now I'm nervous!!!!

 

It's really easy to check. The harmonic balancer is the pulley on the very bottom of the engine. Its hollow on the center where the bolt is connected to the crank. You will see a rubber piece that is sandwich on the pulley. Check if the rubber piece is sticking out of the pulley or is turning wobbly while the engine is running. I read on the other forums to check for cracks on the rubber but that's kind of hard to do cause of the pulley on the very bottom of the engine. I was actually checking on the serpentine belt when I notice that a piece of rubber was sticking out of the pulley after that I just search the forum pertaining to this problem.

 

Too bad Mercedes won't stand behind this known problem, especially since it can be safety related as reported by several others (large amounts of oil on the road; loss of power steering and brakes; and a possible fire danger).
I suggest anyone having a failure of this type report it to the National Highway Trafic Safety Administration at 800 424 9393 or go to their web site at www.nhtsa.gov/cars/problems/complain/ and click on "Complaints" on the left side of the screen. If there are enough complaints, and they are deemed serious enough, Merceedes will have to take corrective action and recall the faulty vehicles for free repairs. Sometimes a company has to be forced to do the right thing.

 

to its customers who have been unfortunate enough to buy a poorly assembled ML. The only recourse is often to vote with your wallet and never buy another MB product - and of course let them know why they've lost your business.

 

Coincidently, I just happened to notice this thread today.

I took my '02 ML500 in for it's first "B" service earlier this week. When I picked it up, the service rep told me that they had observed that the crank pulley/harmonic balancer was coming apart and replaced it. So it looks like Mercedes (or at least this dealer) is aware of a problem and checking for it. I had not noticed anything yet.

 

Can someone place a picture of the harmonic balancer in the V6 MLs or email me a pic? Not sure which one is the balancer and I would really like to check it out. Thanks! tongster@sbcglobal.net

 

Heres a picture of the H/B a few posts down on this page http://www.mercedesshop.com/shopforu...5&pagenumber=6 It helps if you pull the engine cover off to see it.

 

Agreed, although for that particular problem, you should not focus on the ML. This has been an issue with M112 and M113 engines, which are shared across the MB product line.

I have a friend who was left stranded in the middle of nowhere with wife and baby in his CLK for that exact same problem.

TO ALL: Each time you bring your ML to the dealer for service or other, have them check the Harmonic Balancer for you. If the SA or SM is anywhere decent, he/she won't mind. They can also read the part number without taking anything apart, you might want to have them give it to you to confirm that you have a recent design, that will help you decide how frequently to check for a potential problem. I'll post the latest HB part number for up to MY 02 at an ulterior time (need to reinstall my EPC).

 

i just discovered this thread today as it directly relates to me too. i drive a 99 clk430 and yesterday it began to make this horrible rattle noise and shake violently from the engine bay. i took it to the stealership today and they diagnosed it as a busted harmonic balancer. i've only found this problem related to MLs but my clk has definitely been plagued by this problem.

the service rep said it would take up to a week to replace the defective part and repair the damage it has cause to the oil pan....

thank god for the extended starmark warranty.... hindsight that was the smartest thing i ever bought for the car....