2001 CLK55 AMG 190,XXX miles.

The car has been great for the last 35k miles.
In order to complete a full refresh I brought the car to a really good shop to have her finished off. Including trans service (new filter, pan, connector and fluid) center bearing and guibos replaced. Along with new rear wheel bearings and the front differential mount. swapped transmission mount for CLK63 black series.
(engine mounts are new CLK63 black series) driven 5k miles with no issues (feel awesome)

only real "complaint" was slight vibration from rear under hard acceleration and high speeds high rpm most likely center bearing.

before this there was never an issue with the transmission shifts may have been a little slower than they are now but everything has always worked properly and awesome.

once car was finished there was the report of very bad vibration at 60 mph. Which is not uncommon in the morning when tires are cold for the car to feel like it's shaking itself apart until they warm up and then the car is fine.

read tires were balanced by shop to rule out rear wheels

rear wheels we're professionally reman'd 15k miles ago. As well as continental extreme contacts which are on the lower side of tread but had no issues before this service. Front control arm bushings are Polyflex with 5k miles. Steering dampener is new. As well as rear subframe bushings, shocks, springs brakes, front wheel bearings, everything. As stated no issues with anything before all replaced.

I drove the vehicle, there was a definite vibration starting at 30-60 through about 80 and then from then til the end of the speedometer it was as smooth as butter felt better than the day it rolled off the showroom floor I was saying haha.

The initial thought by the shop was the driveshaft was bad and to get a new driveshaft.
spoiler, you can't! And Benz claim the ClK430 won't fit.
mine would think that if everything was done correctly that might not be the exact issue.

shop ran the car in the air with no issues and could only conclude the shaft must be bad.

I then went back and we put the car up on the lift. Dropped the exhaust and inspected the shaft and center bearing. The shaft was marked and punched clearly so was not a primary concern. It was even labeled "front" and "back" as if it had been done before.

everything appears good with shaft also while running car 35mph plus in air.

upon further inspection the clk63 BS trans mount was sitting a little **** eyed compared to the lemfoerder which was in there. Trans mount was swapped back to original and I drove the car.

now the vibration was the same but came in specifically only @ 19mph for a split second and then @ 35 most prominent from 39-45 end then tapers away. Glides smooth at 60 all the way up. Really nice to drive on the high way.

from all searches a very similar 35-45 driveline vibration with other Mercedes but no solutions.

I then started shifting the transmission to see if it was specific to a gear. It was not. However when downshifting high rpm into 2nd there was a clear noise which sounds as though it would be transmission related but hard to tell.

I decided to do a tcu reset (hold pedal, wait two minutes etc) right afterwards it seemed to feel a little bit better at first. So I decided to check the trans fluid level. It was high. Went back to the shop and ended up sucking about 1/4-1/3 of a quart out. I then drove the car about 60 miles. Vibration got much better equal to say that of a slightly bent rear right wheel.

while the vibrations were the best they had been they are still present 19 mph 35-45 then wearing off.

if you accelerate through 0-60 smoothly it is almost as if you can't feel it at all.

https://youtube.com/shorts/TBnFOdjO1ms?feature=share

https://youtube.com/shorts/a-K9c_jQUuM?feature=share


Then there is this. Any ideas????

would think it may be a clear culprit? Otherwise transmission feels brand new. Shifts are crisp, smooth and definitely adapts as you drive.

many experience or thoughts/solutions?

Any advice on what to do next? Based of sound is it more likely transmission or driveshaft considering everything is good.

could it be just changing fluids @ 190k something is happening in the trans?


really appreciate any help.

this was an expensive service. All parts genuine MB and a really good shop.

Anyone have a trans/driveshaft to sell or advice on getting a shaft if that's what is consensus?

thanks guys!!!

 

sounds like it has the same issue my van had. 30mph shakes like hell, 50mph nothing, 75mph shakes like hell, 80mph smooth. Try another complete set of wheels and tires. I had a slight bend in my rear wheel, and put the spare on and it completely went away.

I know you said you balanced with new tires etc but it could be something very minor thats not being picked up. if you can find a spare set of wheels/tires i would give that shot first.

Only other suggestion i could think of is its possibly the stiffer transmission/engine mounts you installed, which naturally will send more vibration throughout the car.

Either way good luck, i know how frustrating it can be to try and track down a vibration like that.

 

Thank you brother!
It's basically isolated to literally just 19mph and then about 38/42-50 everything else butter smooth. Really such a nice highway cruiser, getting great gas mileage, best ever with all new wheels bearings.

I can totally appreciate tires, they're not perfect but there was no tire vibration at all prior to service other than flatspots.
planning new wheels and meats in the spring.

swapped back to original trans mount and installed brand new one yesterday no avail.

however did find that 4 bolts on front flex disc had washers on the wrong side. Also 4 bolts in the back were swapped for the new ones which come with flex plate kit differing from the rest.

going to correct front bolts and replace back bolts with original.

but as of now suspected culprit is u joint.

Before, changing from D to R etc an audible rear end clunk was present. Has since gone away after front diff mount and pinion seal change/diff nut being re torque.

however, pretty evident u joint "clunk" after driving and switching through gears while stoped. Definitely u joint it seems.

Thoughts are that the center bearing had been previously replaced and was still good. The very minor hard high speed acceleration is still a bit present but much less noticeable most likely u joint.

Trans seems great, huge improvement on shifts and feel.

am going to sort out flex disc bolts today. If not gone looks like there will be a driveshaft rebuild.


if the specific new vibration goes away due to bolts I'll be more than happy and live with the old u joint.

however the OG of all time Gator had mentioned his shaft having "memory" and a similar issue after doing mostly the same work.
he's been hard to get in contact with the last couple of years but hopefully he will chime in!

if it comes down to shaft rebuild more than anything hopefully it does not make things worse.

there's literally no forums that have a solution on this everyone always ends up selling the car it seems

luckily my buddy has an awesome garage. Offered to buy him a lift rather than take to a shop since it never has and things like this are super common place in the industry.

You can always do your own work and you should.

 

Update for anyone that's curious

vibration remained consistent.

Getting transmission fluid level to correct point seemed to be a little difficult. As mentioned before at first it was high, low, high and then low haha. Was then lowered to above lower line on dipstick. Which led to the a decent improvement. Enough to go 160 very very nicely. (However the badge I replaced the star with for car cover storage did blow off lol)

symptom was vibration from rear at same speeds as before which was clearly audible through passenger side seat latch cover which is a little loose.

upon further inspection of flex discs, other than 4 bolts in the rear being different and the newer style there was discrepancies all over with nut/washer location. It seems like the shaft was dropped prior to my owner ship as it was labeled front and back in English haha. It's possible this was done by whoever did that job.
As I dropped the rear subframe and diff I would most likely have put it back exact as it came out. I also would expect from the technician who did the most recent work.

regardless after situating that the vibration was still evident. However, the only two issues which were present at all with the vehicle before service seem to be completely gone.

which were minor vibration from rear end while WOT at high rpms and shake from rear under hard braking at high speeds which felt like warped rotors. Which is amazing!!! It rips like brand new in that regards.

I then decided to slowly add trans fluid towards the upper line/test as I probably should not have ever had it lowered or filled to anywhere but there. As I got closer to the 80c line the vibrations from the rear began to improve. To where they are still present, however the rear vibration and passenger seat rattle are completely gone. No rattle in passenger seat at any speed. Also minor improvement to 35-45 vibration which is now only slightly felt in steering wheel similar to out of balance/bent wheel.

Seems to be good success so far, but hopefully wheels and tires are the final solution.
Also, that having driven several hundred miles with high/low trans fluid levels causing a vibration did not do any damage or create an issue. Transmission shifts are nice and crisp and seems to operate as it should.

given the smoothness of acceleration and braking after adjusting flex discs I am to hope that the driveshaft may be good. I was told there is a company who manufactures a driveshaft for the CLK55 hopefully it is not labeled like some other as CLK320 shaft fitting and being the same (who knows maybe they are. Would think they would use same for 430 and 55. Cost around $550.

as someone pointed out the different specific 19 and 34-45 mph vibrations could be two different issues. But hopefully not haha.

the 19 one is strange because it only comes in right as ur approaching and passing that speed. Almost like a whirl from the rear of the transmission but is difficult to pinpoint as when do you drive 19 mph lol. Super hopeful they are related. However I believe there may be a bearing at the rear of the transmission? It's seems like there may the most minor of seep from the rear of trans for who knows how long. Let's hope there is nothing with trans haha and that noise was the shaft hitting the heat shield not transmission internal 😬😬😬
have seen used ones range from $600-$2000 most with 100k miles or higher. Let's believe god is good and transmission will be good for years to come.

Upon further inspection of tires they're not great. Probably about 2-3/32nds with uneven wear in front but pretty consistent in back. Have not had 60 mph "flat spot" vibration until tires are warm since.

rears we're balanced and reported to be slightly off. Would not be surprised if front are as well.

will be having them balanced tomorow. The hope is that it will significantly improve. If not cure everything. 19mph is liveable, but once again let's pray it's nothing difficult or time consuming.

looking at brabus 19's will probably do Michelin pilot sports or r888's. Which will either cure or continue to next steps.

I suppose it's possible that the tires wore along with the "out of balance" flex discs etc. after correcting could cause a vibration?? Lmao who knows let's continue to have faith it's tires/wheels.

so far it seems transmission fluid level is super important and has to be on.

on another thread a user had reported a very similar vibration which was due to a trans fluid leak and would occur when he would forget to check level and it got low. After correcting vibration, it would go away. That seems to have happened here as well.

Transmission was working well before service, only difference was improved shifts/shift feel after new fluid.

driveshaft u joint is questionable but under load seems so smooth.

car will be down until next week. Bumper has to go back to body shop as they hired a **** up for a week and it appears did a really bad job on my bumper haha.

will report back with results after having all wheels freshly balanced.

wheels may take a long time to get as they are located in UAE. $570 for shipping, sheesh!!!

hope any of this info/experience can assist people in the future.

any other experience/comments/opinions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Further update

bumper came back from paint much better job this time. Now has new original bumper, center strip, clear depot signal lights, new fog lamps with lamin x as well as splash shields underneath pretty nice.

wheels balanced out pretty nicely lol but ive never seen one wobble so much when pushed in a straight line.

only leaks are rear main (don't think it's gonna get any better 😂 but two little spots underneath just from sitting for 5-6 days? It was on a slant so who knows.

also the tiniest drip from the passenger front freeze plug but it's just fun for now.

car was in a garage that was about 60 degrees. Started her up and trans fluid level was towards the lower side of the 25c marking (approx 70 degrees) let her warm up for a while and realized trans fluid wasn't going to get up to temp from sitting.

previously when getting car up to temp in cold winter months when revving it really good to rev limiter there would be a vibration from trans/rear of car. Found to most likely be old/cold fluid causing vibrations.

when car got up to temp both my friend and I had a nice time with some high revs. Car didn't move at all. Was pretty shocked how there was barely any movement no vibration just amazing unrestricted intake and indoor V8 exhaust noises. My friend even maintained approx 2-3k for 15-20 seconds (lmao idk why) but man very impressive.

headed out with basically everything "buttoned up" expecting not much of a change as tires were fine before all of this "fine" haha

right off "vibration" like a whirl driveshaft out of balance 16-20 mph felt directly behind center console. Great.

then right on cue vibration from 35-45 causing rattle in passenger seat. Pretty noticeable more so than last time parked. Figured to possibly be out of round/flat spotted tires.

did some nice rips, beautiful. Smooth as silk, crisp shifts lovely. Vibrations through 45-35 on deceleration.

Only really able to recreate "whirl" at 16-20 in parking lot. Not sure if it is vibrating the exhaust, or if it COULD BE the exhaust. But when it happens rattle can be heard at rear of exhaust almost. Car was driven with exhaust from cats back removed (center resonator/muffler) ecu definitely didn't like it at idle, is it possible that that could have caused an issue/dislodged a cat? Might not have been a good idea. Any experience with that stuff would be great.

after getting back and doing some good pulls, once again 35-45 mph seemed to go away completely. Will need to drive much further distance to confirm 100% but seems likely to be tires.

leaving the only issue potentially the driveshaft/u joint having "memory" like gator had mentioned but haven't heard from him.

seems as though car really needs to be driven to get transmission fluid up to temp. 4-5 miles with some really decent pulls. And then checked right away with car running.

found a company in Virginia powertrain industries who says they might be able to make a new shaft assembly because it looks like the ends that bolt to guibos should be same as w209 amg. They're hard to get in touch with but let's be hopeful. Also seeing if I can get in touch with AMG or Mercedes/Germany find out if the same shaft is shared with another AMG model or maybe they'll make one to keep an AMG survivor on the road who knows lmao.

the owner and technician were super confident in the car needing a new driveshaft specifically because of the u joint from the start of everything so maybe they know something I don't.

another pretty much exact issue was solved by a member loosening the bolts mounting the exhaust to the trans and pushing it to the right. Will give this a try.

only other thing noticed was it looks like the trans fill tube cap o ring is gone. Most likely from removing/replacing so many times. Most hopefully it did not fall in the tube lmao. I think I might have one but don't think that could be causing any issues.

will update after next drive and see what we can find on the driveshaft front.

happy holidays guys!

 

Check your torque converter for shudder, on most cars, one way to identify torque converter shudders is to lightly touch the brake pedal. When you are maintaining speed with one foot, lightly apply the brake with the other. If the shudder stops automatically, then the problem is the torque converter clutches. Whenever the operating system sees the brake being applied, most vehicles will release the torque converter clutches. A trained technician may test the lockup by using a scan tool for vehicles. These tests are vital as a small misfire can cause the same sensation and it could be mistaken as a torque converter shudder. try adding an additive called lube gard after filter and fluid service.

 

Thanks so much for your reply. Will definitely give this a try but may be difficult as vibration is super isolated to that slow speed.
No issues at any other speeds acceleration of braking.

I suppose it couldn't hurt to try the additive, but all around transmission seems good.

anyone else have experience with this?

car was scanned and had 0 codes so idk

will also double check diff fluid cause I guess you never know.

front and rear shaft bushings were the only thing not replaced on the shaft they said they didn't want to mess with them.

also where the dust boot meets the center bearing there is about a 2mm gap showing the spindle. Who knows. It definitely feels like it's coming from where the u joint is and that's seems to be the culprit on many other vehicles.

anyone else have any experience with trans shudder after performing fluid/filter change?

thanks

 

Cars with this issue don't show any codes and happens during tcc lock up, my 2009 CLK350 had this issue at around 40mph,
the filter service with oem fluid and the additive took care of the problem, if the wear is too excessive a torque converter replacement might be required.

 

Lmao I had a pretty lengthy response that got deleted when a ebay arm rest said it was delivered but no where to be found. Hopefully it shows up really great condition but anyways...

I won't rule it out. From research when trans switches from 1-2 and about 40 mph as you mentioned this is common.

Reseerch shows lubegard should be some pretty good stuff. Can't hurt if anything help an older high mileage trans. Haven't found any negatives about it yet.
So yeah, couldn't hurt. But let's hope it's not trans.

lots of less info out there about tc lockup/shudder

that will be the next step along with checking rear diff fluid. It calls for 1.1 I wouldn't put it past a shop just putting in 1 but you never know better safe than sorry in the path of lease resistance.

Hopefully it's drive shaft. They were super confident about it specifically u joint. Tech said "I really feel in my heart it's the driveshaft"

I didn't want to be disrespectful and tell them how to do the job so I didn't mention marking the driveshaft. I had seen it on the ground in 2 pieces with no clear markings but you never know. Once "needing a whole new driveshaft" was reported I just figured something was ****ed up. I brought up the marking question and showed pictures of a long blue line and the shaft punched which I feel like I would have noticed when it was on the ground. Even marked it looks like it could be a tooth off. it's tough to tell the factory markings with it installed in the car

common sense would dictate if it's gotta come down again might as well put a new one back up.

unfortunately I just don't have the area to have the car up and driveshaft out for an extended period right now and can't tinker with it as much as I want or this probably would have been figured out the first day.

still waiting to hear back about if one can be made.

also they said they didn't want to mess with the end bushings and just gave me the new ones I provided back. Maybe they didn't grease that and the shaft or they got messed up etc.

im leading towards shaft primarily because across many makes and models with this exact issue that's what seems to be common.

https://www.e46fanatics.com/threads/...-only.1026953/

comes in light 16 heavy 18-20 gone by 22 like a while right where the venter bearing is.

for example this is the exact issue ended up being u joint and honestly it feels like it's coming right about where the u joint would be.

gator had mentioned his shaft having memory in the u joint but haven't been able to reach him hopefully he's s still with us.

hopefully shop just ****ed something up it can be removed/corrected replaced and perfect.

more common now adays than ever. Someone who can do a job better than anyone doesn't have the tools or resources/time so they pay someone to **** their stuff up so they can do it all again.
Would still like to give benefit of doubt to shop but that's how it goes. just super confident something is wrong with u joint and that just comes up a lot.

It is definitely an annoying job to take it in and out.

so yeah will add the lubegard and check diff fluid and report back.

 

how would you describe the exact issue you had?

 

Basically lots of this haha

https://www.chargerforumz.com/thread...22-mph.199367/

lots of people don't really follow up let's ride this out to the end. It's only time and money and neither are real so that's fun. Really hope this helps people for years to come once we figure it out

 

Got some lubegard shutter fix.

drove the car, same vibration approx 18mph and 36-44.

felt right behind your right butt cheek basically exactly where the u joint is.

added shutter fix. Drove about 20 miles. No change. At first shifts were "hard" but seemed to smooth out. Transmission seems ok.

I am leaning towards something was done incorrectly in regards to the shaft/u joint.

The vibration isn't horrific but it is there. Does not seem to be shift related even though those two speeds are close to shifts but happens in every gear/scenario. 36-44 present in neutral coasting and downhill. Very minor vibration but felt exactly where 18 mph is coming from and same style.

the 18 mph you can almost power through to where it's barely noticeable but driving from about 36-44 is annoying.

Every other speed/condition perfectly smooth.

will have to take a day to drop and inspect the entire driveshaft. Maybe it is possible that it is 1-2 teeth off or the splines weren't greased etc.

the front and rear shaft bushings we're not replaced they said they "didn't want to mess with them" maybe they did. Luckily I came across a wis on how to remove. they probably couldn't figure out.

so... drop driveshaft, inspect center bearing/u joint and alignment. Grease da **** out a dem. Shaft bushings. Then I guess I'll have to throw it back up and test. If that doesn't work it will have to come back out end I guess someone will have to cut out old u joint and weld on new one.

have not been able to find a single place who can manufacture one.

really sad, wanted to get ledermanz steering wheel and new wheels.

on a note I did loosen the exhaust bracket to the transmission. Wiggled it around and it wanted to sit about 2-4mm from where it was. Loosened trans mount and wiggled it as well loved maybe 1-2mm. Afterwards overall ride actually smoothed up a bit but 18/36 mph vibration there.

given how all over the place the vibrations were/how much worse it was when first given back by shop it would be super difficult to diagnose as a u joint.

the shop was super confident "you need a new driveshaft" "somethings wrong with u joint"
but that's all they said.
assuming they obviously know something I don't, but seems logical next step.

got her washed and a nice new cover tucked away for "winter"

it was 65 today in the northeast so we will see when the next warm day with no salt on roads I can talk my friend into letting me use his space.

There aren't too many w208/clk related driveshaft removals

any tips?

seems like once the rear flex disc is disconnected and center bearing bolts removed the back end should just come apart?

thanks guys! This will end well lol.

everything else about the car aside from tires is mint.

 

quik55, have you considered using a vibration app ? This could help you pinpoint where the vibration is coming from , eg PROPSHAFT or DRIVESHAFT or WHEELS.
I've used the 'NVH app' ( by VibrateSoftware ) before, you do have to pay - but may help you narrow down your problem vibration.
On youtube there are examples of this being used. Good luck

 

I have before! After using tribotex on the engine noticeable difference.

i really just need to drop the driveshaft to further inspect.

 

:::::::UPDATE:::::::::




Driveshaft was reinstalled one tooth off.
aligned properly and replaced.

all rear end “whirl” resolved. No vibrations from rear.

36-42 mph vibration still present. Very minor in comparison to before. Only felt in steering wheel and steering wheel alone.

i am going to swap front wheels, inspect/tighten front wheel bearing and transmissions fluid level tomorrow. Doubtful, but you never know!

after that I suppose I could try replacing front and rear shaft bushing and re grease spline. Otherwise looks like it will be a full rebuild/balance with serviceable u joint!!

 

Glad you found it. I was going to suggest center carrier bushing and guibo if it hadn't been solved yet. Those issues caused a pretty remarkable and similar shudder on my CLK55.

 

Thanks so much for your reply! Definitely cleared up all rear end vibrations, any issues which I originally had most driveline work done for (vibration from center bearing @ WOT 80+ )

haha did you have almost the exact same issue?

this morning I put the same size wheels and tires from my vert on the front and took her for a spin. The 40 mph vibration was sooo much worse! Visibly shaking the wheel. Only difference is I know them to be good and have much better tread…

put the wheels back on and tbh vibration is almost entirely gone. Super liveable, but that has me confused until I get new tires… 🤣

after that if not fully good I will drop shaft again, replace front and rear bushing as guibos/everything else is new and possibly add washer spacers to center carrier if shaft is not sitting perfectly straight in there.

with the addition of a custom flat top/bottom steering wheel and supersprint catback exhaust had an incredible 50 mile trip with her to go see my Ml55. Got 2 CEL’s cause she needs an 02 sensor, $20 big deal.

then after getting home in the CLK I got my first CEL ever 🤣🤣 40+ k miles and 5 years and the purge solenoid valve went bad in my driveway lol. $72 from Benz wholesale $92 from fcpeuro.

funny part is it’s the only part I’ve put off preventatively changing since ownership. Need my CLK “clk’ing” again haha

 

I'm in the same boat with vibration issues as of lately. It's very slight until I get to about 65-75mph and it's more pronounced. I dropped my car off at an indy today to see what he thinks. We went on a test drive and he definitely thinks its coming from the front end, not driveshaft. FWIW, this guy has been working on them for 35 years.

Within the past 2 years I have replaced all front suspension/steering components, H&R springs, Bilstein yellows, re-bushed my lower a-arms with poly bushings, replaced sway bushings with poly, new front rotors & pads, had the car aligned twice, bought new continental tires and even bought new wheels last week The steering damper, motor mounts and trans mount were replaced a couple years ago too. I check the torque on my steering gear bolts whenever I change my oil. I also flushed my brake system and installed braided stainless lines earlier this year, calipers showed no signs of drag on the old rotors either.

The one thing I have not changed are the wheel bearings. I'm in transition moving out of state and have no garage access right now or I'd change them. If I reach a conclusion after I get my car back I'll post the outcome.

 

Very interesting…
wheel bearing is entirely possible!
kudos to you on all the work accomplished, and I understand your situation.

I’m quite confident on shaft at this point but hear me out… the irony is hilarious.

I did much of the same as yourself and cheaped out on one part…the drag link. I went with febi. Less than 3k miles later I had my wheels refinished and got new tires. Began experiencing a vibration specifically at 42 and I believe 62 mph lmao. Had wheels balanced (found to be out) and then road forced etc whole nightmare….
i then decided to install my power flex LCA bushings and a genuine drag link. Turns out the febi **** itself and was causing the vibration.

Nightmare, but overcome.

as I may have mentioned vehicle was entirely smooth under full acceleration from 0-160.
But I cannot confirm the front bushing on the driveshaft but it has been confirmed and corrected that shaft was 1 tooth off.
i am entirely prepared for shaft rebuild/balance.

before all of this I replaced front wheel bearings with guess what…febi. I was broke it was Corona etc but luckily they were through FCPeuro.

I had put the wheels from my clk55 vert on and it was worse than the original wheels. I then decided to get w220 aero 1 18” with Michelin pilot sports. (As the “whirl” @ 18 and vibration @ 38-42 is pretty avoidable haha)

had to go with 12mm spacers and longer bolts from otisincla.
spacers seemed like cheap aluminum and hub center part is very thin/fragile.

i did notice some possible “seepage” of grease from front left wheel bearing but couldn’t be sure.
i will have to completely remove and replace.

i blead the brakes before new wheels.

initial response. 18 and 38 vibration was same as vert wheel. Hit the highway full blast and vibration not major but noticeable around 90 but cleaned up passed 110.

initial suspicion was balance etc but rode fine at all highway speeds.

luckily I have the ML I’ll bring the ****in wheels back there and road force balance them myself.

brakes felt a bit “spongy” as I only used 1 quart of the new dot4 plus genuine Benz stuff (it’s expensive)

got another quart from Benz, blead them again today. Noticed deformation of hubcentric part of wheel spacer on front right wheel. Concerning…
rest all good.

hit the highway. Major vibration through 90. But brakes much better.

would not be surprised if there is a wheel balance issue/ a wheel weight may have flown off. I will report back on this.

due to past experience I will have to remove and replace febi front wheel bearings and replace with original.

car has to go in winter storage so I will do the most I can before and during winter.

I remain confident. I will put stock wheels back on and check for high speed vibrations to confirm balance but just can’t trust febi haha

 

I plan on getting to the bottom of this soon! I have a 55 mile commute to work in the middle of nowhere and I'd like to make sure everything is sorted out for the occasional triple digit blast.

 

Update…

dropped my supersprint cat back exhaust…and dropped driveshaft. When reinstalled there was no grease applied to front/rear bushings or any on the spline that goes through carrier bearing.

i packed them all with febi cv/shaft grease and it took away the play that was in the shaft. Reinstalled and drove. Vibration is waayyy better! Almost not noticeable but still there.
seems no one can really balance these shafts so a new one will be needed. Looking into that.

damn is this car loud with cat back off! Hahah

 

Follow up… lmao
so I dropped $650 on a newly built driveshaft from a company out of Virginia…
great quality and nearly exactly like the factory one
unfortunately 36-42 mph vibration still present…
seems orientation of center bearing carrier will amplify or decrease the severity of the vibration. But not much room to play with on it compared to original one. I removed a 2mm shim from the differential mount but that doesn’t seem to have made any difference. Going to remove the thicker one tomorow and see what happens then play with maybe adding some washers to center carrier etc essentially jacking it up testing and then repeat that 10-20 times haha.
does seem as though the 18 mph whirl is barely noticeable if not gone. See if the new wheels make it any better… suppose we are ruling out it being a driveshaft issue…
maybe it could be trans/torque converter shutter?
all that was done was fluid drain replace and filter replace… that ever happen to anyone?

hopefully will get it sorted out thoughts and prayers appreciated. Otherwise she is a great car.

 

Update…so removed the second shim and she cleaned up almost entirely.
18-22 little whirl/vibration is still minorly present but only felt in wheel really.
36-44 vibration in wheel essentially entirely gone.
suppose it could be a little TC shutter but will be doing another trans service see if that helps.
i would say by removing the two shims she cleared up about 98.5%

while the w220 wheels look great have been getting a minor vibration at highway speeds which sucks. Going to road force balance the fronts and continue to throw money at it lol maybe these cars just don’t like spacers in front

ran it with 18’s rear 17’s front and she actually drove super well no vibrations, wheels are just a bit too different to rock full time haha

 

Well… have pretty much ruled out everything other than torque converter shudder. Absolutely hate the car at this point, actively shopping for another.
plan to do a trans fluid swap with filter etc see what that does. Fingers crossed! If not guess will replace torque converter eventually or just get a different one all together.

 

So I realize this may be uncommon but as of today the vibration problem has seemingly been resolved 99.9% more been a fun three years… not lmao.
the issue…
The two bolts clamping header to secondary cat were rusted to hell. When work was completed and cat back section of exhaust was removed/replaced one of those bolts snapped. There was a good amount of play in the pipe. It just so happens to be attached to rear of trans by arm and small rubber dampener. Must have been creating vibration that transmitted through steering wheel. Little “whirl” from 1-2 is barely noticeable at all and 35-45 vibration is gone. Lol what a **** show was about to bring it to Benz and or do torque converter lol. Still might have to in future never know. At this point car is probably highest mileages with most new parts around haha
onto body work!