W211 E320 CDI OM648 rattle/vibration (video)

[jeremy156]

You've probably already done this, but first of all check the connection between the airbox and the hose that feeds it - on mine this concertina type hose (that pokes through past the radiator to collect cold air) is warped and doesn't fit snugly into the inlet of the air filter box. As a result it amplifies any vibration. Simply grabbing a firm of it mutes the "booming" of the engine, hence in the video clips you'll notice I've wrapped the join in silver coloured duct tape. The duct tape hides a layer of draught excluding foam around the very edge of the join and also a self-tapping screw in the top to hold everything together, the duct tape serving not to hold it together so much as seal the edges.

I did look to replace that hose, but it's over £60!

For replacement clips, how about a visit to a scrap yard?

 

[jeremy156]

i have tried to remove the airbox to check the bushes but cant get the front to lift , how hard does it need to be pulled? any suggestions what else it may be?

Pretty hard to be honest - it's held in purely by friction and probably a bit gummed up over time anyway. The key thing is to ensure everything is disconnected so you don't rip anything you shouldn't. It's a sharp pull directly upwards at the front to free it, then the whole box will need a quick tug forwards to disengage the rear mounts. When I did it, I had the filter out and the lid off, offered a little more space and more to grip hold of.

 

[delb0y]

have tired all of the above, took the car into another garage and the guy swears its one of the injectors! the car was on a computer at the last garage and there were no faults for the injectors.. anyone here know if the fault shows up if an injector is faulty?

 

[jeremy156]

I must admit I always think *surely* there's a reason for the engine vibrating and I shouldn't be focused purely on handling that vibration. I've asked two specialists whether the injectors are OK and both have said "they're within tolerance" - I think with considerable expense and disruption with replacing or cleaning injectors they see it as not worth persuing. That said, an inline six ought to have a natural evenness if all cylinders are behaving the same way.

I would be very interested to learn if you have any further developments on this - perhaps a specific diesel injection specialist can help??

 

[delb0y]

thanks for the input jeremy and sorry for jumping on your thread :-0

i'm taking it to a diesel specialist in the morning

this place was recommended - anyone had any dealings with these guys?

All Plant Engine Services
Engine Rebuilding & Reconditioning (Workshop & Repair Centres) based in the Drumoyne Road area of Glasgow
Tel: 0141-445 2646

 

[jeremy156]

Keen to learn how you get on - keep us informed

 

[netwalla]

W211 Vibration

Hi Jeremey,

I have a vibration in my car when idle,
I had the injectors cheked amd the engine mount are fine,
I have it diagnosed on the computer all is ok
There is still a vibration or missing
Please give me the video link or pics what to check again.
Is your vibration fixed now.

Thanks
Haroon

 

[netwalla]

W211 vibration

Guys i have this problem with the engine vibration at idle,
I have checked the engine mounts all are ok, The engine vibrates when idle you can even feel it at slow speed,
I wil remove the box and start the car and see how it goes,
I have used the diesel STP today filled her up with 60 litres and will see in the next few days.

Any help appreciated

Thanks

 

[jeremy156]

Hello Netwalla - I wish I knew what to suggest, do you have a good independent Mercedes specialist garage to take it to? A good relationship with a good garage is valuable if you can create one.

 

[netwalla]

W211 Engine Vibration

I took my car to SN Autohaus

German Car Servicing|Ilford Essex|BMW Servicing|Mercedes Servicing|VW AUDI Servicing

Had the car checked it was two injectors were out of value,
I had them changed cost me some money but had AA repair cost covered,
So now the car is smmoth as silk, and the fuel consumtion has inproved by 30% more.

I would recomend this garage, they gave me a courtesy car while my car was at the workshop.

Thanks guys

Netwalla

 

[jeremy156]

That's really good news Netwalla. Like you I had my injectors checked on a STAR diagnostic machine and they were reported as 'in tolerance' - but interesting to see another garage made a different decision and it's resulted in improvement. I might try another garage for another opinion then.

 

[crisoton]

ok i think i got same vibration problems but i need to know were you sourced parts from ie air box bushes as i looked on net ?? need price plus name off part

 

[chrisy5555]

I thought it might be the shield under the airbox that's held on my afew torx bolts mine was lose ages ago and it was that

 

[bartdood]

I took my car to SN Autohaus

German Car Servicing|Ilford Essex|BMW Servicing|Mercedes Servicing|VW AUDI Servicing

Had the car checked it was two injectors were out of value,
I had them changed cost me some money but had AA repair cost covered,
So now the car is smmoth as silk, and the fuel consumtion has inproved by 30% more.

I would recomend this garage, they gave me a courtesy car while my car was at the workshop.

Thanks guys

Netwalla

Hi there, dragging up this thread as I'm having an odd vibration on my E320 W211 cdi, it has new engine and transmission mounts, it only has 81k on the clock, engine and transmission are clean. The engine itself doesn't seem to vibrate that much but I'm not familiar with this model as much.

Inside the car there is considerable booming/vibration at idle which goes away with a little throttle.

Here is a video of the engine idle:

https://youtu.be/twWLpcObpDM

and here is a video inside the car, although I should have closed the door to isolate the interior noise:

https://youtu.be/s2KBrQkcs3k

I put the car on ramps to look underneath tonight with the engine running, all seems ok.
The engine mounts seem to be working well, very little engine vibration travelling across the mounts.

I did notice a small amount of vibes on the steering rack around the hydraulic lines going into it.

Any ideas? I already took it to Benz dealership and they told me it was the trans mount which was shot, so I put a new one on and it didn't fix the vibes

thanks!

 

[BlackC55]

Where did you get the mounts from?

 

[bartdood]

Where did you get the mounts from?

They are peachpart Febi mounts. The passenger side one works very well, I put my hand under the mount on the subframe with the engine running and almost no vibration, the drivers side there seems to be a little more. In fact I got a piece of wood between the intake manifold and body tonight and with engine running and wife in the car 'lifted' the engine a little, she noticed the noise and vibration got less.

The passenger side is the one that failed and collapsed, the drivers side mount was old but hadn't failed yet. Could it be the engine sagging down as deformed something and is touching the body transferring vibes?

I checked for leaking tonight, sprayed soapy water on my head and injectors, no leaks at all.

This weekend I'm going to do a diesel purge with liqui-moly diesel cleaner and the car also needs a new serpentine belt.

 

[bartdood]

They are peachpart Febi mounts. The passenger side one works very well, I put my hand under the mount on the subframe with the engine running and almost no vibration, the drivers side there seems to be a little more. In fact I got a piece of wood between the intake manifold and body tonight and with engine running and wife in the car 'lifted' the engine a little, she noticed the noise and vibration got less.

The passenger side is the one that failed and collapsed, the drivers side mount was old but hadn't failed yet. Could it be the engine sagging down as deformed something and is touching the body transferring vibes?

I checked for leaking tonight, sprayed soapy water on my head and injectors, no leaks at all.

This weekend I'm going to do a diesel purge with liqui-moly diesel cleaner and the car also needs a new serpentine belt.

Tried to do a diesel purge today and didn't go well, seems the main HP pump is pressure fed so wouldn't suck up any of the purge fluid, I tried to prime it with a syringe to get it going but it didn't work, had a fitting that then sprayed diesel fuel everywhere so it made a mess. Took a while to clean it up and I had to give up with the purge.

 

[bartdood]

Fixed!

So on a whim I decided to try putting the old engine mount back on the one that had no collapsed and lost its fluid, its an OEM benz one.

I put it on the side of the engine that seemed to have more vibration.

It worked, vibes are WAY less now, much smoother, engine also didn't kick when I switched it off.

I examined the mounts, the one difference is the new one is much taller than the old one, even though the old one has lost no fluid. I can only guess it was overfilled from the factory and is too stiff?

I'll attach a photo of the bad mount.

Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[jazzyglobe]

How hard are these to change? Is a DIY at home with floor jack/stands possible?

 

[bartdood]

How hard are these to change? Is a DIY at home with floor jack/stands possible?

The drivers side (USA car so left hand drive) is easy, lots of space, just be careful to spread the load on the sump when jacking up the engine.

The other side is tough, you have to remove the alloy mount that goes to the engine to get enough space to remove and fit the new mount, otherwise there is simply no room to get it out.