What could this mysterious noise be?

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PJayUK

Active Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2008
Messages
504
Location
Surrey, United Kingdom
Car
ML320 W163, E320 W210 & Jaguar X300-XJR6
Just after a few opinions on an annoying noise I am experiencing on my S320.

So first some background. The previous owner had spent fortunes on this car, the history confirms that it has had loads of work done by a MB dealer on various things, including the gearbox, steering suspension etc. He also tells me that the "noise" that I am referring to has been there for a long time and the dealer had failed to diagnose it but swapped various suspension and steering parts under warranty in the process of rectifying the problem. Last week the car had new discs and pads on the front and the garage checked the hubs etc, nothing untowards was reported.

To keep this short and sweet here is a summary of the symptoms.

1 The noise can be described as a soft rumbling or rubbing noise which seems to be coming from the front offside of the vehicle.
2 It is always worse when cold, and virtually disappears once the car has warmed up
3 It does not seem to be relative to speed although its most noticeable around 30mph
4 There is no steering wobble, or any issues with the steering or general handling
5 I am not getting any malfunctions on the computer
6 The sound is not noticeable when driving straight, turning left or right does not seem to change things

Whilst the problem has not yet caused an issue, I don’t like driving with a potential problem un-diagnosed. I would appreciate any views, comments or combined wisdom from the members maybe so I can at least give the next technician that looks at my car some pointers!

Cheers all, happy new year!
 
Wonders if it could be an engine mounting on its way out?
 
bit difficult to get an idea without getting up close and personal but could be anything from belt tensioner to suspension...
 
Could be a ball joint?
 
Had similar thing with an ML, a rumbling noise when cold, turned out to be a rogue wheel bearing.
 
Could be the Airmatic compressor constantly running. Did I read that you have a leaking strut?
I wonder if the compressor is constantly running, trying to level the car but never achieving it because of the leak?

Edit:
Just realised it's not you that has the strut leak.

But have you checked whether your compressor runs all the time?
 
Last edited:
No leaking struts that I am aware of! I must say my gut feel is a wheel bearing, but its not showing any of the classic signs.. The car is due an mot in a few weeks I might wait and see what is thrown up then and take it from there...
 
[LEFT said:
PJayUK[/left];693788]No leaking struts that I am aware of! I must say my gut feel is a wheel bearing, but its not showing any of the classic signs.. The car is due an mot in a few weeks I might wait and see what is thrown up then and take it from there...

There was no apparent signs with mine, as I suspected an out of balance wheel at first. A morning with the tyre man checking all eventualities including checks on hub play and alignment found nothing untoward, but as soon as I mentioned it to the MB service manager he pinpointed the problem straight away, and the problem was sorted on the cars return.
 
I am now really beginning to suspect a wheel bearing! The noise has got progressively worse this week and now sounds very much like the classic sound of the early stages wheel bearing failure. The noise is now becoming apparent at speeds other than 30mph (although its worse at lower speeds) and most noticeable when driving straight but also apparent when turning right.

So the car got me into work this morning, but I am hoping she'll make the return journey of around 30 miles :( Its booked in to my local indi on Saturday morning but I just hope I make it hope without the bearing going totally and having to be towed home (not funny on the M25, have you ever tried to push a long wheelbase SClass off the carriageway!)

Any driving tips to help get me home and safely parked up on my drive?
 

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