Urgent help / advice needed please from experienced mechanics (1 Viewer)

[Steve and Denise]

@chris vickers

 

[Steve and Denise]

Predictive text

 

[Steve and Denise]

Can you loan your drivetrain to para pilot for a week ?

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[Steve and Denise]

i was chatting to some one from Doncaster about this and he said there is a transmission guy near the Merc gararge who has a rolling road for diagnosing such problems on larger vehicles he said he would send me the number after the weekend.
If he does I will post it on here.

 

[Parapilot]

Can you loan your drivetrain to para pilot for a week ?

It might instantly become a permanent loan if it works......

i was chatting to some one from Doncaster about this and he said there is a transmission guy near the Merc gararge who has a rolling road for diagnosing such problems on larger vehicles he said he would send me the number after the weekend.
If he does I will post it on here.

Excellent, thanks. I couldn't find anywhere that had a truck sized rolling road.

 

[joka250]

At some point, shouldn’t you get some other type of experts involved: Mercedes Management, Mercedes Public Relations, Trading Standards, Twitter - anything to get those that should know how to fix it to get their a55es into gear and fix the problem.

However - here’s a long shot.
During research into my own problem (mentioned earlier - differential) I came across a diagnostic tool which may only be available in the US, but...

This was a device which recorded all the vibrations made by the vehicle whilst driving through all stages - low gear to high, back down again. Accelerating, decelerating, braking. The resultant waveform is analysed and broken down to frequency bands. For example, at a particular speed and gear, vibration frequencies can be determined for camshaft, valve train, crankshaft, pistons, gears, propshafts, UJs, differential gears, wheel bearings... As the driving regime changes (load / no load, accelerating / decelerating) the waveforms may show that eg a wheel bearing is rumbling, or that the second gear cogs are the problem.

Has anyone come across this in the UK?

Reference the diagnostic tool mentioned, I was offered this equipment, in the U K, just before illness forced retirement. At this moment I can't remember who offered it, I don't think it was Snap on or Mac tools but I'm sure it was a mainstream supplier. Can't find through internet but have emailed an ex colleague if I get a positive response will post.

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[Silver-Fox]

@CazPaul i appreciate not much history with vehicle but you would have heard the issue when purchasing I’m guessing.
Hence why I’m wondering if it’s happened since purchase.

This is really intriguing me.

 

[CazPaul]

@CazPaul i appreciate not much history with vehicle but you would have heard the issue when purchasing I’m guessing.
Hence why I’m wondering if it’s happened since purchase.

This is really intriguing me.

Yes agree with you, I was just highlighting when you said Quote''The thing I’d be asking is this the only vehicle of this particular design and assembly.
If not has there been other cases as this one or is this isolated case''

I believe it is just an isolated case.

 

[Jake Royd]

Well, my guy has got back to me with a couple of observations and points.
Please remember he has not been party to the whole thread.

He differs with me in thinking the rear axle backlash is too high.
We both agree the axle does not look very stiff (defection wise) after the initial clearance has been taken up.
He suspects diff gears and or hub drive members.
My apologies is these have already been checked.
It seems to me unlikely MB experts would not check this.

By diff gears I don’t mean the crown wheel and pion I mean the side gears and pinions inside the diff case that permit the wheels to travel at different speeds around corners.

This can easily be checked by jacking up both wheels and rotating one wheel and either letting the other rotate or by rotating one whilst holding the other. Both with the prop stationary.
You will feel a broken tooth etc.
You may feel some lumpiness because these gears are often preloaded together and are gearcut crudely so they don’t roll all that well.


The other things to check are the half shaft splines on both inboard and outboard ends. The hub drive member, or it’s MB equivalent connects the half shaft to the hub.


Sounds and clunks like yours can be produced via the axle.

If you’ve replaced the complete axle then perhaps these issues are not relevant.

All the best.

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[Steve and Denise]

@Parapilot Here is the company that was recommended to me with the rolling road facilities
S&D Transmissions 01320 739897
As I say this was a recommendation to me I myself have not used this company
Best of luck keep us posted

 

[pagey]

The diff has a fair amount of back lash could it be the noise coming back up the rear prop as you say it is a metallic sound.
We had a new steering rack fitted to a 2 year old 28,000 mile car by Mercedes only to have another one fitted a week later.

exactly my thoughts to much backlash

 

[Steve and Denise]

@Parapilot any further forward ?

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[Snowbird]

A phone call to this guy may shed some light. He has a strange accent South African, but the best axle and diff man I know.
http://www.centralaxles.com/

 

[flatpackchicken]

No help whatsoever to the OP but I have similar problem with engine starting been to mercs 4 times and numeryother gges without the slightest bit of difference but over £4000 lighter :-(. So just live with it now.
Good luck with your problem and like everyone else on here wish you luck mate in your search to get it fixed once and for all. Will be following post

 

[simonthebfg]

Try this stuff. It is fantastic. I had a shuddering autobox on my 2007 discovery, put one of these in and it disappeared with a couple of minutes and has never returned. I cannot recommend it highly enough and it is cheap and easy to put in so even if it doesn't work it was worth a try. I suspected prop shaft, centre bearing, gear box, all sorts but this stuff fixed it. Give it a go!

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[Landy Andy]

Try this stuff. It is fantastic. I had a shuddering autobox on my 2007 discovery, put one of these in and it disappeared with a couple of minutes and has never returned. I cannot recommend it highly enough and it is cheap and easy to put in so even if it doesn't work it was worth a try. I suspected prop shaft, centre bearing, gear box, all sorts but this stuff fixed it. Give it a go!

From experience it take it you are talking about this stuff.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-Tubes-...642259&hash=item1c92f6d952:g:OBwAAOSwjLVa4j-s

 

[Andysprinter]

Hi , I gave your problem to a retired Jaguar engineer and these are his comments.

I’m no expert but two things worry me about that film. The first is the amount of backlash at the diff drive flange. Unfortunately there are quite a few comments saying that that amount of backlash is normal but, to my mind, it looks more than I would think is normal. Secondly, during the road drive I noticed the splined central joint expanding and returning quite a bit……..However, the problem with that fixed camera position is that you can’t see what the rear suspension is doing. If the rear axle was crossing some surface bumps etc then the longitudinal movement of the central splines would be expected.
I can also say that I have some experience of diff problems on an Escort Mexico that I owned back in 1973/4. I bought the car brand new through the Own a Ford scheme that applied to Ford employees at the time. There was, right from day one, bad back axle noise. In the course of the warranty attempts to repair I had three brand new diffs and three reconditioned ones and still the problem wasn’t cured, or even altered. I asked the dealer to change the whole back axle and not just the diff but they said that the Ford warranty rep wouldn’t agree to it.
This story illustrates that just because you’ve had reconditioned diffs fitted it doesn’t necessarily mean that noises can be cured.
My gut feeling is that it is the diff but I would do some more testing first which is slightly dangerous but the only way that I can think of to identify the source. My method would be to lie underneath and listen to the components through the handle of a long screwdriver with the blade pressed against each component in turn while a person was replicating that stationary drive engagement/disengagement. Where you get the loudest noise, and bear in mind that such a clonk will transmit down prop shafts etc, that should identify the problem area. Obviously you would only be able to do this with the vehicle stationary and the drive engaging/disengaging as in the very first part of the film. It isn’t going to be easy to do on the prop shaft itself but could be done with care. If you worked your way up from the diff forward to the gearbox using that listening screwdriver tool with the handle pressed against your ear you would definitely pick out where the loudest noise was. The fact that the problem only really happens under very light load is a certain indicator of a mechanical lash problem rather than one of the suggestions that it might be the gearbox ECU for example. The OP confirms that the noise disappears if you boot it and load the driveline so, again, this confirms backlash to me. I just reckon that the dealers and repairers haven’t really identified the source properly.
I did want to expand the exploded diagram of the diff assembly but the site won’t let me do that unless I am a member. It might be something that you have access to though.
Not much help but it is what I would do.

Really hope you get to the bottom of the problem. Obviously as I have the same chassis on our Concorde I have a vested interest,
ATB Andy

 

[gus-lopez]

Did the OP ever get to the bottom of this ?

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[TinaLes]

Having just spent so much time reading this post with all the suggested experienced opinions from so many, plus the fact the poor guy has been sent all over Europe by MB to no avail, yes it would be great to know if he has now got it sorted, and more relevent what the underlying cause was in the end?
As I say poor guy, I really hope he has it sorted without the need for formal litigation, as he has alrady spent enough of his dosh on this problem.
Les

 

[Two on Tour]

@Parapilot , I only came across this thread this afternoon and had a look at your video which I then emailed onto a friend of mine who was the technical director of a propshaft company for 30 odd years until he retired recently.
Anyway he says that it is very common on Sprinters for the centre UJ to dry out and semi lock up and your propshaft would appear to be suffering with this. As it looks like your up near Liverpool/Warrington way he says get in contact with North West Propshafts at Chorley on 01257791681 or Firow Propshafts at Crewe on 01477 535960.

If you wanted to have a chat with my mate to describe in more detail with him the problems your having, then he's more than happy for you to give him a ring. If you do want to speak with him then PM me and I'll give you his number.

Edit : I had not fully read through the thread but I see have had the shaft checked by Firow.

 

[funflair]

I did read a couple of days ago that the OP had got to the bottom of the problem and he would update the thread when he had chance, I believe it has something to do with an engine remap but I am sure he will have the full story.

Martin

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[Deleted member 57092]

Sorry havn’t read the thread in its entirety
One post I did read mentions removing and checking the prop on numerous occasions.
Presumabably the sliding joint has been dismantled ?
When its been put back are the yokes all aligned front to back ?
Otherwise it will wind up and ‘kick’ to dump the tension.
Won’t do it on a balancer as its all aligned but will do it when its back on and the back section is no longer aligned level with the front part.

 

[Rudski01]

So was this sorted and I’ve missed the thread