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What you ideally need to do at a minimum is replace the six bushes on the three selector rods, common wear points.A popular modification is to use aftermarket Delrin bushes which far superior to the stock bush. If you really want to get the shift back to normal then you'll need to overhaul the gear level mechanism itself. Mercedes sell a specific repair kit to do the job. I’ve been told to replace the six bushes but mine don’t show any wear. Years ago I had a W124 with worn gear linkage bushes and the gear change was awful. Replacing the bushes transformed it. What goes wrong with the gear change mechanisms? They look incredibly robust. |
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They wear. There's bushes, pins, springs etc,etc within. Have a look at a Merc parts diagram and you'll see what I mean.
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Still learning...still spending...still breaking things!
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Saw this today in Marlow. Base model but low miles and the bodywork and interior are in exceptional condition.   Not cheap but not daylight robbery either.  |
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My wife, twelve year old son and I decided to go to Bournemouth today. It made perfect sense to take the 200E on the 100 mile (each way) trip. WCPGW? We got to Bournemouth in 1h 40m and, as always, it was lovely.  On the way home, driving along the M3 at approx 70MPH, traffic came to a sudden halt. The 200E's ABS brakes performed well but once traffic got moving, I could hear a rattling sound coming from the engine bay. The sound occurred as the engine revs increased. It sounded like the rattle of a loose heat shield, or something similar. The engine still pulled well, the dashboard gauges didn't suggest anything was wrong so we continued the journey home. I pulled up outside my garage, we all went indoors, in my case to get changed so that I could tinker with the 200E and in my wife's case to get the barbeque going. I lifted the 200E's bonnet, started the engine and.... nothing. No more rattle. Whatever came loose during the heavy braking evidently fixed itself on my driveway. I cleaned the bug splattered windscreen, headlights, grille and bumper and was about to drive the 200E into the garage. At that point, I thought I'd check if the rattle could be coming from the timing chain. I removed the oil filler cap, started the engine and gave it a little rev. And this happened.      I am not saying this for comic effect - oil splattered EVERYWHERE within the engine bay, on the underside of the bonnet, along the front wings, literally everywhere. The engine bay was clean and the brown oil staining could not be missed. The top of the air filter housing was soaked, every cable and pipe got hit with oil. Out came the wet wipes and Superwife to the rescue!  It took us about an hour to get most of the oil staining off. We couldn't clean the exhaust manifold or the foam covered parts of the bulkhead but the rest cleaned up ok. Thank you wife. Now, I've definitely had an M102 engine running with the oil filler cap removed but most probably only ad idle speed. I'm guessing that revving the engine to approx 2-2,500 revs was high enough to allow oil to shoot out from the timing chain upwards and out of the engine. I'm such a tit. |
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Last Edit: May 8, 2022 19:53:53 GMT by Peter C
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May 10, 2022 14:17:39 GMT
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I took the 200E for another drive down to Camberley via the M3 yesterday, a 70 mile return journey. Driving at a steady 70MPH on the M40, M25 and the M3, I could not hear the rattling sound. Then, as soon as I came off the M3 and applied the brakes a little harder, the rattling came back. I drove home, put the 200E in my workshop and left it until this afternoon. The sound occurs when the engine is switched on and becomes more prominent as the engine revs rise. Once the engine is up to a certain speed, the buzzing doesn't change frequency or get any louder. The sound is coming from the offside of the engine bay, behind the bulkhead and is very similar to how a loose heat shield would sound but it cannot be felt through the chassis. A few years ago, an exhaust bracket broke and I could feel the whole floorpan vibrate - it's nothing like that. It can't be anything inside the engine or gearbox as the rattle is too light. A knackered bearing would sound VERY different! It can't be the timing chain as that would rattle constantly and would be more pronounced in the engine bay than within the interior of the car. The rattle can be heard from inside the car but with the bonnet up and the car stationary, I can't hear anything inside the engine bay. I removed the offside front wheel. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the suspension, the anti-roll bar, the brakes or the steering.  The exhaust is firmly attached and there is nothing touching it. Hitting the exhaust and the catalytic converter does not cause any rattles inside either element.  The two heat shields behind / below the exhaust manifold are both firmly attached and silent.  The big metal sump guard is firmly attached and solid.  I fired up the engine with the offside front wheel off the ground, revved the engine and... nothing, no rattle. However, I expect it will be back as soon as I go out on the motorway again. Any ideas what could be wrong? |
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Last Edit: May 10, 2022 14:21:42 GMT by Peter C
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May 10, 2022 15:03:50 GMT
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The first thing that comes to mind is a stone or similar trapped somewhere. The usual place is between a heat shield and the body. I'd remove all the shields but carefully as the special nuts/fasteners can be seized on the studs. The fuel pump cover is also a hiding place.
Sorry, no more suggestions than that off hand.
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Last Edit: May 10, 2022 15:09:39 GMT by Woofwoof
Still learning...still spending...still breaking things!
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May 10, 2022 16:19:58 GMT
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The first thing that comes to mind is a stone or similar trapped somewhere. The usual place is between a heat shield and the body. I'd remove all the shields but carefully as the special nuts/fasteners can be seized on the studs. The fuel pump cover is also a hiding place. Sorry, no more suggestions than that off hand. Thank you for your suggestion, it sounds feasible that a stone could be caught somewhere. But why would a stone cause an intermittent problem? |
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May 10, 2022 18:03:21 GMT
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If it's a stone that's causing the problem, most are not round and if they get trapped between a heat shield and the underbody that surface is usually irregular. The combo of both can allow the stone move and sit lodged with different car motions.
I had that issue on a 190E or 300E can't remember which but it drove me nuts, didn't find the problem until I got the car up on to lift, tapping all the heat shields led to finding a stone lodged in the rear but the sound generated I could have swore that it was nearer the front.
Time for a proper inspection of the underbody of your car I'd suggest, even just to rule out anything obvious as it may not be a stone or similar.
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Last Edit: May 10, 2022 19:17:26 GMT by Woofwoof
Still learning...still spending...still breaking things!
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May 12, 2022 15:02:13 GMT
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Deja vu!  A couple of years ago, when I had the gearbox replaced, I recall the mechanic telling me that the prop-shaft damper is worn (rubbers were perished). I thought that perhaps the rubbers have failed and the damper has become loose and was the source of the rattling sound. An inspection of the damper revealed that it is in ok condition. It's certainly not loose or making any noises.  I checked every shield under the car and the entire exhaust system. There is no evidence of any caught stones or loose elements. Everything is solid and not making any noises.   I removed the large metal engine / sump guard. There was nothing on top of the guard and there is nothing loose beneath the engine.  I ran the engine up to temperature, the rattle was silent. I revved the engine, poked at anything that could possibly be making a noise and nothing, I can't find anything wrong. I'm going to leave the engine / sump guard off for now and see what happens next time I take the 200E out on a motorway run. |
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May 28, 2022 15:37:46 GMT
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May 28, 2022 15:50:49 GMT
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Now that is what I call an office / man cave !!
Nigel
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BMW E39 525i Sport
BMW E46 320d Sport Touring (now sold on.)
BMW E30 325 Touring (now sold on.)
BMW E30 320 Cabriolet (Project car - currently for sale.)
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I'm still trying to determine the cause of the 200E's mystery rattle. The noise only occurs when the engine is really hot, preferably after a motorway run. The noise disappears shortly after the car comes to rest. The noise only happens when the engine is running. The noise gets more pronounced when the engine is revved. I thought it might be the catalytic converter but I'm not so sure. The cat is located further towards the centre of the car and the noise is definitely coming from the engine area. The noise can't be coming from inside the engine and gearbox. I think it must be something that is attached to the engine but I've checked pretty much everything and can't find anything missing, loose or damaged. Could an engine mount be causing a rattling sound? I took the 200E to South Ruislip and back this morning. This is what it looks like from above. Photo taken whilst I was inspecting the roof of a large industrial building.  On route home I filled the tank. Based on today's prices, it would cost about £115 to completely fill the tank. Ouch!  I've lost my mojo with the 200E but I don't want to sell it. I've spent too much time and money making it what it is and with the rattle discovered and fixed, I'm sure I will fall for it all over again. |
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Jun 12, 2022 12:57:18 GMT
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I visited some friends yesterday, who live in a very posh property in Stoke Poges. Before entering the grounds, I took a couple of photos of the 230E outside their main gates.   They liked the 230E but when I showed off the clean engine bay, I noticed a significant oil leak, coming from the cam cover gasket.  This was disappointing, considering that two weeks ago I had the timing chain (and cam cover gasket) replaced by a Mercedes specialist. I cleaned the oil stains and tightened up the cam cover bolts. Fingers crossed that's fixed the problem. Weather and time permitting, I will hopefully take the 230E to Ace Café this Tuesday evening, for the Classic Car Night event. See you there? |
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Jun 13, 2022 20:40:51 GMT
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I sold the 200E this evening. I'm going to miss it but its gone to a good home.  Now, what shall I buy next? |
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Jun 14, 2022 19:49:29 GMT
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Another year and another MoT passed, with no advisories.  Turns out I've done just over a thousand miles in the past 12 months. All trouble free. |
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I bought the 230E 13 years ago today. Happy anniversary my old friend.  |
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Nov 12, 2022 15:22:08 GMT
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