Re: [MBZ] 300CD Rear Clunking noise

[Luther Gulseth]

I would opt for a bad half axle.  My '82 CD has various clunkings that come 
from the rear at different times.  The Sway-bar bushings are bad, and they 
clunk when I go over bumps, even the smallest.  My left axle shaft clunks at 
times, purely random and not constant.  It can go away for 1,000 miles at a 
time  
My guess about flex-disks would be that you'll only hear them clunk once (if 
they're bad) when you first start in gear or change direction (F to R).  Once 
pressure is applied, they'll stay the same.  I've been told before that the 
u-joint on these d/l's rarely go bad, and if they do, you have to replace the 
whole d/l.
It could be a diff mount that is allowing everything to be out of align.  Check 
that also.

Luther

~My 1985 300CD has sat all winter as various other projects and money 
~commitments have preceded it.  As the weather has started to warm then I have 
~started to look at it again.  While I have been working on some vacuum issues, 
~I took it for a drive yesterday and again today and I believe that vacuum is 
~not the most serious issue with the car.
~
~Since I have owned the car there has been a persistent clunking coming from 
~possibly the rear passenger side but it is hard to tell.  When I start the car 
~cold and drive off the noise is absent or very low but as I continue to drive 
~up to interstate speeds the noise is more pronounced.  Sometimes it actually 
~seems to go away while driving but is always comes back fairly quickly.  I can 
~let off the accelerator and the noise goes away and it will come back when I 
~accelerate again.  When I first started reading the list, it seemed that the 
~general consensus was probably trailing arm links.
~
~What is the most likely way to test for bad trailing arm links, flex-disk, or 
~universal joint?  Could it be a bad half-axle and if so what else needs to be 
~replaced?
~
~Todd Smith '85 300CD 248K
~
~
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-- 
Luther KB5QHU 
Alma, Ark 
'83 300SD (231,xxx kmi) 
'82 300CD (159,222 kmi) 
'82 300D (74,000 kmi) needs MAJOR work

Re: [MBZ] 300CD Rear Clunking noise

[Jim Cathey]

What is the most likely way to test for bad trailing arm links


When I needed a definitive test I just unhooked them and went for
a spin down the driveway.  All you're losing is the rear sway bar,
so it's not like you're going to spin out in a wall of flame at 5MPH,
but I would avoid driving at any speed that way.  It's a quick test.
Usually if they're bad you get a rattling when on anything but
glass-smooth pavement.

I even removed the shocks too in that test session, proving that my
persistent rattle _was_ those crappy Kyb shocks.  That's a bit more
spooky to drive!  (I never left the driveway.)


I've been told before that the u-joint on these d/l's rarely go bad,
and if they do, you have to replace the whole d/l.


There are a couple of places in the US (Portland OR has one) that will
replace these U-Joints and rebalance the two-piece driveline.  It was
done (and probably unnecessarily) on my 560 SL in my pre-DIY days.

They do rarely go bad.  They get notchy because of the way they're
used, but that doesn't hurt until it gets really bad, bad enough to
be loose in the middle.

-- Jim