Stop that whining!

[Will]

I get this whining sound that seems to be coming from the rear end of my 300E whening I'm travelling at about 60mph. But it disappears when I take my foot off the accelerator?? It could be the fuel pump, but a friend of mine suggested the pinion gear?

[Steve P]

Will, it could be that the 'whining' is coming from the CV joints or the wheel bearings. Have a look underneath the car to check for any signs of CV boot leakage. The CV joints also wear differently on the bearing faces just like the crown and pinion gears.

[osbert]

I have been messing with old cars for years and I remember the days when in every car you drove either the gear box whined or the back axle. *I think back axles don't make much noise now but if it is CV joints the noise will be a rather lower frequency whine. *