W164 Machine gun!!

StevieBox

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Hi all
My 2009 ML W164 has developed a very strange noise under hard acceleration from standstill or very low speed, it sound like a machine gun!!
Normal driving is all ok no vibrations or noises.

Any ideas please
Thanks in advance
Steve
 

John Laidlaw

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Hi all
My 2009 ML W164 has developed a very strange noise under hard acceleration from standstill or very low speed, it sound like a machine gun!!
Normal driving is all ok no vibrations or noises.

Any ideas please
Thanks in advance
Steve
From which area Steve?
 
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StevieBox

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Difficult to pin point but sounds front half of the car, gearbox forward, gearbox working fine
 

alexanderfoti

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Could be loads, front driveshafts/CV's?

Something stuck on something rotating.

is it speed dependent or RPM dependent?
 

John Laidlaw

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Little sound clip/video might help....
 

Blobcat

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Could be loads, front driveshafts/CV's?

Something stuck on something rotating.

is it speed dependent or RPM dependent?
Playing card in the spokes? :p
 

kid-jensen

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If "someone" has had rthgew front suspension apart letely, it's very easy to pull the splined driveshaft out of the CVJ.

It will usually push back in, but not all of the balls will be in place.

Guess how I know?

Do you get vibration as well? that might be the cause.
 
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StevieBox

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I have checked for cards in the spokes :)

It is literally when you boot it from stand still or very low speed, once it's up to 10-15mph it stops, nothing has been apart drives perfectly at all other times
I'll try and record the sound
 

Uncle Benz

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Chain jumping in the transfer box. Done a load recently. The chain will have stretched. It's a big old morse type thing. Catch it early or it'll break the metal pedestal that the chain tensioner bolts to.
 
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StevieBox

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Chain jumping in the transfer box. Done a load recently. The chain will have stretched. It's a big old morse type thing. Catch it early or it'll break the metal pedestal that the chain tensioner bolts to.

New
What does that involve to fix it uncle benz?
 

Taffy7hfa

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nice wheels :D
 

Uncle Benz

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I've replaced the chain in quite a few of them. You'll find the chain on eBay. I had one where the casing had broken. I put a secondhand unit in that one. I have the broken one here and will be investigating a repair to the broken bit soon.
Don't keep hammering it or you will bust your casing. Get it opened up sooner rather than later.

Transfer box

image.jpg


Chain

image.jpg


image.jpg
 

Uncle Benz

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Video above is a w163. Job is similar, but not exactly the same.
 
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StevieBox

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Thanks guys. All very helpfull.
Well most of you!!
I spent ages looking for cardboard in the spokes
 

Taffy7hfa

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No worries, don't forget to check that your balls are in place :)
 

Uncle Benz

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Replacing the chain can be done with the transfer box in situ, and I'd reckon two to three hours doing it that way. A little longer if you are going to remove the transfer box and do it on the bench. If you have ANY sign of oil leaking out between the main gearbox and the transfer box you will want to remove the transfer box and replace the input seal. The oil leak manifests itself all over the lower mounting. I think half the time the chain problem is caused by low oil level.
 

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