Hello folks,
I have a '92 190E 2.3 with 170k miles. I'm hearing a short, loud rubbing noise from the rear of the car when starting from a stop. It sounds like someone is scraping the underbody of the car with a screwdriver handle. It happens in the first several seconds of the movement, and never during driving.
I have some theories as to where this is coming from; I'd love to hear your thoughts on what it could be.
- Bad differential. I know mine ran dry due to a leak, and whines at high speeds. However, it's not a LSD, so there are no clutches to rub, and if the noise was caused by skipping teeth wouldn't it happen during driving too, and sound a little different?
- Bad transmission. Maybe the clutches inside the auto tranny are somehow worn out and rubbing under high torque? Still doesn't make sense to produce the noise only on takeoff.
- Driveshaft rubbing against something. Could the high torque on startup cause something to flex and touch the driveshaft?
Cheers Alex