1998 240Dl lopes or shudders

dannym · Post by **dannym** » 17 Sep 2008, 09:54

It has a side to side shuddering motion at low rmp, like around 20 - 40 mph. At high rpm it's more like a shake.
I was wondering what would cause this without throwing parts and money at it.
I'm going to get the tires balanced maybe that will help.
Thanks

Danny

Post by **billofdurham** » 17 Sep 2008, 11:19

It may help but usually wheels out of balance show up at higher speeds.

Other things to check are:
Wheel nuts loose.
Wheel bearings worn.
Track rod end balljoints worn.
Control arm balljoints worn.
Faulty shock absorber(s).

A good tyre house should spot any of these whilst doing a wheel balance.

Bill.

dannym · Post by **dannym** » 18 Sep 2008, 05:27

Forget the shuddering for now.
I was following my gf last night and couldn't believe how much smoke was coming out of the tailpipe.
It wasn't like that when wwe bought it and we haven't put 100 miles on it since.
I find it hard to believe the engine is bad since the engine runs so well & smooth.
What would cause excessive smoke?
Flame trap?
Air recirculating valve?

Thanks

Danny

Post by **billofdurham** » 18 Sep 2008, 11:10

What colour was the smoke?

Bill.

dannym · Post by **dannym** » 18 Sep 2008, 11:32

Mostly white.
Probably all white.

I didn't get a chance to smell it.

Post by **billofdurham** » 18 Sep 2008, 11:38

In all probability that was condensation. What was the air temp and was the weather dry or damp?

Bill.

dannym · Post by **dannym** » 18 Sep 2008, 11:52

Temp was around 80 I guess.
It was slightly raining at the time.

Condensation? How long would it take for the smoke to stop?

Post by **billofdurham** » 18 Sep 2008, 12:34

On wet days there will always be some condensation blowing out of the exhaust. When the engine is first started from cold it is more noticeable but should reduce significantly after about 10 minutes.

Coolant leaking into the engine would also cause white smoke but you would probably notice a drop in performance. Check the coolant level regularly when the engine is cold to see if there is any drop in the quantity in the reservoir.

Bill.

dannym · Post by **dannym** » 19 Sep 2008, 06:57

I started it up again last night. It didn't smoke when I started it but it smoked like crazy after it warmed up. Bih cloud of white smoke.
Could smell coolant too.

So, if there are no other reasons why it would burn coolant I guess a head gasket is in the future.

I was looking over the Haynes manual and it didn't look too difficult.
Time to browse the forums!

Post by **billofdurham** » 19 Sep 2008, 11:58

It certainly sounds like a head gasket.

Don't wait too long to replace it as you can do a lot of damage.

The 240 head gasket replacement is straightforward and the Haynes manual covers everything.

A non-mechanically minded friend of mine has just changed his with a little help from his wife - she kept him topped up with coffee.

Bill.