Shaking from the rear

2002 MERCEDES BENZ CL500
140,000 MILES • 5.0L • V8 • RWD • AUTOMATIC
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CANYUCEL
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
I have a weird shake coming from the rear of my car.

This only occurs when accelerating from a stop, and causes the car to shake violently until i hit about twenty km/h, after which, the car operates as normal. Here are some clues I have gathered:

-Occurs only when accelerating from a stop (longer and more pronounced when accelerating slowly).

-No noise is heard past twenty to thirty km/h.

-No noise is heard if you allow the car to move forward without stepping on the gas.

-Occurs regardless of what gear you accelerate from stop with (first, second, third, can be selected through gear knob).

-Occurs during turning as well.

-Causes the car to shake, and not accelerate as normal.

-Traction light comes on during the rumble.

-A pump can be heard from the engine bay.
Jul 19, 2017 at 2:17 PM
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STEVE W.
  • CERTIFIED EXPERT
  • 15,113 POSTS
The description sounds like a bad CV joint in one of the rear half shafts. The pump sound would be the active suspension trying to compensate for the bad axle.
Not real difficult to replace. They are a bolt in style axle and about the only thing that tends to get in the way is the exhaust system.
Jul 19, 2017 at 4:14 PM