Loud muffler engine noise

[rbsl280]

Do all 280 SL's sound very loud?  The muffler and engine noise seems excessive, compared to today's cars.  I don't think there are any holes in the muffler, or exhaust pipes.

[Cees Klumper]

When coasting, my car is very quiet. However, when I accellerate, particularly within a certain RPM range, it can get very loud. For example, I regularly travel through one of the long tunnels around Amsterdam, and sometimes people must think a Harley Davidson or Ducati is in there.

Cees ("Case") Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

[JPMOSE]

When I first obtained my 250SL in Jan. 2006, I had a lot of exhaust noise.  I had the exhaust manifold gasket(s) replaced and this solved the problem.  As I recall there are two exhaust manifolds (front and rear) but one gasket for both of them.  I paid around $900 due to the amount of labor to remove them.  Best of luck!

Best Regards,

J. P. Mose
1968 250SL
1987 560SL

[harleydan]

Cees,

Are you like one of those motorcycles dudes who intentionally revs up one's engine when going in a tunnel or under a brdige?

Cheers,
Danny
1970 280SL silver Euro 4-speed

[al_lieffring]

Reminds me of when I was a teenager, I would drive my Pagoda through downtown Waldo, Missouri in third gear because the exaust would resonate off the brick store fronts at 2800 rpm.

Is comparing a 40 year old car to a current model a fair compairison?



The exaust on our cars is a strait through design for a "sporty" tone. Modern cars partialy because of the back pressure created by the catalyst are much quieter. And when you look under the hood on a newer car, most likely you wont even see the motor because of all the sound shielding that covers the motor.
Other (noisy) things on a Pagoda that you wouldnt find in a modern car;
Belt driven fan
Solid valve lifters
High final drive ratio

Al


66 230sl
113-042-10-014715
904/396 blue, Ivory Tex
condition: not-as-rusty-as-before-bucket

[Rolf]

As long as my car isn't as loud as my bike all is well.

Rolf
1966 230SL Auto
1992 300D
1991 FLHS

[Cees Klumper]

That would be a question for you "Harleydan" - and the answer is "yes", I always enjoy creating that "ROOOOAAARRR" in the tunnels.
As for the sound of our SLs, I thought about it after posting my initial reply this morning, as I was driving through the tunnel at Amsterdam Schiphol airport. Actually it is not like a Harley, but more like a Kawasaki Z1000 with maybe a silencer gone missing ...

Cees ("Case") Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

[ted280sl]

When I first bought my car it was very loud. I have a stainless steel Time Valve exhaust system. The system has clamps. I found that one of the clamps was misaligned and was touching the frame. Exhaust heat and vibration were being transmitted directly into the passenger compartment. Simply shifting a clamp eliminated a great deal of noise.
  I was able to reduce the nosie level further when I replaced the exhaust manifold bushings. The trick with our cars is that the exhaust manifold bushings are clamped with bolts which require brass nuts. Before you question my sanity, a standard steel nut will vibrate loose. The brass nuts do not vibrate loose. If you do not have brass nuts you need to replace the exhaust bushings and get brass nuts. If the nuts get loose the exhaust gas will damage the bushings and they will not seal. It sounds a crazy but, it can make a huge difference.
Ted 1969 280SL w/ brass nuts