WTF Mercedes wont replace my Trap Oxidizer?!?!? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

arcticathlon · #1 11-22-2005, 05:26 PM

So i get this letter stating that the trap needs to be replaced. I had the same letter from mb already in the stack of receipts that the PO gave me, but he must not have taken it to the dealer then. well so i drive 1.5 hours to the nearest dealer to have him look at it. they take forever, waste my time, and finally look under the hood for 2 minutes. they then say that they will order the part, and get back to me when the part arrives. so 2 weeks pass and i call the dealer, they say," ohh corporates denied the work, because it was already done."

well when they put the VIN in their system it shows that in 1997 the trap was clogged and the dealer did some work on it. but i still have the big football thing under my turbo, and not the thinner oxidizing catalyst that everyone else got.

WTF so i call corporates and they say they will investigate. get the call today saying that the dealer put the part number of my trap in and it came back as being the part that they would have ordered for the replacement. so supposedly the previous dealer now replaced it.

first of all the little rock dealer sucks, and they wasted my time while i was there. they for the 2 mins they lookded under the hood, he did not take down the part number, and i dont have the newer version installed. i bet he just said that the newer part was in there.

i went to a muffler shop 3 days ago and asked them if they could make a straight pipe to replace it, and he said no. but he did say that i could have all that stuff inside the trap banged out. that will be my last thing that i will want to try.

any suggestions? i have a pic that i took last month that shows the old trap, and want to know what your newer part numbers are to compare with mine.

thanks

luckys420 · #2 11-22-2005, 08:18 PM

go back to the dealer. they dont want the work because they dont get payed as much as if it was coming out of your wallet. threten them. I had to do it with the Vw dealership regarding my busted turbo. They said there was nothing wrong I tried telling them and telling them then i said i will complain to VW of america, they said thats fine. I said o.k. so i did. Got a brand new tubo and manifold put in the next week at no cost to me. They were very very kind to me after that. I dont know how mercedes works but if VW dealers get to many "red flags" they lose there dealer status. There is a reason why they call them STEALERSHIPS.

arcticathlon · #3 11-22-2005, 08:38 PM

well i would like to do that, but until i can prove that i still have the old trap i have no case. i will get the product number now, and if anyone else can get the number off a new oxidizer then i can compare.

the other part that sucks is that this is the nearest dealer to me. the next nearest would be memphis, which is 2 hours away. i would hate to waste that much time and gas making a threat trip.

arcticathlon · #4 11-22-2005, 09:08 PM

ya it was really hard for me to read the serial number off of the trap. there was no way he read it in the 60 seconds that he looked at it.

i will call the dealer and ask him what serial he has written down. if he has nothing (which i bet) or gives me a serial that is different from what i have, i will tell him that i will complain.

A 126 490 34 14
1 123 196 25 0 00
Eberspächer
X97
LO No. D-396-1

if he has exactly this, i will eat a cow.

also, i took a picture of the exhaust pipe on its way down to from the turbo to the bottom of the car. is that just a normal flex pipe? it does not look like the newer oxidizing catalysts, but i need to make sure. hopefully someone can confirm this.

dieseldiehard · #5 11-22-2005, 09:53 PM

If you find the right muffler shop they will make a test pipe, an item intended to be used to see if backpressure is lower without the trap, they sell them to gassers, even on eBay. Of course no one removes the pipe after the tests show conclusively that back pressure is lower without the cat (or in the case of a diesel, the trap) until they need a smog check maybe.

I took my '87 300D turbo to a muffler shop recently and asked to have the cat oxidizer replaced with a straight pipe. I am positive that the person looking at the bottom of my car on the lift with the engine running (using a stethoscope to probe for exhaust leaks I guess) actually thought my car was a gasser! The person said it was against the law to remove a cat converter, which is NOT exactly what they were looking at. I never bothered to tell them it was a diesel, the 603 engine runs so quiet

While its true that most gas cars need a CAT converter to be able to pass emissions standards, it seems to me that in a state where diesels are not subject to smog testing they should be exempt from any requirements of having or not having a CAT oxidizer, but try telling that to the small shop owner that wants to avoid losing their license and possible fines and penalies.

Then I called another muffler shop and asked if they could replace a diesel exhaust with cat to a regular line with muffler. They said as long as I have a diesel they will replace the exhaust with anything I want including a straight pipe all the way back to the bumper if that's what I wanted. Must be a hunbgrier shop!

Keep after the dealer.
Is there any belief that the supposedly new "cat oxidizer" is getting plugged up also? I heard a mechanic from one of the Eastern European states say that they routinely wash out cat converters with acetone or something when they get plugged up.
I've heard that punching them out also works well but they are a little noisy with that resonant cavity in the exhuast line.

vwbuge · #6 11-23-2005, 12:24 AM

The Trap Oxidizer and the replacement Catalyst look identical. When I retrofitted mine I had the catalyst still on my car. You can find pics of it here.

emissions swap...part one

arcticathlon · #7 11-23-2005, 01:04 AM

i have been reading everything possible on the net, and i have more conflicting reports.

one guy said that if my trap starts with 126, which it does, then it is the new one. and if it starts with 617 then it is the old.

yet from pictures (below) i was expecting to get the thiner and smaller oxidizing catalyst.

not sure what to do.

vwbuge · #8 11-23-2005, 07:02 AM

Pardon my ignorace. You have the 603 motor?

arcticathlon · #9 11-23-2005, 08:35 AM

no i dont have the 603, it was just a picture that i found that showed the new oxidizing catalyst well.

NateVentura · #10 11-23-2005, 09:50 AM

I've also been told that the trap oxidizer and oxidation catalyst look the same. I'm not sure what the trap's part number was, but the correct part number for the oxidation catalyst is 126 490 34 14. In case you're interested, I've attached a text version of the 1997 work instruction for performing the recall. Good luck!

Ra_ · #11 11-23-2005, 09:52 AM

It sounds like it may have been replaced after all?

arcticathlon · #12 11-23-2005, 10:30 AM

well if that is the case then i want to get it emptied out. now by the looks of it, i think i will have to remove the turbo just to get the catalyst out. anyone know what is inside, and how easy it is to empty out? i finally solved the puzzle as to what that stupid sound was when i had the custom air intake installed. the trap was making the sound. i wish i could get a straight pipe, but it seems like no one wants to install it.

Matt L · #13 11-23-2005, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dieseldiehard

...While its true that most gas cars need a CAT converter to be able to pass emissions standards, it seems to me that in a state where diesels are not subject to smog testing they should be exempt from any requirements of having or not having a CAT oxidizer, but try telling that to the small shop owner that wants to avoid losing their license and possible fines and penalies.
...

What seems to you is actually not the case. While the car may not be actually tested in your state, there are still federal laws to follow. Probably also state laws, but if so, they're redundant.

glenn1179 · #14 11-23-2005, 10:52 AM

Well, if MB won't fix it and you want a straight pipe I will offer an option. Not sure how it will work for this application, but when working on "custom" gasser exhaust systems some shops will copy bend pipe you rig up. Basically, I get some scrap and flex pipe and mock up the exhaust system. Then take it to the shop and they can copy bend the mock up with whatever pipe you specify. That way they don't know what you are doing with the exhaust and aren't liable for illegal modifications to street cars.

J. R. B. · #15 11-23-2005, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arcticathlon

well if that is the case then i want to get it emptied out. now by the looks of it, i think i will have to remove the turbo just to get the catalyst out. anyone know what is inside, and how easy it is to empty out? i finally solved the puzzle as to what that stupid sound was when i had the custom air intake installed. the trap was making the sound. i wish i could get a straight pipe, but it seems like no one wants to install it.

On Dad's 85 Kalifornia the dealer said they already performed the work. Last winter we did a valve job on it and as long as we had it apart I checked the trap oxidizer with a small flexible light and found out the thing was empty. No catalyst inside. Just an in and out piece of junk. I would like you to check it yourself and report your findings back to us. I am especially curious about this and have discussed the topic with Brian Carlton.