1998 W210 frozen pulley, belt off OUT OF LUCK! good DIY 8mm fan clutch TOOL
 

Hi Folks,

I'm in a bit of a pickle.. After a nice 3 hour drive home on the highway I got off my exit and stopped at light. At idle I start hearing some funky belt noises. I go through the light and start heading the 3 miles home.

The squeaking gets really loud. My "battery charge" CEL comes on, no power steering, and my temp starts to jump up.

I pull over and I can see that the belt is not moving while the engine is running.. NOT GOOD...

Since Im only a mile from the house I slowly keep going keeping the temp under 100C. For no reason I could tell the squeaking stopped and all the accessories came back temp went back to 80 and Power steering came back.

I got it home popped the hood and can see and hear the belt flapping a bit as if it was loose. I turned it off and see the problem. The tensioner pulley (or bearing) had frozen and somehow moved forward toward the RAD blades. The belt jumped over it on to the shaft of the pulley (since now there was somewhere for it to go. That was the reason I made it home but the belt is shot (but still together).

Now the big question.

How do I replace this pulley? Where to get it before MON

Do I have to pull the RAD to install this piece?

Once I get the part how do I release the tensioner to put the belt back on?

I may have to go to MB to get the part today so if yall know the part number shoot it over so I can go get it.

Here is a shot of my pulley.

All help is appreciated!!

thanks Chris

give a call on my Cell if you like 904-316-8513

only way to maybe get a replacement pully on that short of notice is the dealership. or try your luck at the junk yard.

I have a 96e300d, and according to the shop manual, it states that you have to remove the fan only. You may be able to do the job without removing the fan, but I have never made that repair, so I can not tell you from experience. According to the diagram, the pulley rides on a center pin that is screwed into the crankcase, and it looks like the pulley is held in place by a bolt that screws into that center pin. Both of these bolts have covers over them. As for releasing the tensioner, your photo shows the upper radiator hose, and right next to it is a bolt that goes through that black plastic piece. Remove the nut on the end of that bolt, and push the bolt towards the rear so that it clears the plastic piece. This will allow that piece to pivot. There is a hole in that plastic piece where you can use a small extension bar to apply leverage so that you can replace the belt, and then reposition the plastic piece so that it realigns with the bolt you pushed to the rear. Push the bolt trough the hole, and reattach the nut. Good luck

Yeah,

I kinda figured that... How do I get the fan and shroud off so I can get to the pulley?

thanks Chris

I found this link which I hope is very helpful.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/158069-r-r-viscous-coupled-fan-serpentine-belt-replacement-w210-e300d.html?highlight=radiator+fan+removal

Ill replace the fan clutch as well since I know it is bad...

If there are any other helpful hints not included in this let me know.

thanks Chris

Answer
 

1995 E300D belt tensioner
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/289212-1995-e300d-belt-tensioner.html




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If the tensioner is the same as the 603, you might have a bad tensioner assembly, not just the pulley. For it to be at that angle it seems that either the arm is bent, bearing is shot, or the front cover/chain cover is bent/broken.

Check everything down there before ordering parts.

Update
 

Good talking with you on the phone.

FYI other members:
This is his daily driver, and he needs it back on the road asap.

Due to the urgent need for repair on this (MLK) holiday weekend, I suggested contacting.

Continental Imports
1219 S. Main St.
Gainesville, FL 32601 USA
(352) 377-6604
http://www.continentalimports.com

I was looking over this link and I think I can make this happen but now trying to find this "SHORTY" 8mm HEX socket.

Any clue where to find one? I hit all the chain parts places in my area and no luck.

Anybody have any ideas?


http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...or+fan+removal

You can always hacksaw a piece off an 8mm allen wrench and stick it into either a 8mm box wrench or 1/4" drive 8mm socket.

every time i read a post like this it makes me want to keep every weird tool i ever come across and then go out and buy some more!!:eek:

funny you mentioned hacking up an allen...

Ive been doing that for about an hour and not getting very far even with new blades...HAHA

Hopefully you are using blades intended for cutting metal. I have had no trouble cutting up Craftsman allen wrenches in the past - maybe some brands are hardened more than Sears though. I last cut one up to get out a motor mount on a 240D.

Additionally, you do not need to remove the fan for this job. The fan blades have different sized spacing on 2 or 3 blades. Find that larger openning, pull the clips positioning the radiator and pull the rad forward a 1/2" or so. Ought to give you enough room to get the hex bit on the roller pulley. Removing the rad cross member and horn bracket will give you even more room to work.

Well... since it SUN afternoon and not much else to do I remembered I had a dremel tool. A few cut off discs gave their life but I cut up an 8mm allen wrench taped it up stuck it in a deep socket connected a long extension..

Now I have my tool...YEAH!!!

Busted out my strap wrenches since the belt was not doing much good got it good and tight and with a bit of ebow grease.. Got it out!!

I was concerned about getting that big hex nut out but since the belt was off the water pump I just turned it in the opposite direction while holding the bolt with my new tool and the bolt just came out.

SWEET!!! The pisser is that I have to wait a few days to get the parts from anywhere even the STEALERSHIP... even though I wont go there.

Here are some pics.

When the melted pulley came off it looks nothing like other ones I have seen on line for sale for my year?

I still have the big shaft and the spring tensioner but the hole for the bushing and pulley are huge.

This is what Im talking about.

???

I think you lost the bearing

http://catalog.peachparts.com/ShopByVehicle.epc?q=1998-MERCEDES--BENZ-E300&yearid=1998%40%401998&makeid=63%40%40MERCEDES+BENZ%40%40X&modelid=6384%3AFT|6%3AED|814%3AMBC|15 72%40%40E300&mode=SS&yearid=1998%40%401998&makeid=63%40%40MERCEDES+BENZ%40%40X&modelid=6384%3AFT|6%3 AED|814%3AMBC|1572%40%40E300

The FSM cautions against laying the fan clutch flat, best to stand the fan up until re-installation.

Thanks... Ill keep that in mind when I get the new one.. The old one (this one) is going in the trash.

How can they possibly expect that the fan clutch would be kept vertical? What about when they are shipped? It seems unlikely they could design it in such a way that it would be damaged by laying it flat. I am not saying it doesn't say that I am just saying it's possible there was something lost in translation there.

Mine was shipped upright in the box, I don't know why it is supposed to be, just what I read in the FSM. I am now very careful to park my cars where the fan is not laying flat.

So this was a JOKE? I think the OP took you seriously.

Just the last part.

I read it in the FSM after I ordered a new one, was happily surprised to see that Rusty's people had packed it in the box standing upright, not laying flat.

Regardless of how it is packed in the box, what guarantee is there that UPS will keep it oriented the way it is supposed to be? Like I said, it seems very unlikely that laying it flat does anything to it...they really can't expect that it will always be kept vertical.

My guess is that the packing was done purely coincidentally to arrive standing up. Worldpac people (the company that fulfills most of Rusty's orders) don't know what parts are supposed to stand up or lay down when they throw them into the box :eek:

I don't know, haven't really found a way to question the authors of the FSM. It is likely something simple like not laying a refrigerator down, and if you do it must remain upright for XXhours before powering up, your guess is as good as mine. Personally, I find it to be a pretty simple guidline to follow, so I store mine standing up.

I also don't know why mine was packed & shipped standing up, but as many of my parts were OE, I doubt that WorldPac had stuffed the box, again I don't know that.

I just replaced that pulley last week- 98 E300 TD
 

I wish that I would have seen this post earlier. I replaced that pulley last week. Bought it from the dealer for $65

Actually, my wife got the pulley off. Yes. She is something.

You can take the 3 bolts off of the fan,instead of taking off the entire mechanism.

Only thing holding that pulley in is a 6 or 8 mm hex bolt (metric) Pop the clips holding the fan shroud in place. Pull the shroud out, it will get hung up on the bottom, against the fan blades. You just have to fish it out, flash light comes in handy.
3 bolts holding in the fan, I think star bit, can't remember. Then easy access to the pulley.

My pulley was making noise.

Hi,

Great info..Since you just did it (or anyone else can chime in). The shaft that the pulley is attached to is the wide cylinder about 2-3 inches long. The previous reply had mentioned that there is a 6mm Hex that goes inside to take the shaft off.

I wiggled my 6mm Hex in there and that seems like a very small hole for such a big cyl. I pushed on it a bit to work it loose but nothing moved and I'm a bit hesitant to put some big torque on it since I don’t want to break the bolt.

Am I on the right track?

Once I get that off I'm assuming that I'll put shaft through the new pulley and tighten down..

Seems too easy...HAHA

Am I missing something?

Chris

Well,

I got my parts in today.. 17.00 for the pulley, 25 for the belt. Since I had it off anyway I replaced my fan clutch since I know its bad for 103.

Took about 15 mins to put the new pulley in and another 15 to get the fan clutch in.

I came up with a cool way to thread that bolt in with the fan. Since I had not tightened down the tensioner pulley I pulled the belt off the water pump. Then I put the bolt in to the fan and lowered it down. THen I used my homemade short allen wrench with a long extention and held bolt firm.

Then I spun the water pump pulley to get the threads started on the bolt since there is no room to move in there but you can get to the pulley.

Once the bolt was gettting tight I put the belt back on tightened up the tensioner then tightened up the fan bolt.

I crossed my fingers and started the car... I let it run for a while before I took it out on the road. All I can say is WOW!!

It seems that bearing in the tensioner pulley was very tight (hence BAD) and was stealing all kind of POWER. Now that I have a new pulley and belt on there it has MUCH MORE power and responsiveness.

Thanks for all the help.. hope my note above can help others. I could do the same teardown in minutes....NOW.. HAHA

Chris :cool:

Great job sticking with it...I am in Ocala (30 min from Gainesville for non-locals) and would have driven up and given you a hand had this caught my attention sooner. Shoot me a PM so I'll have your info and we can wrench together sometime...I usually have access to a friends lift :-)

Sounds good.. Im in JAX which is about 2 hours away.. through the SWAMP!!

Moderator EDIT: Security/safety removed phone number, please use a PM = Private Message to give people your contact data.

Chris

I purchased a 1987 300D from there a while back :-) Let me know I you ever need anything!

SWEET.. thanks Chris

Its been a week or so and all seems to be going well.

Thanks for the encouragement and help to all that responded.

Great forum!!!

Its a piece of cake to change that out that bearing and get the belt loose.

Chris

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