W126, 500SE 1980

I'm trying to change the water pump but the bolt that sticks up that holds the distributor is in the way, how do i remove it ? Also i cant seem to be able to remove the bolt all the way at the bottom, it seems like the engines v belt ( where it spins alll the v belts are) is hitting and wont let me remove that bolt as well ! any thoughts ? i know theirs 2 holes on that 'fly whee' i tried one hole and the bolt hits the fly wheel there soo im moving that big thing so i can get to the other hole....any thoughts ? thanks !! btw

any help guys ? please i would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

Your engine (116) is different than mine (117), but the following MAY be useful.

Firstly, you may HAVE to remove the distributor to remove the water pump. This is not a big deal - but I hope you have the manual, for torques, etc. You can get into a mess if you don't put the distributor in exactly the way you found it. No way around this. I did manage to do it without removing the ignition wires (if your wires are old, this in and of itself is risky, because they get old and brittle). I turned the engine (clockwise only!) so that the mark on the dist housing lined up with the rotor (0 degrees on the harmonic balancer), and then removed everything.

Secondly, I HAD to remove the lower pulley, even though there are those two notches. It looks possible, but beleive me, I tried and tried, and actually got the bolt loose, but there wasn't enough room to remove it, even with the notch. Older manuals for the 450SL claimed that this could be done, but I think that water pump was shaped slightly differently. Some people have replaced that lower bolt with a stud and a nut for this reason. It's a lot of extra work for a bolt.

Removing the lower pulley is not as scary as it seems. There are six bolts holding it onto a flange on the crank. Mark how it went on because the holes are not exactly the same distance apart and since you can't really see the bolts as they go in, finding the right position can be frustrating. Don't ask how I know this.

Once the pulley is removed you have to get off the harmonic balancer, which on my engine was just a metal ring with a keyway. Use liquid wrench or similar at the interface between the crank and balancer, walk away for a few hours, and then lightly tap outwards around the balancer. It will move and eventually come off.

Because you will be removing a lot of torque-sensitive stuff, I would very strongly recommend getting the manual on CD.

__________________
86 560SL
With homebrew first gear start!
85 380SL
Daily Driver Project

http://juliepalooza.8m.com/sl/mercedes.htm

Thanks a bunch for your help! and i do have a m117 euro spec! btw i do i have a manual that specifies the torque req stuff and explains the procedure but the thing is, the '2 holes' of the harmonic balance align straight with the bolt in the water pump and mine dosent, the bolt is to low and it touches the harmonic balancer. Also...hmm i did mark where the distributor was before i took it off, but i have been moving the harmonic balancer with my hand towards the right (all belts are off) is it going to get off timing by me doing this ?or is everything going to go in smoothly since the chain should move the valves and springs etc etc up and down ...and i just have to put the distributor in nice and neatly..


another thing i'm very dissapointed since i got this water pump about a year ago from the shop it cost me 900 dollars to replace it and i called and they tell me its only under warranty for 12 months and its been 14 months... jeez nice harmony...


Ill take pictures tomorrow to explain myself better which bolt is bugging me (the one for distirbutor---and kompressor for rear suspension)

Well, as long as you rotate the engine clockwise, and get the harmonic balancer at 0 degrees, and the distributor rotor is lined up to the notch, AND cyl #1 is at TDC, you will be OK again (that last part is very important - remember, engine spins 2X for every 1X of the distributor. Otherwise, you aren't going to start - trust me on this, I know). Keep in mind that the distributor is not "keyed" in any way.

On the pulley, you describe exactly why you have to remove the pulley+banancer. Looks like it should work, but doesn't line up quite right, and won't.

NOW you know why they charged $900!!

Having a water pump poop out that soon leads me to beleive that the belts might have been too tight. It's been my past experience that bearing/seal wear goes up exponentially with overtensioning of the belts. Because I lost my "feel" for how tight a belt should be, I bought this little gadget from Gates (a Kricket) that measures belt tension. It was fairly cheap, but it is also very hard to find for some reason.

__________________
86 560SL
With homebrew first gear start!
85 380SL
Daily Driver Project

http://juliepalooza.8m.com/sl/mercedes.htm

Alrite thats the bolt im talking about, my other m117 seems like the mechanic just took it off--like unscrewed it....how do i do this ??

About the balancer and stuff i got it ! blah wasent tooo bad seem pretty easy t ook me about 2-3 mins to take it off and yes i did mark it so i can put it easier. So before i start it i have to check the cylinder one which is the first one to the right of the engine that the piston is all the way up.. blahh more hard work jeez--i really want to get it done by today/tomorrow theirs a benz meeting that i want to attend ( everytime theirs a benz meeting my car breaks down !!! this is the 5th time--kinda tells u how jinx i'm)

Thanks for all your help so far!!!

darns nobody knows how to remove it ?

okay i found out ! you have to get some pliers and twisted as if it were a bolt that was bolted on !!

Tomorrow i need to get the new gasket from the stealership and put it all back together! with the 'fly wheel' reading where i had it marked...thanks a lot guys for all ur help!!!