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  #1  
Old 02-01-2013, 03:40 AM
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143A alternator from 96 S420 in a 96 w210 E300?

Hey everyone,
Just need to know if the 143A alternator from the 1996 S420 will in fact fit and line up in a 1996 E300? Thanks!


Last edited by satyr; 02-19-2013 at 01:47 AM. Reason: fixing application for searches by others
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  #2  
Old 02-01-2013, 05:29 AM
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is the pulley,mounting holes,and plugs the same?It should be a little wider.I think it would fit.As on my w126 I can use a larger alt. but have to beef up wiring.However thats from 65 amps to 125 amps. I can increase by 20 amps and leaving wiring alone.
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Old 02-01-2013, 12:44 PM
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Well, I don't have them in front of me, but looking at photos they appear to be the same. I may need an alternator and if so, I would really like to upgrade.
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Old 02-01-2013, 12:58 PM
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well I plan the samething for my 320,to use a 500 alt.for my extra toys,and faster charge rate
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Old 02-01-2013, 01:21 PM
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I will check out the ground points and clean them up, but in the cold with heater blower running, wipers, headlights, radio etc., etc. the headlights are dim and the battery isn't getting charged and the lead tech at the shop is suggesting diodes in the alternator are failing. The battery is a year old, and consistently checks out as "Good- needs charge," so I need to get this charging system issue addressed before we are left stranded in the snow with a non-starting diesel again. I DO know the PO put "another" alternator in it a year before we bought it in 2010, but he didn't mention if it was new, rebuilt, used, etc.
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Old 02-05-2013, 06:43 PM
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Well, I really hope it fits- just ordered one.
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Old 02-19-2013, 02:02 AM
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Wrapping up...

So, for the (currently 107) people who have viewed this thread, I wanted to post the conclusion. I finally got the alternator in and compared them side by side (free shipping means 10 business days apparently). Here is a comparison of the original 90A compared to the 143A (attached photo). As you can see, the body of the 143A alternator is larger than the underpowered 90A, but the space between mounting bolts is the same and it is oriented the same way. I didn't take a pic, but on this alternator, the B+ and the other lead are reversed. There was more than enough slack in the wiring for me to reverse them without a problem, however. I don't know if the increase in size of the alternator would be an issue for turbo models or anything after my 96, but there was enough room for the larger case in the 96 e300. Next, some helpful info I wish I had had...
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143A alternator from 96 S420 in a 96 E300?-alternators-compared.jpg  
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Old 02-19-2013, 03:03 AM
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I'm posting this info because I ran into numerous snags upgrading my w210 alternator (some minor, some not)- and it would have been extremely helpful if I had some of this info before I dove into this seemingly simple exercise. Thanks to all of you who posted on this job and these threads, because in the hours I spent gathering info before doing this swap- I know I was able to avoid some major problems.

First, IMO if you're going to change your alternator in your older (95-96) e300, it only makes sense to upgrade if you can. My experience was that the 90A model was woefully underpowered for this car, especially in cold climates- with the defroster running, with headlights & fogs on, windshield wipers running, radio on to tell you of how unfortunate you are to be driving in sleet/snow/pouring whatever, etc. My headlights were always dim and I was often concerned when my wife had to drive in terrible weather when she drove the 300.

If you are considering upgrading your headlights and/or stereo system to include power-hungry amplifiers, and you have a 90A alternator, IMO you really should seriously consider upgrading your alternator- for your safety...

Next if you're going to change your alternator- there are alot of posts that point out that poor grounds can cause problems too, so you should check them. Do this as part of the job. You will have to pull the rear belly-pan to find the big ground strap that (for me anyway) was a major problem. A related thread is here. Go there and meet the jolly green ground strap:

W210 ground strap location?

Since the motor mounts are insulating and non-conductive, these straps are really the only thing proving a proper ground. I was shocked to find the resistance of the primary ground strap to be out of my multimeter's range! Check that thread for more info on that. There are numerous other ground points and after 15 years they could all benefit from some attention- so get some 100 grit sand paper, and some silicone anti-corrosive grease and get after it. Don't forget the one under the rear seat where the battery's negative post grounds. I thought it would be perfect because it was in the cabin- not so!

The sticky about swapping the alternator on a w210 describes removing the fan shroud. I wish I could have easily done this, but the fan shroud on my e300 slightly covers the tips of the fan blades, and would not clear the fan for removal. So- I worked around the shroud and the fan. The fan also presented issues, because I had to insert the alternator bolts between the fan blades. Routing the new serpentine belt was ridiculous. It just takes more time, and alot more patience. If your model lets you remove the fan shroud- I'd do that for sure, and I'd probably swap the tensioner pulley and serpentine belt just because you could do so fairly easily.

Another issue is that the 143A alternator I bought was a remanufactured model as pictured above. One problem I ran into was that the alternator initially would not fit into the mounting bracket. I realized that the body of the remanufactured alternator had been repainted to make it look nice. The problem was that the multiple coats of metallic paint prevented the thing from fitting into the gap properly. Since I was taking a plunge here and found NO definitive info saying this alternator would absolutely fit and work in my upgrade-application, I was worried about marring the mounting surface of the alternator because I wouldn't be able to return or exchange it. Well- I decided to just sand the paint down a little at a time, and the mounting bracket too- and that did the trick- it eventually slid right into the bracket like it had been meant to sit in there all along. Oh- and to save you some hassle- install it from below.

Tensioners- There are multiple "w210" models, and the info for one, doesn't necessarily apply to another. I appreciate the helpful info for changing an alternator on a w210 in the project stickies (especially the torque values), but was confused and frustrated when the article described loosening a belt on a tensioner I didn't have. My tensioner looks like the older MB models. As described in the ground strap thread above for another forum member- you release the tension on this tensioner by placing the tip of an old fashioned tire iron in the hole (circled in red in the pic), remove the nut from the bolt, and slide the bolt back toward the engine while maintining pressure to the left on the tensioner spring using the tire iron, and slowly, carefully bring the tire iron to the right to relax the spring and the tension to remove the belt...

More to follow...

Last edited by satyr; 02-19-2013 at 03:29 PM. Reason: Didn't realize couldn't include a pic here too...
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Old 02-19-2013, 03:37 AM
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And- once you have the alternator out- you need to get that pulley nut off. (Pic below) Other posts had said to call a "friendly neighborhood shop" and ask them to remove it for you. When I did that- the guy who answered the phone laughed, and then he hung up on me. When I called the "friendly" local auto parts store the guy who answered responded "You want us to what?" which was followed by "Um, we don't do that, you'll probably need to take it to a shop," like the one where the guy hung up on me- right... The next one said to use an impact wrench and a big bench vise. I didn't have a vice, and besides- that could damage the pulley.. I suppose if you regularly use an independent shop and have a good working relationship with them, they might help you out and remove the pully for you if you tell them you are trying to do this job in order to impress your wife/girlfriend/partner/neighbor/mistress or your neighbor's mistress. No luck on that here however, something about liability and etc. So you'll probably have to try and do it yourself like me.

So here's the thing- the pulley is set up to use some some special, expensive, 39 tooth, inverted socket, dingleberry removal tool you don't have. You cannot, I repeat cannot, (read I could not) get this thing off with hand tools. I tried a pipe-clamp with blocks of wood and a breaker bar with a 22mm socket. No go. I tried a strap wrench with the same breaker bar-socket set up. No go. I tried a nitrile glove and an open-end box wrench- nope. I tried the glove with the strap wrench and the breaker bar. No. I even tried a towing strap with the pulley wrapped in the nitrile glove and the breaker bar- nope. And the big caution here is that you cannot distort the pulley or goof up the surface where the belt will run because it will chew up the belt. So you can't lock it in your neighbor's 2 foot long set of vice grips, even if you wanted to.

So- here's what finally worked: 2 nitrile gloves (inside out) wrapped around the pulley. A brembo box with a rotor in it filled the gap between the garage floor and the alternator pulley. A shop towel wrapped around the nitrile gloves, around the pulley. An 18" length of 2x2 laid across the pulley with my knee resting on it, and an impact wrench with socket. It took 3 tries but the third try- it finally broke loose and came off. I had to wail on it though...

And in case you're wondering counter clockwise to loosen here...

I learned that for this new alternator, with this old pulley- it was not possible to use the thick washer that was used on the old alternator. Because, the new alternator came with a new 24mm nut, and had to be torqued pretty hard. The contraption I used before didn't work, so I used 4 nitrile gloves and a shop towel and a big pipe wrench to keep it from spinning and was able to use the torque wrench.
Attached Thumbnails
143A alternator from 96 S420 in a 96 E300?-alternator-pulley.jpg  

Last edited by satyr; 02-19-2013 at 04:13 PM. Reason: Forgot something
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  #10  
Old 02-19-2013, 03:55 AM
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I installed everything and when I finally tested, I had belt squeal at 2000 rpm. I know that there is slighly more energy required to turn this alternator than the old 90A, but when I started checking the tension on the belts, discovered that the belt and pulleys were greasy.

Long story short- make sure when you buy oil filter cartridges, you get the all the o-rings and the copper washer for your drain plug in the kit. Mine came without- so after 2 oil changes, the big oil filter housing/cover o-ring started leaking and got oil everywhere at highway speed. So, after driving to Chicago to get a filter kit (different car), I changed the oil, filter, and o-rings, then I removed the serpentine belt, cleaned all the pulleys, installed a new belt and etc. The reason I'm including this here, is that as long as you have the tensioner released and etc., now might be a good time to go ahead and change the belt anyway. If you plan for it before you start the job, you won't waste a day looking for a new belt like I did.

So- the new alternator is in, the grounds are all cleaned up, and the interior lighting is brighter than it has been since we've owned the car. The climate control is showing over 13v, and the multimeter is showing 13.5+ at the battery.

So does the 143A alternator from a 96 S420 fit in an E300 diesel? Yes, it do. If this has been of any help to anyone please post and let me know. Thanks, and thanks again to the others who posted info that helped with this project. Cheers! -J
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  #11  
Old 02-19-2013, 06:43 AM
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nice write up,I will upgrade to.

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