For the love of all things holy. How do I get to the bottom bolt on the Belt shock tensioner. I did the o ring trick for a while, but it's time to just replace the little shock. The top one is a breeze, but the bottom....

I can see the bolt, I can touch the bolt, but I can't see a way to get a socket on it. It's 1994 c280

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks.

__________________
1994 C 280 117.5k, White (Good as new)
1997 Toyota Camry 149k Miles (Not so pretty anymore)

1990 190e 2.6 95k (Sold-Should not have)
1981 240d Stick ??? Miles...sold

I think the water pump pulley has to come off. You might get the bolt off but you'll never get it back on with the pulley in place.

Sixto
95 S420
91 300SE
87 300SDL
83 300SD

I loosened the tensioner and then took the pulley off. But there was still a bracket that was directly in the way. I think it is the support bracket for the tensioner (it was getting dark and all I had was a shop light). So it seems as if I were close... Is that a support bracket for the tensioner assembly? It looked like it wouldn't go anywhere if I took the bolt out of the bracket.


I know for a fact that I couldn't get to that (shock) bolt with the pulley off (Just ask my lower back).

What next? Thanks so far.

I really would like to get rid of this rattle. Haha, I also thought this would be a quick job today.

__________________
1994 C 280 117.5k, White (Good as new)
1997 Toyota Camry 149k Miles (Not so pretty anymore)

1990 190e 2.6 95k (Sold-Should not have)
1981 240d Stick ??? Miles...sold

I'm trying to answer an M104 question with an M103 mindset so bear with me. If the bracket you mentioned is the chicken foot thing that hooks to the power steering bracket at two points, the timing chain cover at the far point and has the big tensioner bolt going right through it then I guess it has to come off as well. However, I think that with the belt off you can swing the tensioner arm to a position in which the chicken foot bracket doesn't have to come off to access the shock lower bolt.

If the chicken foot bracket has to come off, hold the tensioner in place with one hand as you spin off the bolt and let the chicken foot bracket fall out of place. Then refit the big bolt so you don't have to mess with looking for the threads the big bolt goes into when putting things back together.

Sixto
95 S420
91 300SE
87 300SDL
83 300SD

I'm going to have to look at it better and get back to you tomorrow. From what I remember, the bracket that blocked it looked like if I took the bolt out on the left side (directly in front of the bottom shock bolt) that it still wouldn't move. It looked like I would have to unbolt it on the opposing side as well. Does this make sense to you?

I guess I really have to go look again. Because when I got to that point my wife was yelling at me for not coming in for dinner. So I called it a night.

Thanks Sixto.

__________________
1994 C 280 117.5k, White (Good as new)
1997 Toyota Camry 149k Miles (Not so pretty anymore)

1990 190e 2.6 95k (Sold-Should not have)
1981 240d Stick ??? Miles...sold