Hello,
Just thought I'd share my weekend recreational experience with everyone.
All those that have had to swap a waterpump on the M115/OM615 engine with a/c can emphatize with me.
The pump was rattling and began leaking from the weep hole on Saturday afternoon in 97-100F ambient, the engine temp shooting up to 190F. Afer cooling off and topping off the rad, I drove to my brother's home, the nearest secure place(cannot afford another *star rip off*).
Bought a new TRW pump on Sunday morning and took off the a/c bracket, then the pump bolts, but the pump was stuck fast to it's home of the last 28 years(YES, it was the original!!). I had to hammer it on the sides and diagonally forward against the pulley hub to persuade it to out. In with the new pump and then the real fun began. It took me 4 hours of wrenching and cursing to reinstall the a/c bracket and align it correctly. The a/c bracket and installation on the 4 cylinder engines is real p*g to R&R and the whole works has to come off for waterpump replacement.
At least today I have steady 170F engine temp, 40F a/c vent temp to go with the 99F/100% humidity.
Have a good week

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Nachi11744

You SURE that was the original pump?!? Wow.

Well, I'm glad you have a/c as I do not.

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63 220S W111
76 300D W115
2013 VW JSW TDI M6

previously-
73 280 SEL 4.5
86 300E 5 speed
2010 VW Jetta TDI M6

You need three "headless bolts" with a saw cut across the end so you can screw them in and out with a straight-bit screwdriver to install that WP without going nuts. Put the pump in place, screw the three headless bolts in, wrestle the AC bracket over the pump, them remove the headless bolts one at a time are replace with the original bolts and tighten up. If you don't do this, the gasket for the water pump almost always slips sideways and leaks.

It's still a big PITA getting the AC bracket off and back on.

Piece of cake without AC, of course.

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

Hello,
I can see how the *headless bolts* would have been a big help, as it is, I had to use a (leather)strap wrench to pull the waterpump housing every which way to align the a/c bracket, pump housing and the bolt holes in the block. Only then could the bolts be threaded cleanly into the block AND the a/c bracket tightened down without binding anywhere.
I have done OM636(a breeze, pump at eye level on front of head), BMW big 6, Volvo 240 and Opel CIH(Manta A) waterpumps, but this is one job that I hope I do not have to repeat in this lifetime! Back and left arm is still sore from the contortions.
Have a good weekend.

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Nachi11744

I went through the same waterpump ordeal on my W115 '72 220 and that was one of the reasons why I replaced it with a '72 250. Even on the gas 4 cylinder, the waterpump was held captive by the AC bracket. Also, the 220 AC installation made access to the air filter and alternater truly frustrating. The smoother running 6 cylinder 250 required a less massive AC bracket, which took minutes instead of hours to remove, with no mounting bolts at the waterpump. Also, in addition to being smoother and more powerful, the 6 cylinder 250 only got one or two MPG worse than my 220, so having the 4 cylinder version wasn't really worth it (maybe if my 220 had been a stick...)

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

Hello Mark,
In the enlightened country of Malaysia, cars are taxed on engine capacity, so it would cost me 100% more to tax a 250.....it rises exponentially and that is just one hurdle, not many 250/280s made it over here in W114 form, majority are the later W123/M123 combo with the infamous 4A1 carb sitting over the exhaust manifold(!).
I already have to pay a whopping US$2000/year roadtax for the 500SL, and am waiting for next year when it becomes eligible for the 25 year or older cars *classic tax* that is 25% of the current amount.
I am hoping that I will NEVER have to swap this waterpump again.
Have a good weekend.

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Nachi11744

I've read that in some European countries, there was a big tax hike for engines over 2.8 liters. Fortunately, in the US, when contemporary American cars had V8s of 5.0 liters or greater, taxes on a 2.8 were never an issue.

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

I just finished taking off the AC bracket from my 1976 240d. I am not going to put it back on because the car will probably pick up 3 seconds from 0 to 60 MPH since the loss of the AC weight. My MPG will go up for the same reason. I live in northern California It is cool enough for me. I will never have to deal with it again. But I will lose the speed brake that’s applied if you turn it on.
4 open windows 20MPH = AC
Thanks for the tips if I change my mind.
Dave S San Jose CA

Just don't forget to count the added wind resistance from those open windows!

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

The sun roof is always open too so I guess that also counts.