300TD replaced the vent girlls and cleaned the wiper motor area - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

dmorrison · #1 02-17-2005, 10:18 PM

Today after changing the oil and filter I decided to replace the vent girlls and clean the wiper motor area. As well as check to see how much crud was in the wiper motor area.
There was a complete layer of dust/dirt on the wiper motor area under the wiper motor section panel. Cleaned it and decided to take some pictures. i did not take a picture prior to cleaning. ON the first picture you can see the amont of dirt on the wiper motor. Thats how the entire area was. Quite dirty.

Removing the vent grills.

At the front of the grills are 4 plastic rivets. In the center of each unit is a straight tube. With a small punch, push this center section all the way through the assembly. It will fall inside the vent area and must be retrieved unless you have purchased new units. One, the most inward one on each grill will fall into the drain tube and must be retrieved from under the car.
After removing the rivets, the grill simply lifts out. On the drivers side you must remove the wiper assembly first.
To remove the wiper rotate the attachment point cap uppwards so you have access to the nut holding the assembly to the actuating arm. Use a 13MM wrench or socket to remove the nut and washer. Then lift the wiper assembly off the shaft.
Remove the drivers vent grill in the same manner as the passengers side.

Center panel removal.
At the front of the center panel are 4 rivets, round style. Again push the center shaft using a small punch all the way through. Again you wil have to retreive 2 of the units. At the outside edges are 2 screws that must be removed. The final item is the passenger wiper blade assembly. Remove the plastic cap and then use a 19MM socket or wrench to remove the nut and washer. There is also a weather proof washer that is the last item on the shaft prior to removing the blade assembly.
Now pull the center panel forward and up. The rear of the panel fits under the windshield weather strip. It may also be "attached" quite well if never removed before. Mine took some effort.

YOU DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE EVAPORATOR THIS WAY. You will see the plastic evaporator box section that leads to the fresh air flap. But you cannot clean the evaporator using this method.

Installing a air filter system is a consideration. But the setup does not lead to making this easy.

Installing the center section panel requires getting the rear of the panel under the weather strip. Use a non marring tool. I used a golf tee. Use that or a plastic item. You dont' wnat to scratch your paint. You know the panel is installed correctly when the small screws on either side line up with their holes.

The attached pictures are provided for your enjoyment.

Dave

Picture #1 Shows the amount of dirt. The whole compartment looked like the back of the motor.

Picture #2 The passenger vent area with the grill removed

Picture #3 The passenger wiper shaft with the center section removed.