Hello everyone, I am new to this forum and pretty new to Mercedes. I recently bought a 87 300TD which is nice to drive and runs great. I have a squeek up front, which I am not sure if is a product of the water pump, alternator or idler pulley.
This got me wondering how big of a job the water pump would be. I notice that the part itself is only about $100, so that is good, but...how is getting to it?
Also, what would the squeek symptoms be of a water pump as opposed to a different source?
Thanks a lot, Colin

It is not too bad - as you can tell, the hardest part about the job is clearing the path to get to the part.

The fan needs to come off, and the clearance to do this requires the right tools and some patience, but it is just bolts. Then the belt needs to come off, and for the most part that's just knowing the right procedure. Be sure to note how it is routed before you take it off.

I had some trouble with the plastic drain tube that is supposed to be fitted to the bottom of the pump. The purpose is to route away any leak (that would happen as the pump fails) from other parts, like the alternator. But its a pain to deal with and on any future replacement I will leave it off.

The real thing that will help you is a manual that describes the procedure step-by-step. You should be able to find a CDROM manual on EBay and there is also a European manual that covers essentially the same engine, minus the turbo.

Ken300D

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1982 300D at 351K miles
1984 300SD at 217K miles
1987 300D at 370K miles

In order to take the fan off you need a large allen head socket or allen wrench.. I have it outside, I forget the exact size but sears carries it. You need to put a smaller allen wrench on the back of the water pump, through the housing and into the internal impeller in order to stop the assembly from moving while you loosen the bolt.

As for the belt, remove the nut and bolt that go through the black plastic tensioner piece and get a long 3/8" drive extension and put it in the hole on top of the belt tensioner, pull it twoards the passenger side and the tension on the belt will loosen.. you can take it off then. Note the routing.

Easy job once you figure out the "tricks".. good luck.

The previous posters pretty much nailed it.

But I got my pump for $80 from the dealer.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Thanks everyone for the replies. They were very helpful.
Colin

I am subscribing to this thread, as I have had a leaky pump for quite some time. It is getting time to do something about it. Ignore me, for my post is inconsequential.

Carry on,

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1987 300SDL (324000)

1986 Porsche 951 (944 Turbo) (166000)

1978 Porsche 924 (99000)

1996 Nissan Pathfinder R50 (201000)

cacatfish,

To save frustration, remove the radiator. Its not that difficult and makes the WP job a breeze.

While U are in there, check the belts and replace if they look worn or cracked.

P E H

The squeeking noise you are speaking of is probably your tensioner being bent. Look stright down from the top of the motor at the belt tensioner. It can very well be bent out causing the belt to ride in a wierd way. We had this same problem with my brother's car and it's rather common as the tensioner is weak aluminum. I think a new tensioner will run around $85 or so if I remember correctly.

Thanks
David

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2000 Honda Accord V6 137k miles

1972 300SEL 4.5 98k miles

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Yes, it will be a bit easier to deal with the fan and fan clutch if you remove the radiator. If you have just the right tools though, you can get by without taking it out. But I should have mentioned earlier that the upper half of the fan shroud should come out. This helps with the access to the fan bolts.

Ken300D

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1982 300D at 351K miles
1984 300SD at 217K miles
1987 300D at 370K miles