SLS Hydraulic fluid everywhere - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

JimmyL · #1 02-26-2007, 08:17 PM

I do believe an hydraulic fluid bomb went off under my hood. I have been using the wagon to work out of Friday and today, and I guess all the weight in the back stressed the hydraulic system in the wagon.

I came out this afternoon to leave, and there was a giant oil puddle under the car. Huge and dark and nasty and foreboding....... The wagon actually doesn't usually leak all that much, so it was a shocker.
Opening the hood I noticed oily fluid all over everything. However, it isn't the beloved soot-filled oil. Hrm...... Kinda clear..... Hrm...... Check the SLS dipstick. Uh, not so much!! There was still fluid visible down in the bottle, but I keep up on the fluid levels pretty closely, and it was on the stick at the end of last week. At the full mark.
I am heading out to the driveway after typing this and changing clothes. I am guessing by the absolute drenched egr and turbo boot area that the high pressure hose to the pump has failed. It did on the Flash also [may she rest in piece]. I will remove it tonight and try and remember where the little place was I took it last time. They cut the ends off and braised them on to new hose for about $40 bucks or so.
This means I will be trying to work out of the already saggy in the butt 240D tomorrow. Pretty bad when you are getting to the 2nd back up car. Truck still has check engine light issues with expired inspection [hence my $200 buck ticket last week].....

I hope I won't be working out of Scar by this time next week......

The wagon has been a pretty solid citizen for awhile, so I guess it was time.
Here I go...............

R Leo · #2 02-26-2007, 09:34 PM

Get ready, that HP hose costs a fortune.

Mine failed about a year ago and the price of the gin-yoo-wine article was stunning...$120something IIRC. So, I took mine to a hydraulic hose shop (Hydraulic House here in Austin) and had them make a replacement hose with SAE fittings and they made adapters to go from the metrics on the car to the SAE of the hose. I was out $65 - 70 when the dust settled. You can take a look at it this weekend...

Also, the MBZ hose has a series of small plastic inserts inside the line to reduce the flow noises. The guy at Hydraulic House replaced all the inserts he could fit in there but, becasue of the adapters and the shorter hose, some had to be left out. When I first got the hose installed I could detect some new rumbling but I don't notice it any more.

FWIW, my return side hose is leaking.

JimmyL · #3 02-26-2007, 10:16 PM

I won't be going back with the genuine article.

It all came apart alarmingly smoothly, which always makes me nervous. Loosen hyd. line on top of pump [17mm with 2 crush washers] and then over by the RF wheel well it is a 12mm into a 17mm. I used a flare nut wrench of course on the 12mm, but it was very easy to loosen. Had to cut a couple of factory tie wraps, which lets me know that this hose is original. I also found the ruptured area, which certainly coincided with the mess.
Will run it by the hydraulic hose place tomorrow. Heck, I guess I could still bring the wagon this weekend to Randy's. We'll just see.......

JimmyL · #4 02-26-2007, 10:17 PM

Couple more pics

Mustang_man298 · #5 02-26-2007, 10:35 PM

I believe T. Walgamuth is parting out a TD wagon in parts, you might drop him a line and see if he has one too....

#6 02-26-2007, 10:52 PM

That sucks. It almost costs as much to refill the fluid as it does to replace the hose!

Hit Man X · #7 02-26-2007, 10:59 PM

Not cool! I know where one is at a parts yard, I'll speak to you on ICQ

JimmyL · #8 03-01-2007, 12:11 AM

Well, I got the hose back today from GT Southwest hose co. for a whopping $68 bucks. 2 years ago for the smoker it was $63 bucks, so things haven't gone up that much. I never found any online to price.
Looks like they did a fine job. Now I have some non-metric fittings on the wagon. They did a fine job braising to the two end pieces. I got home this evening after a second day of working out of the Squash. I know I drug the trailer hitch twice today the car was riding so low in the back. [insert wife joke here if you dare!]

I re-used the two copper washers that went to the pump banjo. Not so much that I wanted to, just never made it anywhere to pick up some new ones.
I also finally replaced the filter in the top of the SLS reservoir, added the proper Febi/Bilstein fluid and much to my surprise, not a leak to be found anywhere along the hydraulic system. Went to the carwash and sprayed everything off, so we'll see.
Back to work in the wagon tomorrow, and I will be able to take it to Randy's this weekend and not fight the 240D on the highway.....

JimmyL · #9 03-01-2007, 12:18 AM

Just a visual for those who may need to replace their filter for the SLS reservoir. I found it easiest to undo fitting to the screwable cap on the reservoir, so you can take the cap/filter/spring to the workbench. Plus, you don't ruin the hard line to the cap bending it trying to get the filter up and out of the reservoir.
The spring that holds the filter to the cap has a hook on the end, and it hooks to a tab on the bottom of the cap and presses the filter up against it. You simply hold the filter and push up on the spring enough to unhook it from the cap. Re-assembles the same way.

JimmyL · #10 03-01-2007, 11:48 PM

Man am I in a Mercedes slump this week!

I guess the good news is the hydraulic system worked fine today, with it's normal bump absorbing capabilities on full display.
However, for some reason I seem to have lost most of my boost from the turbo, and I also have a different sound from the engine area mainly. AND, if I romp on the car from a stop, about the time I hit 3rd gear it looses all ability to create rpm's, and just bogs down and almost dies until I let off and coast for a bit.
I plan to change both fuel filters tomorrow, although the clear filter looks almost brand new. I have drained the tank before and checked the strainer, which was clean. Since then I haven't really had so much as a flake in the clear filter. [pre-filter?]
I cleaned out my banjo bolt for the line to the alda, and while a little gacked it wasn't plugged.
I don't see where compromised filters would cause the engine to sound so much different.
Now, rule #1 states that if you have a problem right after doing something, most likely you caused said problem while you were doing whatever you were doing. So tomorrow I will remove the air cleaner again along with "u" tube to turbo. I don't see where I could have done anything, but I was in there. I checked the smaller hose that goes to something on the turbo [waste gate??] and I didn't damage it or knock it loose.
I have tomorrow off, so I guess I will start in and see what happens. I may be taking the 240 to Randy's after all............

#11 03-01-2007, 11:49 PM

Did you leave a rag in the air filter?

JimmyL · #12 03-01-2007, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForcedInduction

Did you leave a rag in the air filter?

I will check, but I didn't really have a rag in there in the first place. I wouldn't put it past my capabilities, though....

And I was so happy yesterday that the impeller didn't have any play in it and spun freely.

**Oh, and hey Forced, what took you so long to answer??**

rrgrassi · #13 03-01-2007, 11:58 PM

Did you break the hard line between the banjo bolt and the ALDA?

JimmyL · #14 03-02-2007, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rrgrassi

Did you break the hard line between the banjo bolt and the ALDA?

Hard line OK, and I couldn't stand it. Went outside and pulled the air cleaner. No rags stuffed anywhere they shouldn't be. No missing cats either......

Hit Man X · #15 03-02-2007, 01:13 AM

Any other vac lines that may have become cracked?