My mechanic screwed up my car and now I need HELP! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

easy_asW123 · #1 03-20-2008, 12:39 AM

Precision Automotive in Rockaway, NJ. Avoid it like the plague, I wont get into it again but just DO NOT GO THERE. Now that that's out of the way, onward-

I brought my car to a mechanic for him to fix my heat and shimmy at high speeds. The car sat for about a month at his shop without being ran before he replaced my blower motor. When I got the car back (with the heat even more fu**ed up and the wobble still there), the battery was dead so I had it jumped and brought back to my house. Later that night, the battery light came on and all my accesories failed. I brought it back to him and he said it was the voltage regulator, he replaced it. It ran just fine (albeit the heat was STILL nonfunctional) for a couple days until the same thing happened- the battery light was very dimly lit, it got a little brighter and brighter until the accessories all died out again. The car keeps losing charge. The mechanic said he checked the rest of the car out and claims the only faulty part was the voltage regulator, which I WATCHED him replace correctly.

My question is- I have a sneaking suspicion the alternator is shot. But when an alternator dies, does it fluctuate from working, to not working? When I rev the car up, the lights also become brighter with the increase in RPM almost like it's charging- but not holding the charge because a few seconds later, it will get very very dim again and not start after I shut it down.

Another question, my heat- the mechanic went to fix my heat and did a piss poor job doing so. He replaced my blower motor and and blower fan. The fan wouldn't come on at all before he touched it, and now it only comes on an extremely low setting (lower than the normal "low" setting), and only when it wants to. Does anyone know where I can look to fix this myself, or what could cause this? Because lord knows I can't trust my mechanic to fix it.

stcbenz83 · #2 03-20-2008, 12:48 AM

charging issue could be just a bad battery. If it sat a while it could have gone bad, or maybe your battery is old?

not sure on the heat issue.

easy_asW123 · #3 03-20-2008, 12:53 AM

The battery is about a year old. Could it be the battery? Does that sound normal for a dying battery? Believe it or not, I've gone through cars so quick over the years that I've never come across a dead or dying battery

It is a 1987 300D with the OM603 in it.

Skippy · #4 03-20-2008, 12:53 AM

Sounds like your battery is toast from being drained dead and left that way. Letting a car sit with the battery cables hooked up for a month can do that. Charge and load test or take the battery to a parts house and they will most likely do that for free.

Once you have a known good battery in the car, put a meter to the electrical system and check voltage while running. You should get around 14 to 14.5 volts with accessories off and the engine a bit above idle. A little lower at idle is acceptable. Alternators don't usually fluctuate between good and bad, but regulators sometimes do.

Heat. On a W124 I'm assuming this has ATC. Good luck.

easy_asW123 · #5 03-20-2008, 12:57 AM

I'll take it to pep-boys, I have a friend who works there who'll test the batt for me for free.

I don't understand the HVAC in these W124's for the life of me, I can't figure out what the problem is. The blower blows, but not on high, auto, or even low. It blows slower than the normal "low" setting and makes a slight high pitched squeel. I can only turn it on and off, not adjust the blower speed. If that provides any insight to what it could be...

BoomInTheTrunk · #6 03-20-2008, 01:34 AM

not 100% sure but if the fan only goes onto one speed then the switch that adjusts the speed is most likely dead.

babymog · #7 03-20-2008, 08:50 AM

Sort out the charging system and battery first, put it on a charger overnight, then move on to the heating system.

It sounds like the blower is binding/dragging on something, improper installation. This will eventually burn up the expensive motor and/or the speed-control "porcupine".

The blower speed is electronically controlled based on need when in auto, in high it should run high (but still electronically controlled).

vstech · #8 03-20-2008, 09:28 AM

not only could it be the battery has bitten the dust, but the dead/really weak battery could have destroyed the windings in the alternator. you need to test the battery and the alternator. the best way to test the battery is to charge it overnight with a good trickle charger, then in the morning, put the lights on for 5 minutes.
then turn everything off, disconnect the battery and with a good digital volt meter measure the voltage on the battery. it should read 12.76 volts. if it reads less than 12.60 your battery is damaged. it could be low on water, so pry up the "sealed" lids and see if any of the cells are low, and top them off VERY CAREFULLY with distilled water, then seal it back up and trickle charge it again and test it again. if it tests good at 12.60 or better then take it to a testing station and verify it can put out rated amps and such. and test that alternator, it could easily be destroyed from the depleted battery.
or just buy a new battery and test the alternator.

Stevo · #9 03-20-2008, 10:27 AM

Installing or fixing a blower motor and a voltage regulator are a couple of the easiest DIY jobs on your car, find a good "MB wise" mechanic and use him only for the "tough" stuff.

BodhiBenz1987 · #10 03-20-2008, 12:20 PM

Did he also change the blower regulator? I think one generally changes that when they change the motor itself, but maybe he didn't. If that's bad, it would cause flakey blower behavior. Once you get the battery/charging issue sorted out, I'd try replacing the blower regulator and see if that does the trick.

Stevo · #11 03-20-2008, 03:28 PM

[QUOTE=BodhiBenz1987;1799068]Did he also change the blower regulator? "blower regulator"? "

easy_asW123 · #12 03-20-2008, 05:57 PM

All I know is that he replaced the actual fan and the motor for the fan. Nothing else was touched he claims. Then again I can't really trust this guy because he also said my heat was in perfect working order... I'm going to test my battery today.

babymog · #13 03-21-2008, 02:56 PM

My impression from post #5's squeal and the lower than regular low speed is that the fan is rubbing on something. It is not the easiest job, need to remove the cowling and wiper assembly first, but should only take a couple of hours. The speed controller is under the blower, so there isn't any point to replacing that first, you'll have the blower in your hands before you can touch the controller.