Parts Catalog Accessories Catalog How To Articles Tech Forums
Call Pelican Parts at 888-280-7799
Shopping Cart Cart | Project List | Order Status | Help



Go Back   PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum > Mercedes-Benz Tech Information and Support > Diesel Discussion

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 01-26-2012, 01:49 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Barrington, RI
Posts: 5,874
What are the wheel well holes for?

On my 91 and 92 300D, each of the rear wheel wells has two holes toward the front of the well; they are plugged with rubber stoppers. Does anyone know if these serve some particular purpose?

On the 92 they are rusting so I will have to patch them.

__________________
14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 01-26-2012, 02:16 PM
Biodiesel300TD's Avatar
|3iodiesel300T|)
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Albany, OR
Posts: 4,845
They are drains. They should actually have a little hole in the bottom, but might be filled with dirt.
__________________
Andrew
'04 Jetta TDI Wagon
'82 300TD ~ Winnie ~ Sold
'77 300D ~ Sold
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 01-26-2012, 02:48 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Barrington, RI
Posts: 5,874
Quote:
Originally Posted by Biodiesel300TD View Post
They are drains. They should actually have a little hole in the bottom, but might be filled with dirt.
I don't think they can be drains. The reason I say that is that, on my 91, those plugs are completely painted over with rustproofing from the factory.
__________________
14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 01-26-2012, 02:55 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: North West CT
Posts: 378
They ARE drains, and MB frequently did cover them with undercoating. Scrape it off on the outside, and they should have a sort of one-way arrangement of molded rubber to let moisture out.

There is also one in the spare tire well.
__________________
Chief

1991 350SD
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 01-26-2012, 02:57 PM
vstech's Avatar
DD MOD, HVAC,MCP,Mac,GMAC
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Mount Holly, NC
Posts: 26,835
Ok think of them as available drains,.,. For when the trunk seals fail zo u don't need a bucket
__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 01-26-2012, 03:00 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Barrington, RI
Posts: 5,874
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChiefRider View Post
They ARE drains, and MB frequently did cover them with undercoating. Scrape it off on the outside, and they should have a sort of one-way arrangement of molded rubber to let moisture out.

There is also one in the spare tire well.
Hmmm....if they are designed to be drains, then why would MB "frequently" cover them with undercoating?

On another thread, someone suggests they are holes through which MB sprayed rustproofing and then permanently plugged them.
__________________
14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 01-26-2012, 03:02 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Barrington, RI
Posts: 5,874
Quote:
Originally Posted by vstech View Post
Ok think of them as available drains,.,. For when the trunk seals fail zo u don't need a bucket
So if I seal them over it doesn't sound like I'm at any great risk.
__________________
14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 01-26-2012, 03:10 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: North West CT
Posts: 378
Do what you want, but they were intended to be drains by MB. As I said, they are formed to allow condensation, etc to flow out, but prevent backsplash in.
__________________
Chief

1991 350SD
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 01-26-2012, 03:24 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Barrington, RI
Posts: 5,874
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChiefRider View Post
Do what you want, but they were intended to be drains by MB. As I said, they are formed to allow condensation, etc to flow out, but prevent backsplash in.
Sounds reasonable....my question was why MB would completely cover them. That would prevent them from functioning as intended?

So if I wanted them to function as designed, what would/could I do? The hole is sufficiently rusted that the plug won't stay.
__________________
14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 01-26-2012, 03:36 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: North West CT
Posts: 378
That would be a problem. Weld in a patch, and reinstall a new drain ( I think MB refers to them as a "seal" on the EPC).

When your car was built, at a certain stage of assembly it was run thru the line to receive undercoat. The automated application equipment could not avoid the small body drains, thus plugging them. Cleaning these of this material would have been a job on the punchlist of the delivering dealer, and not done. Same thing I found on my own 126.
__________________
Chief

1991 350SD
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 01-26-2012, 03:45 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Barrington, RI
Posts: 5,874
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChiefRider View Post
That would be a problem. Weld in a patch, and reinstall a new drain ( I think MB refers to them as a "seal" on the EPC).

When your car was built, at a certain stage of assembly it was run thru the line to receive undercoat. The automated application equipment could not avoid the small body drains, thus plugging them. Cleaning these of this material would have been a job on the punchlist of the delivering dealer, and not done. Same thing I found on my own 126.
Makes sense.

Interestingly, I just spoke spoke to the shop foreman at the dealer. His opinion was that they are NOT drains but rather holes (subsequently plugged) used at some stage of the manufacturing process.
__________________
14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 01-26-2012, 04:08 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: North West CT
Posts: 378
Thus reinforcing my opinion about many of the people working at the dealerhips.

Just to be clear, we are talking about the tubular rubber bits, one veritically installed thru the bottom of the left and right rear fenderwells, as well as the spare tire well, correct?

If these were simply plugs installed to cover a hole needed for mfg, then why use this rubber tube, with its one way center flap? Sorry, most dealers arent a great source of info, certainley not for our 126's.
__________________
Chief

1991 350SD
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 01-26-2012, 04:15 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Barrington, RI
Posts: 5,874
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChiefRider View Post
Thus reinforcing my opinion about many of the people working at the dealerhips.

Just to be clear, we are talking about the tubular rubber bits, one veritically installed thru the bottom of the left and right rear fenderwells, as well as the spare tire well, correct?

If these were simply plugs installed to cover a hole needed for mfg, then why use this rubber tube, with its one way center flap? Sorry, most dealers arent a great source of info, certainley not for our 126's.
Now that I look more carefully, there are FOUR of these in each rear wheel well. If you are looking at the tire, they are found at 9, 10, 11, and 12 o'clock. I don't see any evidence of a flap. They look like solid plugs that will let nothing in or out.
__________________
14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 01-26-2012, 04:47 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: North West CT
Posts: 378
A picture is worth 1000 words!

Those are plugs. If you have rust near these, check further. You will probably find more. Water can travel through these bodies in some unforeseen ways.

The body drains my be found vertically disposed, short rubber "tubes" approx 3/4" diameter in the "well" area to either side of the trunk, behind the rear wheels. These will be filled with crap- clean them out.
__________________
Chief

1991 350SD
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 01-26-2012, 05:00 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Barrington, RI
Posts: 5,874
Okay...so now that we've clarified things....you would agree that the things I'm describing can be completely sealed, right?

Too dark now to take a pic....

Quote:
Originally Posted by ChiefRider View Post
A picture is worth 1000 words!

Those are plugs. If you have rust near these, check further. You will probably find more. Water can travel through these bodies in some unforeseen ways.

The body drains my be found vertically disposed, short rubber "tubes" approx 3/4" diameter in the "well" area to either side of the trunk, behind the rear wheels. These will be filled with crap- clean them out.

__________________
14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On




All times are GMT -4. The time now is 10:26 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2024 Pelican Parts, LLC - Posts may be archived for display on the Peach Parts or Pelican Parts Website -    DMCA Registered Agent Contact Page