Encapsulation Panel Soggy Mess
 

When I got my 98, it had an ATF leak at the adapter plug. Changed the fluid, replaced the plug, no more ATF leaks. Then I had a steering rack leak. Slowed then stopped that with Lucas stop leak.

Between those two leaks and water from the road, the encapsulation panels never seem to dry out...they're always a soggy mess. When they get saturated, they drip...some mixture of who knows what. Drips today were oily, clear, and didn't smell like diesel...so I'm assuming power steering fluid.

Anyone else have this issue? For me, at least, it makes leak diagnosis more difficult.

Yes they get to be a mess after awhile. Try chasing 4 different leaks with the belly pans on the residue left is not easy to determine what fluid or from where. Remove the pans and start chasing them over a period of a week or so. Mine were transmission, engine oil, washer fluid and a motor mount fluid.

Price out some new belly panels.

Take them off and throw away, problem fixed. :rolleyes:

I`ve never owned a car with them, sound like a PITA.


Charlie

Scrape off the insulation and use the belly panels "bare." The panels help to direct cooling air through the engine compartment and to improve the aerodynamics of the underside. They do sometimes get in the way of maintenance—one more thing to take off.

I have a slow leak at the rear of the engine in my '95 E300D, probably from the rear main seal. An old cake pan (25 cents at a local thrift store) jammed between the belly panel and the torque converter catches the drip that would otherwise spread all over the rear belly panel. I clean the drip pan every 6 months or so.

Jeremy

Front $246, Center $132, $326 rear are list prices.

I can't disagree - unless your car's underside and engine compartment is mint condition. Then, I believe that it's worth keeping them intact. Which is darn rare on mostly old forum cars like this one.

My old '83 300SD with 300K+ miles on's underside looked like barf. However, the upper-side engine compartment was pretty darn minty. Just depends on your ownership and car, is what it comes down to.

Great idea, Jeremy. Up early this morning, off with the pans, and pulled out all that disgusting crap. Much better with all the foam and plastic gone.

I like the idea of keeping the pans in place, though. In addition to the aerodynamics, I like the idea of catching various drippings (though I can see that argued either way). But the big thing that motivates me, though, is protection against road debris, like a rock.

Interests me that what was originally a great idea in the minds of Mercedes engineers (namely, all that foam) is not such a great idea when a car is 17 years old!

Noticed some rust spots on the tranny pan....one of the liabilities of the soggy mess being there so long.

Foam in general seems to be a short-life component. Seat cushions, insulation, padding of many kinds and purposes, it's almost guaranteed to be dead or dying in our ~20 yo cars.

Might be time to raid the junkyards, or start buying parts cars? It may save you money in the long run with old cars is my experience.

However, the fact of the matter is that these cars do not need their belly pan encapsulating kits. I worked on a friend of mine's '98 E300 with only 70K miles on it, and it's belly pans were long gone a few years ago. It's engine compartment looked like a salt-mine of corrosion too. It had spent it's first 10-years or so in Chicago, IL.

It would be interesting to know how much the fuel economy is adversely affected by missing belly pans.

Costwise, an expedient move. However, if the car's engine compartment was minty, it will be subjected to more road grit, grime, etc.

My old E300's engine compartment is minty top to bottom......except the topsides of the belly pan(s) where the foam was once drenched with past engine fuel-leakage, /power steering or trans. fluid. :o The good news there is that the top side of the belly pans can be steam cleaned, and detergent cleaned-up to give a semblance of their previous appearance(s). But never like new.

To use a technical word; miniscule, IMO.

The factory has always referred to the belly pans as "noise control" panels. "Noise emissions are suppressed by a system of acoustic encapsulation . . . even underneath the engine" (300 Class brochure, 1987 300D Turbo) and "panels . . . surround the engine . . . helping to keep the cabin . . . quieter" (1996 E-Class Presentation Guide).

Nevertheless, I have not noticed any difference in sound levels, inside or outside, driving or standing, panels on or off. Have you noticed any difference?

I suspect that at least part of the factory's real reason is smog control. Belly pans allow the engine to warm up faster, to stay warm, and to get (reasonably) hotter. Cold engines are said to produce more pollution due to the necessary richer fuel-air mixture. Getting the engine leaned out as soon as possible no doubt reduces the unburned hydrocarbons that are the bane of the smog test engineers.

Jeremy

I have never seen these panels on cars in the junk Yards.


Charlie