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#1
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190D 2.5 liter NA starter removal
Hi, so I am partway into replacing the starter on my 1986 190D, 2.5 liter normally aspirated 5 cylinder engine. I managed, with the help of a friend, to get that uber-troublesome upper 17mm bolt off, and now the starter is free. However, it is not obvious how best to remove it from the car, given all the constraints posed by fuel lines and the power steering system.
It doesn't seem possible to get it to go down and out; up and out seems possible if I remove some of the lines in the way. I don't fully understand the function of the part that I have indicated with a red arrow (see photo). I don't think it is the low pressure fuel pump; can it be detached from the engine with that one allen head screw? That object with the red arrow looks to be some sort of junction where fuel returns come together. It is a little confusing because there appear to be three hard fuel lines in this area of the engine; are there two fuel return lines?? I think that the actual low pressure fuel pump is to the left, with the clear line coming up out of it, correct? It looks like the fuel supply line from the tank is at the bottom of the photo, with the primary fuel filter (clear plastic) coming off it. Thanks for any advice you may have. Kurt
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- '79 240D - engine swap complete! Engine broken in! 28-31 mpg! Lovin' the ride! - '86 190D (W201-126) - 2.5 NA engine, 5 speed, cloth interior, manual climate controls, 33-34 mpg (sold to forum member). |
#2
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The offending object is the "Fuel Heater Thermostat", it has two 5 mm Allen Head bolts that secure it in place onto a bracket that itself is attached to the block.
You should be able to remove those and then be able to maneuver the thermostat itself around, to allow you to get the starter past it and out. If you decide to do that. With a pair of vice grips or something similar pinch off the flexible fuel line between the steel fuel feed line and the Primary filter(the inline plastic one) so that fuel will not flow from the tank. Then disconnect the other flexible fuel line between the primary filter outlet and the fuel thermostat inlet, on the filter side! That is because the inlet into the fuel thermostat it plastic and is often a source of leaking fuel outflow and air inflow to the engine. Disturbing it very much is unwise and stressing it; up, down, left, right, in, out is unwise. Even taking the hose clamp off on the fuel thermostat end of that flexible line is problematic with 30 year old plastic engine compartment parts. Oh and the "three hard lines"? These are flexible fuel lines aka hoses, that have a harder plastic sheath over there hoses. there is a short one on the hose between the lift pump 9attached to the Injection pump, operated mechanically by the IP) and the fuel heater thermostat outlet hose bib, that male connector is part of the fuel thermostat's metal housing. The other two "hard lines" are the connections between the fuel heater thermostat" and the fuel heater's actual heat exchanger body(located somewhat wrapped around the oil filter housing). The fuel heater is a heat exchanger the circulates fuel through a engine coolant heated chamber. the engine heated coolant transfers heat to fuel coming from the tank and redirected through the heater when the fuel heater thermostat detects temps below a set point. One line it to the fuel heater and the other from the fuel heater. Last edited by ThatOne; 12-04-2016 at 09:04 PM. |
#3
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Thanks for the heads-up on the fragile plastic connection! Also for the explanation of how it works. Hopefully I will manage to finish the repair without needing to buy a very expensive part.
Kurt
__________________
- '79 240D - engine swap complete! Engine broken in! 28-31 mpg! Lovin' the ride! - '86 190D (W201-126) - 2.5 NA engine, 5 speed, cloth interior, manual climate controls, 33-34 mpg (sold to forum member). |
#4
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No problem you're welcome, not doing more damage is my goal!. Luckily the usual fix for a broken or leaking fuel heater thermostat is somewhere about $5 or 6, but if it takes days for parts that can be a hassle. Truth is it's a extra feature that may or may not matter all that much, I've got an 87 300d with 345+K on the odo, and have driven that last 3 or 4 years with mine removed, just straight from the primary to the lift pump driving year round throughout New England.
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#5
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IIRC it's a matter of tuning the steering wheel all the way left or right so the drag link is out of the way of dropping the starter. With the right tool, it's easy to detach the drag link from the pitman arm.
Sixto 83 300SD |
#6
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Mercedes gives free access to the service manual for this model. It is at:
https://www.startekinfo.com/StarTek/outside/11832/?requestedDocId=11832 |
#7
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Well all I can say is
WOW! Look at that space! My petrol engined W201 is way way fuller in that area
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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver 1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone 1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy! 1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits! |
#8
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Stretch, the photo is a bit misleading - the photo was taken AFTER removing the air filter assembly. Normally you can't see any of that stuff at all, because it is all under the shoebox-sized air filter.
Sixto, thanks for the tip about turning the wheel and getting the steering components out of the way. As it turned out, it wasn't really a big deal to carefully remove all the fuel hoses, and then take the fuel thermostat block off. Once that was done, there was enough room for the starter to come up and out. Eschwab, thank you for the link to the service manual!! That being said, I learned a few things in the course of this minor adventure, which I will pass along for posterity. Doubtless the old-timers already know these tricks (or better ones), but for you young whippersnappers here is my new-found wisdom. The upper bolt that secures the starter to the bell housing is a beast to get at. For one thing you can't see it from underneath the car, naturally. The only tool that fits in the space is a standard sized 3/8 ratchet about 7 inches long, and you get about 40 degrees of swing. It is possible to put the socket and ratchet over the head of the bolt from above, but nearly impossible to put any leverage on it from above. What I eventually did was put the ratchet on the bolt from above and let friction hold it (six point socket, naturally), and then slide under the car to work with it from below. If you memorize the position that you first see the ratchet handle in when you first slide under, then you can likely restore the socket back onto the unseen bolt from under the car when it comes off for one reason or another... which it will do multiple times. Even working from below it is very difficult to loosen that upper bolt, doubtless put on by a German gorilla at the factory with the mechanical advantage of a 50cm breaker bar on an engine not yet installed. What I ended up doing was getting the ratchet as close to horizontal as I could, and then slipping the hole in the end of a large Crescent wrench over the end of the ratchet handle (see sketch). I had a helper keep the ratchet and socket on the bolt from above, reaching into the engine compartment, while I applied force below. The Crescent wrench gave me something that I could get a good grip on free and clear under the car, and pull down with some decent amount of force to make the ratchet loosen the bolt. And voila! the bolt loosened.
__________________
- '79 240D - engine swap complete! Engine broken in! 28-31 mpg! Lovin' the ride! - '86 190D (W201-126) - 2.5 NA engine, 5 speed, cloth interior, manual climate controls, 33-34 mpg (sold to forum member). |
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