ML recall notice: Power Steering pump clamp...
 

Anyone else get a recall notice?

Supposedly affects certain models of 1998-2003 ML-class vehicles.

The fix takes about a 1/2 hour, and my local dealer said they could send someone over to just fix it on the spot without having to take it in!

yup..got this fixed last week. no problems with the dealer this time, except they made me wait about 3 hours in the dealer. No one came to greet me or tell me the status of my car. If anyone has gripes with Autobahn motors in Redwood Shores, CA, let me know. They suck.

I'm away on a business trip in MS. So my wife drove the ML to work. They are supposed to do the repair on the spot. Will call her later and see how it went.

Got it fixed today, along with a couple of other warranty items.

I was in and out of the dealer in less than 30 min. Raisor MB in Lafayette, IN.
Jeff

The problem with the line blowing off seems not to be so much the clamp as the steel line that the hose attaches to.
Usually on a pipe that a hose attaches to, there is a crimp made on the end of the pipe which keeps the hose from backing off of the pipe. The hose can back off just until the clamp comes to the crimp in the pipe, then it typically can't back off over the crimp.
The pipe that the power steering hose attaches to has almost no crimp to it, which is the real cause of the problem.

Gilly

that was the exact comment the roadside assistance tech said to me
 

MB should send Mike and Gilly to the factory for design assistance :-)

This was an especially bad problem (the affected line blowing off) up north here this last winter.

Gilly

yep...I flagged it everywhere I could
 

On the M-Class Mailing List and M-Class Outpost and Benzworld.

Unfortunately, I think most of the people who were affected weren't on any web forums. The ones who were on the forums knew exactly what the problem was when it hit them...

So techs:

When are we going to see some bulletin from MB about those darned harmonic balancers...seems to me that the potential harm is greater for failure of THAT component than the hose clamp!

harmonic balancers blowing out is a known problem
 

It should be happening only to 98/99's AFAIK.

If it happens to you, just go to the dealer and tell them you know it's a problem and to contact MB to see if they'll pay for it...

Yeah, I know...Feared that mine was bad so I had MB replace it prior to taking the ML out on a long trip. They paid for the part and I paid for the labor...

Fix For Power Steering Clamp
 

I have not yet taken my 2000 ML320 in for the power steering clamp recall. Planned on waiting till the next FSS servicing so that I do not have to take the 50 minute ride to the nearest MB dealer. Not too worried about the line "blowing" off since I have examined it and it is tightly and fully attached to the steel tube. I have also tightened clamped since due to normal compression of the rubber hose it was only slightly loose.

My question is if the real cause for this problem is the steel tube does not have a "bulge" at the end to maintain the power steering hose from sliding off, what is the Mercedes fix for this problem that will supposedly keep this condition from occurring? I do not see how just installing a differenct style clamp would be a "real" fix.

In my opinion it's not an appropriate fix. Wish I had a good answer for you.

What they could to is to use a tubing flare tool and put a bubble flare on the end of this tube, that would fix it correctly.

Gilly

I agree w/ Gilly
 

Can they even get a tool in there to do this?
Not sure how much room is under there....