C230 Kompressor Supercharger Replacement
 

Anyone know whether or not the supercharger is available from any other sources than the dealer? I just had the car to a german repair shop for a second opinion and they comfirmed that the supercharger is headed south and that they have never changed one before. Just my luck. I have done most of my own repairs over the years and am up to taking this one on. It seems like it should just be a bolt on part. Any one ever done one or know how doable they are???

Thanks!

Jeff

First of all, what year C230 you have? What are the symptoms of it going south?

It's a 1999, 96K miles on it.

Low rattly noise big at startup when cold then diminishes but appears at normal acceleration at about 1500 RPM then goes away as you accelerate past that point. When it shift and the RPMs drop, you hear it again. Then when coming to a stop, as you pas back down through that 1500 rpm range you hear it again. It is consistent. It almost sounds like the clutch on an AC unit going bad. Two shops have pinpointed it as the source of the noise. One tech said he thinks the sound is coming from the rear of the supercharger. From what I understand, there aren't any servicable parts on these units. You just replace them. Seems like it should be a simple bolt on application ( I Hope, I Hope) with a belt change/adjustment.

Thanks for your help and interest.

Jeff

There's a clutch on the supercharger that goes bad. It sounds more like the clutch which is considerably cheaper than the whole unit. My 99 C230's supercharger seized at 100,000 miles. The unit was $2,000 but the labor to install it was only about $150 at the dealer.

Flyboy, here's a bit of a stretch. Maybe one of the companies that services superchargers for the street or drag strip such as BDS (Blower Drive Service) could rebuild it. Companies like that can rebuild the entire supercharger, from restripping the rotors, reconditioning the case, new pulleys, etc. As you may have seen on dragsters, this is common. Like I said it's a bit of a stretch and you would have to send it to them for repair. You have my sympathies - $2,000+ is absurd. Another reason my '99 C230 will be replaced within 2 years (64,000 miles now). How about a junkyard unit? The clutch sounds like a possible issue too.

I have thought about this as i bought my w203 230 Sport Sedan...

They are made by Lysom, and Eaton...from my understanding some have an electronic clutch, and some do not.

Most parts are servicable - it's just a matter if you want to take it apart.

When my dad and i installed my Eaton M90 into my w123 - we tore it apart, replaced all bearings, and redid the seals...also replaced one other part

if it is rattling then i would bet it is the front coupler. what it does is takes the wear and tear - it is designed to...it is a tattle tale. it transfers the power from the pulley and splits it to the front gears for teh rotors...uder light load and no boost it is sloppy and noisy - as you load it - it is forced into place and silenced...

superchargers are extremely simple things...extremely well engineered and extremely well manufactured...

I bought a front coupler (because my cheapo M90 i bought off ebay for $100 was rattling) and a bottle of GM supercharger oil for very little money and rebuilt the nose cone of the supercharger...then we replaced all the seals and bearings - so for about $200 i had a running m90 pushing 8psi...

GM and Ford recommend replacing the oil at i think 60k, when i asked my MB dealer they said don't worry about it - good for life...I don't believe that...

Good luck - check PotomacGerman
Jake

It's true, good for life. The question is, the life of the car, or the life of the supercharger? Aye, there's the rub.

Buy one from a Junk Yard cheap and have it rebuilt. Replace yours with that one and then rebuild your for future use or to seel say on E-Bay. I saw one pretty cheap on E-Bay for a W203 C230K but they did not have the clutch on them like the W202 C230K's did. But there are plenty or wrecked W202 C230K's and SLK230K's out there that you should be able to find a used SC for it for less than the $2K.

Here is a link to an older post about this same subject.
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=143093&highlight=eaton
You might be able to get a rebuilt unit from these people for about $600 or so.
Mine was replaced under warranty at 48K for a similar noise on startup
I just hope that it continues to work OK for a few more years.