Help! Have I screwed up something?
 

http://s245.photobucket.com/albums/g...G_1387copy.jpg

Hi,

left of the brake booster (#2) and unter the part #1 there is a cavity with several hoses. This evening I poked a vacuum cleaner tube in to suck out the dirt and leaves accumulating there. The vac tube must have touched a hose and some kind of oily liquid leaked out.

In order to check the leak I tried to remove the part #1 ( a plastic cover spreading from the wiper motor housing to the right fender), by removing a screw (#7) and lifting the clips 4, 5 and 6 but without success.

My questions:

1) what are the hoses there, transporting what liquid?
2) how can part #1 be removed (I already broke clip #6 :()?

I'd appreciate your help, don't want to drive tomorrow to work with this leak.

Thanks!

My car is a 1996 E320 as in my profile.

The cavity seen from other angle. One can see the leaves under a hose, above the brake booster 2 two other hoses coming from there as well.

http://s245.photobucket.com/albums/g...e/IMG_1389.jpg

Answers to questions:

1) what are the hoses there, transporting what liquid?

These lines are the hot coolant connecting to the heating coil. Probably the flexible line is loose at the aluminum pipe connection.

2) how can part #1 be removed (I already broke clip #6 )?

Just pull the clips #4 & #5 to the front and clips will free part #1.

Good luck.

Big screw-up!
 

:(:(

Thanks roman!

after being able to remove part #1 I could see the full extent of my predicament.

The small tube B connecting die hoses A and C thru the firewall is broken :(:(. Worse it seems B is only a affluent part sharing with another hose at the broken place, some kind of a Y-connector. I am trying to access the broken location but the plastic undercover beneath D is in the way.

http://s245.photobucket.com/albums/g...e/IMG_1393.jpg


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Questions:

1) What is part D, another coolant pump? (Edit: D is the motor for windshield wiper).
2) If I cannot provisorily mend the damage tonight (it will be a long night) can I stuff both ends of A and C and drive to dealership for repair?

Please help!

There is noway I can access the broken place behind the firewall at the location X, the plastic part under the wiper motor is one piece completely extends from fender to fender (from A to B in the picture); besides at the far right end there is a rivet R (not a screw) holding it down.

http://s245.photobucket.com/albums/g...e/IMG_1399.jpg

http://s245.photobucket.com/albums/g...e/IMG_1400.jpg

In the schematic below the break is between B1 and B2 and is at the firewall windshield side, while E is the other hose.

http://s245.photobucket.com/albums/g...connection.jpg

The part I need would be D+B (one part, some kind of Y connector), but the problem is how to access it.

No help
 

Perhaps it is to late in the night so that nobody gave help. My bad luck.

I disconnected part A from the from of the firewall and stuffed A (pic) I suppose the coolant flow if from A to C, D right?

Provided A is well blocked, am I safe as long as I don't turn on the heat, that means I will turn the inside temp all the way down?

Hopefully I'll get answer for that question.

Thanks a lot!

http://s245.photobucket.com/albums/g...e/IMG_1401.jpg

Part identified
 

It is the "pipe line" #23, the connector to #107 is broken. I blocked #5, that means no water for windshield washer. The part may be $10,- but it is inaccessible to me, unless I can remove many other parts like the brake booster or the panel under the wiper.

A wrong movement costs me 6 hours research and work :(:(.


http://s245.photobucket.com/albums/g...Connection.jpg

Sorry I can't be of help....but I gotta say, this is the best presentation of a problem I have ever seen on this forum....best of luck with the repair.

Gotto go to work after 3 h of sleep. Will get the part on the way to the office.

There must be an access to the part #23, will check for reply when getting to the office.

HAVE A GOOD DAY!

Adapting what I saw on the diagrams and what I know about the cooling system on my 92 300SE (W140 chassis), the circuit you interrupted by plugging #5 does two things:

1) Provides heated water to the windshield washer reservoir - that's the circuit with hoses #107. Note - this isn't windshield washer fluid - that's a separate deal. This is for the heat exchanger coil inside the washer tank to prevent freezing of the fluid.

2) I think from there, #14 feeds the heater cores, with the outlet of the cores going to hoses #29 and from there to the duo-valve assembly.

If you're going to the shop with it - I'd just leave the cap on the overflow tank loose to prevent pressure from building in the system.

So - if you leave the heat off, and plug #5, you should be OK for a short trip. I don't know if the duo-valve assembly is capable of holding back pressure from the cooling system - they're probably only rated to control flow.

Likewise, there's a thermostatic valve on the heat exchanger in the washer reservoir, so the coolant shouldn't back flow too much if you leave the cap off.

This is just a temporary solution.

However, if you plug hoses 14 and 107, then you're good to go for quite some time. For that matter, since you live in Texas, you're unlikely to ever need the washer fluid heater, so you can probably just use a connector barb between 14 and 5, and eliminate the circuit to the washer tank by capping the port at the circulating pump where hose #62 attaches.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Bryan.

Still not able to get to dealer for part. Had to go to the office first, will try to get out at lunch time.

I cannot access hose #14 either, since it is clamped to pipe #23.
At the moment the makeshift fix is:

1) hose #5 is pluggged with slight leak of vaporized coolant, I will loosen cap as you suggested to decrease pressure.

2) hose #14 and #107 are open.

The issue of accessing #23 remains unsolved unless either the big plastic panel or the brake booster is removed, of which the latter is more doable since the panel is riveted at both ends.

Any idea on how to remove the brake booster?

Thanks!