I really need some help. Car died on me - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

david s poole · #16 05-20-2009, 10:18 AM

if you just want to get car home,borrow or buy a fully charged battery and change out to drive home.murphy's law says that you will need to buy a new battery after this little escapade anyway.

spree17 · #17 05-20-2009, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

I'm not sure how much room there is in the engine compartment of a 190, but on my W124/300E I can get at it pretty easily from above....if so, yes you could do it right on site. There's not much to it, just angle it in and out of the opening and fasten the two Phillips screws.

You'll probably still need to get a good jump start though if your battery is dead.

Thanks a bunch. I will go drive by take a look. I really hope I can get to it on my car. If I can do it from above I can save myself a tow at least. A cab out to my dads to pick up a spare car will be around $35. If I can save the towing fee that would be great. I could probably jump start the car or take the battery to get charged if I can fix it in the parking lot.

pawoSD · #18 05-20-2009, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by david s poole

if you just want to get car home,borrow or buy a fully charged battery and change out to drive home.murphy's law says that you will need to buy a new battery after this little escapade anyway.

Thats true, if you charge the battery up pretty good you should be able to start and drive it several miles at least. My wife's former Buick managed to cover like 30 miles with a dead alternator before she called/asked me why the battery light was on and it was "idling rough".

Ferdman · #19 05-20-2009, 10:33 AM

spree17, you may be able to access the voltage regulator from above if you have very long arms. It's much easier from below (at least that's my preference). You could use the jack to raise the right front, remove the noise ecapsulation panel (if you still have one) and have at the voltage regulator. As mentioned, you most likely will need to jump start the car or recharge the battery with a charger. If it were me I would definitely replace the voltage regulator where the car sits, and skip the towing expense.

Jerry Cohen · #20 05-20-2009, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

If you have it towed be sure its on a flat bed tow truck only. Not the kind that drag the car with the rear wheels on the ground. Towing with the wheels on the ground can ruin the transmission.

A qord of caution, if you do use a flat bed. Make sure the driver uses the tow hook to pull the car on the tow truck. Many of these gorillas will hook on anything they can find under the car. The frame rail on my 420SEL got ripped open by a careless operator because he didn't know a tow hook existed.

A regular tow truck can tow a rwd car by the rear wheels, and is probably a safer way to have a car towed.

pawoSD · #21 05-20-2009, 12:10 PM

If you are there for the towing its easy to supervise where they put their hook.....when we bought a car with a dead engine they inspected it and used the tow hook properly....I'd have say most of them probably do at least check.

spree17 · #22 05-20-2009, 01:53 PM

I was able to reach the voltage regulator despite my short arms. The screws were not tight. That made it easier. The stacks are worn but I'm not sure if they are worn enough to cause the problem. Only Mercedes has the part locally for $107 plus tax. So I'm in a bind. Take a chance on the part at a rip off price or tow the car. Any advice?

spree17 · #23 05-20-2009, 01:57 PM

Here are 2 pictures of my part. What do you think?

pawoSD · #24 05-20-2009, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spree17

Here are 2 pictures of my part. What do you think?

It doesn't actually look all that worn, mine was way worse when it stopped working.....almost no brushes left at all. Your alternator itself may have failed, or the regulator may have simply gone bad. Obviously the first thing to do would be swap in a new regulator....$107 is WAY steep though, online they are only $30ish....you don't have a NAPA or anything near you? A voltage regulator is a fairly common part.....

spree17 · #25 05-20-2009, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

It doesn't actually look all that worn, mine was way worse when it stopped working.....almost no brushes left at all. Your alternator itself may have failed, or the regulator may have simply gone bad. Obviously the first thing to do would be swap in a new regulator....$107 is WAY steep though, online they are only $30ish....you don't have a NAPA or anything near you? A voltage regulator is a fairly common part.....

Napas by me dont carry it. I looked online as well. I agree $107 is a rip off but my other choice would be towing and then ordering. I guess I can call and get a tow estimate

spree17 · #26 05-20-2009, 02:17 PM

I can get it towed for around $65 if I use AAA. The part costs around $30 plus shipping online. So thats $95 and I would have my car home just in case the part doesnt work. That might be the safe way to go

spree17 · #27 05-20-2009, 02:21 PM

I'm going to play it safe and get it towed.

spree17 · #28 05-20-2009, 02:22 PM

Last question. Where do I find my toe hook for the towing?

EricSilver · #29 05-20-2009, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerry Cohen

A regular tow truck can tow a rwd car by the rear wheels, and is probably a safer way to have a car towed.

You meant "Front Wheels", right?

EricSilver · #30 05-20-2009, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spree17

I can get it towed for around $25 if I use AAA. The part costs around $30 plus shipping online. So thats $55 and I would have my car home just incase the part doesnt work. That might be the safe way to go

Your insurance company likely offers free towing.

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