cehvinn33

I'm car-illiterate, so I need some help. A year and a half ago, I bought a 2000 C230 Kompressor with 75k miles. Now it has about 102k. I just took it into the shop and got new mounts for the engine. The mechanic also told me that he found a hairline fracture in my supercharger, and that I would need to replace it. He said it was a $2000 part, and a $3000 job.

I've read some forums and it seems like there should be a cheaper way to do this. In fact, at http://www.canadiansupercharger.com they have rebuilt superchargers for about $650.

Does anyone have any suggestions about what I should do. Should I trust the rebuilt supercharger? Should I expect more problems even if I get it fixed? I don't care that much about power. Is it possible to just disable the supercharger? Should I expect to pay $1000 just for labor to replace? I'm in Indianapolis, and there aren't a lot of places around here that even work on Mercedes. There's only one Mercedes dealer (other than the small used dealers).

Any help is appreciated.

rlee02135

tell them to show you the crack on the supercharger..

SeaCoupe

I agree with RLEE. If you choose to let them do the work, keep the S/C.

You will need to do some research to find out what varient of the Eaton M45 S/C that you have. Then, you can buy it online for WAY cheaper.

How mechanically inclined are you? How about your friends? I just ported the S/C on my C230 Coupe and it was cake.

Hell, you could have it rebuilt by Stegermeir (correct spelling in the sig line).
Of course this assumes that the case isn't cracked. I have never heard of a crack on a S/C casing though.

If you can take some detailed shots of the car from above and below, I can tell you how hard this is going to be. Don't freak out, lets figure this one out.

E

cehvinn33

E,

I'll take some pics tomorrow. I just got my car back and looked at the supercharger and didn't see any crack. He said "hairline fracture", so I'm not sure how obvious it would be.

When I just started the engine for the first time, there was a buzzing sort of noise coming from the engine, with a very small rattle. It was doing this before I took it in to the mechanic, but I had assumed by the way the mechanic talked that by clearing the check engine code that was on and replacing the mounts, that this had gone away. I wonder if this is the noise that led him to find the fracture.

As far as being mechanically inclined, I'm pretty good at figuring things out, but I have zero experience with car engines. I do have a brother that's more inclined than I.

Thanks for the help. As I find out more, I'll keep you posted.

cehvinn33

Here are some pictures of my engine. I also tried to take some from underneath the car, but I'm not sure how much they'll help.

cehvinn33

Here are some more pictures

xvvvz

If you are looking at the engine from the front of the car, look down on the left side of the engine at the very front of the engine/engine block. Down there on the side about midway, you will see protrusion/attachment off the left side of the front of the engine that has a pulley with engine belt running to it. That is the supercharger/kompressor. If I remember right, the alternator also runs off this same belt and is below that and a bit closer to the center. Hopefully somebody will correct me if I am remembering incorrectly about the alternator.

SeaCoupe

I too have the M111 engine, but my layout is different. The pics helped a bit but not much. I am thinking that your S/C is on the lower +passenger side of the engine compartment. It does appear rather easy to get to.

We need a shot of the pulley arrangements. That means where your serpentine belt is mounted. The S/C pulley is going to be small.

I'm going to share a link for what a S/C and the plenum look like. Perhaps that will help you to identify what you are looking for. Pay attention to what the case looks like. That is what you are looking for. The pic to pay attention to is the post where I got the unit back. It shows the side of the casing, and again it makes me wonder how in the world it is possible to have a crack.

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w203/177650-ported-supercharger-installed.html

Have you done a search on the internet for cracked Eaton S/C? I just have NEVER heard of this. But you are saying there is a sound.

A S/C has a tight tolerance. Something like .025 from the screws to the wall. So, It is possible that the bearings wore out and a root pushed into the case. When you get the S/C off, I can help you diagnose.

You may want to get in contact with Steigermeir. They can possibly help you to locate a spare S/C case. Those guys specialize in that work. Plus if you get your S/C ported you could gain about 5-10 HP.

If in fact the S/C is on the lower Passenger side, I didn't see anything too tough to remove that you couldn't do the work yourself.

I will do my best to work with you over the weekend. However, Sunday, take any of my advice with caution, Ill be partying hard.

E

cehvinn33

E,

This weekend has been busy, but I plan on working on my car this week. I definately appreciate any help you can offer. I'll look for the supercharger and take some pictures. I also plan on asking the mechanic to show me the crack he told me about.

I'll keep you updated.

cehvinn33

I've got an update on my car. When the mechanic gave it back to me, he said the hairline fracture in the supercharger could cause the check engine light to come back on, and when that happened, I may need to replace the supercharger. Well today when I was driving, the light came on and my car started getting shaky again.

The mechanic said the shakiness was because the light was on, causing the computer to be off?

Does this sound right? And would a hairline fracture cause the light to come on? How quickly do I need to get a replacement?

C230 Sport Coup

Your mechanic is trying to take advantage of you.
Swapping SC's couldn't take more than 3 hours labor, and
the part is FAR less than 3 grand.
These guys are the Eaton authorized reps here in the states, and I believe they
offered rebuilds for about 500.
http://www.magnusonproducts.com/reman/

C230 Sport Coup

duvalmotorcars has one (apparently brand new) for mine (2002) for about 700 shipped.

SeaCoupe

I keep checking the thread if only to make sure that I'm taking care of you.

Insure before you start the work that you have:

Inverted Torx sockets
3/8" rachet with extensions
Swivel socket
Flat head screw driver

When you take the unit out, pay particular attention to the torque you needed to use to lossen the plenum and the S/C.

When you put it back, use the same torque. I think I read that it was 12-15 lbs. The pieces are aluminum. Don't overtorque aluminum. If you can't tell torque by feel, buy a torque wrench.

Again, it is all quite easy. If you need phone assistance, let me know, and I'll give you my numbers.

Sheez, us W203 guys bailing out you W202 boys.....J/K

E

xvvvz

I too am really suspicious of your mechanic. No doubt there is a problem but I don't know that they can accurately diagnose it or maybe they are fixing something easy and charging you to fix something expensive just for the cash.

If you decide to swap out the SC yourself, the torque figures are:

"Bolts for attaching compressor to supports" = 21 nm
"Pressure connections to supercharger" = 25 nm

cehvinn33

I have another update:

I talked to the mechanic and asked if he could show me the hairline fracture. Ultimately, he ended up saying that he didn't actually see a fracture, but just figured out that it must be there.

His reasoning is this: My check engine light gave him a code saying that there is some kind of airflow problem. He checked something (air compressor?), and found that it was fine, so there must be something wrong with the supercharger. He then said that he knows it's not the hoses or wiring, but I didn't understand his reasoning.

I've definately decided not to go back to this guy. At this point, the only thing I can think of is to take it to the dealer and have them look at it and figure out what's wrong.

Does anyone have suggestions?

xvvvz

Yes, don't take it to the stealership unless you don't have any other choice. Do some research to find a competent independant Mercedes mechanic in your area who has decent diagnostic equipment that can accurately read the codes and who is smart enough (via experience) to know how to troubleshoot them. Some of the MB forums have sections which give recommendations on mechanics and allow you to post for advice finding a mechanic in your area. I would start there. Google to find the Mercedes forums. There are at least 5 good ones with lots of postings.

Where do you live?

Ausmbtech

Pay whatever you have already been charged and walk away from this workshop. Someone who is willing to take $3k of your cash on a guess of a supercharger problem isn't worth dealing with.

I've never heard of a supercharger casing cracking on a benz (not that it can't happen) but it sounds like hit n miss with your cash.

Talk to some people on this board who live in your area and find a reputable mechanic who knows these vehicles.

Proven Guilty

From what you have described, it sounds more to me like you have a number of possible issues, completely unrelated to the supercharger. Your mechanic sounds very sketchy, and I would suggest getting the codes pulled from autozone, or another OBD-II code reading place free of charge. My guess is that you're pulling a P0410 and it would either be oxygen sensors (230K has two, first is an o2 sensor before the cat, and the 2nd is a test probe behind the cat), or a vaccuum leak.

Have you ever changed the MAS on this car? The eaton roots blower on the W202 is rock-solid. The worst case scenario, I would check and see if the clutch is engaging, or if the bypass valve is staying open after the warm-up cycle.

tex07

you are absolutely correct about the belt. that is how the supercharger can stay on all the time, whereas the turbo draws power from gasses that are released after combustion i believe...hence why there is turbo lag...at low RPMs there isnt sufficient force to drive the turbo. they both end up doing the same thing though, forced induction...

TDNcube

I have a C200 that needs to be replaced with a supercharger.Do I have to put or add new oil? What grade of oil?