goodkat

On 3/18/02 with approximately 4,000 miles, a K23 Kleeman boost kit was installed on my C Coupe. Today, 10/7/06 with 61,000 miles, my supercharger, according to a local Mercedes dealer, "blew up." They say it will cost approximately $2,000 to replace the supercharger. But wait... There's more Only after replacing the supercharger can they determine if any OTHER damage has been done to other parts of the engine, including the exhaust system. What to do.

I have been good to this car from the day I drove it off the showroom floor, and have not beaten it up over the years I've owned it. The pulley was the only modification to the engine. I am aghast at what has taken place.

Has this happened to anyone else?

C230 Sport Coup

2 grand? Wow. So those with ASP may face same fate.
You didn't say how many miles you have now?

So, hopefully others will chime in.
Is SC replacment a stricly bolt on operation?
How hard could it be?

If so, go here and order for $650.
http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...=67&model=C230

How could the exhaust system get messed up?
What is he talking about? How would a pulley have any relation to exhaust system? Heat?

rlee02135

do you have the M271 or M111?

M271: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/M271-...spagenameZWD1V

M111: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merce...QQcmdZViewItem

goodkat

I don't know if I have the M271 or M111. I assume my dealer could tell me, but how can I find out on my own?

C230 Sport Coup

You have M111 , 2002.
Part I sent you is correct. No more than 1-2 hours work to replace.

white_w203

the m111 is the 2.3L and the m271 is the 1.8L

whoa this is interesting news.....knock on wood i hope this doesn't happen to my charger and i beat on it every time i drive it.

goodkat

I can't imagine the OEM supercharger is designed to go only 61,000 miles. I will go under the assumption the Kleemann pulley is responsible for the destruction of my supercharger. Good luck to everyone else with aftermarket pulleys on their cars.

And thanks to C230 Sport Coup and rlee for the great advice on forgetting about the offending dealership's $2,000 quote (parts and EIGHT hours labor) to obtain and install a new supercharger, DAVID MICHAEL MERCEDES IN FREEHOLD, NJ.

C230 Sport Coup

Hmmmm....
The one on ebay came off an SLK....it's used.
$650 is new, and specifically for the C230.
Both are Eaton M45's but there are some slight differences I think.

I'd buy the new one from the dealer, the link I posted.
I'm really not sure how long to replace it.
But people around here have had there's off to
have them ported and if the dealer takes 8 hours, it should take us 16.

Besides, think about....a mechanic could R&R the whole engine in less than 8 hours. SC is a matter of talking apart the intake etc. As you can see in the pic on ebay, it has only a few bolt holes, it's not inside the engine or anything.....it can't be that hard.

Why is that you think your SC is bad?
Just because the stealer said so?

Don't be too hard on your Kleeman pulley...
lots of people have had the SC replaced, with and without pulley's.

I "know" (ahem) people who've had ASP's on their cars since like 25K miles and now have 96K miles, and the only known issue is, or er was a belt tensioner and pulley, and thats just a vibration when cold.
Actually a new belt did wonders to help that.

Likely they're charging you 4 hours to swap the pulley back to stock...
a 1 hour driveway job (if you know how) 1/2 hour on a rack, just to punish you.

SeaCoupe

I'm willing to bet that it is the seals that have blown. You can search for a post that I did that documented what happened to my car at 94,xxx miles.

I was qouted 4k, but it was covered under warranty. You should feel lucky.

Wait until you get the unit serviced to find out the culprit.

Ed

Buellwinkle

This was a common problem with the Kleemann pulley. I knew someone that went through 4 s/c. Actually, $2k isn't so bad for a new s/c from a dealer. You can get a used one or refurb for well under a grand and put it in yourself, iit's not that hard and then lose that pulley.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merce...temZ8039035016

rlee02135

now that you need a new one, you can port and polish it first

c230 o5

if my S/C blew i woudnt even replace it with another s/c. i would replace it with a TURBO well ur still going oto pay for another s/c y not just get a turbo instead

goodkat

I will certainly spend the $150 and buy a new one, from an as yet undetermined source, as opposed to one that has X amount of miles on it. Clearly David Michael is trying to take advantage of someone whom they think would never have any idea of how many hours it REALLY takes to swap the superchargers. Thanks to the help of those here (and Al Gore for inventing the Internet ) ), I have gotten some great advice.

I will visit David Michael the first chance I get this coming week and ask them to SHOW ME the damage, if that is possible. Buellwinkle, I am engine illiterate and have no hope of performing this seemingly simple swap myself. I will end up paying someone to do it for me, armed with the knowledge that it should not take more than two hours to do

There will be NO port and polish on the new unit )

BadAssC230k

Ok, so this has convinced me to rethink a pulley. And considering there were only a few made by Kleemen and voila they up and discontinued them for no reason. Kinda weird huh?

But on the side of port n polish... I thought I read somehwere that it only ounced out few hp gains [think i read somewhere between 6-7hp]. Now did i totally read wrong? how much exactly does that cost to be done?


I'm thinking more along the lines of simply doing headers and exhaust, maybe chipping if i get bored and have a spare $650 on standby.

rlee02135

i think its around $300 to do it. worth it cause a $1000 renntech pulley could only get you 10hp and a $1500 header could only get you 15hp

Buellwinkle

I seriously doubt that any pulley on the M271 motor will net you 10hp, not peak power. What will happen is it will feel faster as boost will build up sooner but then peak early so you may get the 10hp in the midle range but not at peak. Keep in mind, the problem with S/C going bad only happened with Kleemann pulleys, not Renntech, Brabus, Vaeth, or others.

BTW, if you did get a used one, it might was well be ported/polish so it will be like new inside.

BadAssC230k

just to recap, whats the approx. hp gain on port/polish? sound diff? throttle response?

Sounds like i may do that. then the next step is, finding someone who knows what their are doin on euro cars.... i wonder if CarLab does that. hmm...

C230 Sport Coup

I doubt you'll find it any cheaper.
It's an actual dealer in Florida that sells for cheap to lowly consumers such as us. But only online I hear. I bought C32 rotors for $90 each from them.
About 1/2 of what they wanted locally.
Because of them, I may have a chance to keep my car, and afford to maintain it.

The common number I'd always heard tossed around was $1k.
Before you tell the dealer to bite you, grill him to find out exactly which parts they were going change, what needs to be removed to get the SC out, what they'll be doing for 8 hours. Asking questions is free! Only THEN tell them, you're just a little short this month, and thanks anyway.
Yeh, actually 2 grand isn't bad for MBZ. I'm sure it did include put the pulley back to stock.

When I was 19, I'd never worked on cars. Well just a little.
I used to hand my dad tools. I mean, like sit there, and hand him tools.

I had a Toyota PU with a blown head gasket and not enough money to pay to get it fixed. Went to the dealer, walked right up to the mechanics and asked how to do it. It wasn't easy. But I pulled my first head,
put it back together and drove it for another 100K miles.
Heck I labelled every part, and put them in envelopes.
It took a while, but I can tell you, it felt so good when it fired right up.

I've used that approach ever since. Even at the MBZ dealer.
Go to the parts counter, look at the microfiches....
make 'em work for you. I've had the parts guy get a mechanic
for me! So I could ask questions on how to repair stuff! For free.
Yeh, for real.

Read the forums, and be not afraid young skywalker.
A bolt is a bolt. They loosen, and tighten. Even if it is an inverted torx head,
something that is enough to scare some people off.

Invest in tools, rather than your mechanics vacation in the south of france.
Everything I know about repairing my benz I learned online, and from people I met in MBZ forums.

Buell, so ASP doesn't' have this problem? My (ahem) friend has been a little nervous with the 100K warranty about to expire. At least he wont have to change the pulley every time 'he' goes in for service. he he

C230 Sport Coup

Discontinued for no reason?
Ha...you need to read up.

RES

I just bought my Kleeman K2 kit with pulleys. hmmm, I didn't know they where discontinued. And the difference in manufactures of pulleys would not cause the malfunction since the pulleys that are changed are not even mounted on the suppercharger. You just change the speed it is rotating. And all of the pulleys do that. Most turbo and superchargers that fail usually have something to do with oil problems. Supply or dirty or whatever. then you have the over use ones that fail because most likely you know why they failed. If you mod your car for more power chances are you drive it a little harder, or else why mod it. As for changing to a turbo, WTF, turbo lag, exessive heat and not to mention having to completly redesign the hole engine compartment layout. They do bolt on if someone makes a kit??? But not a good move. And as for my knowledge Ive been an aircraft mechanic for 17 years. So why don't we just put a jet engine in it!! YAH! YAH! Thats it!

SeaCoupe

Kleeman pulleys with problems? Haven't heard of that one. I have had my Kleeman Pulley on for over20K miles. No probs. None, NADA.

I will say, that if you are unfamiliar with mechanical work, don't attempt to do the S/C. I say this more from the standpoint of your safety. If, however, you are familiar with working on a car, and know your way around using hand tools, this is doable. Honestly, if can you put your car on jacks, then you qualify. There is plenty of room in the M111 engine compartment.

As for Turbo? This is retarded. How is your turbo car working out? What, you don't have one? So, apparently you just like making suggestions? We are moving from what is a budget project, to a Turbo conversion? Big dollars, lots of specialty engineering. What a silly suggestion.

I bet the guy who suggested the Turbo has the Fast and the Furious on DVD.

Now that our models are commonly getting resold and devaluing, I'm seeing more and more Dip S**t posts than ever.

Good grief.

Russel, when you going to Dyno your mods? I was hoping you would put up some info on the before and after of your installation.

E

RES

Sorry I didn't get a before, but the Porsche club I belong to is doing a dyno day coming up. So I hope to take both cars to check them out. Saves on dyno cost when we rent it for all day. I have to redo the top end of the Porsche this week because of a naste vacume leak. Things that happen when you run the crap out of them. I hope to take the Mercedes for a lite track day, I think the Sprint Booster will help launch out of the corners better, but I hope it doesn't over do it. I will poet results with the original install post soon.

C180KsportP

[QUOTE=goodkat;1784741]I can't imagine the OEM supercharger is designed to go only 61,000 miles. I will go under the assumption the Kleemann pulley is responsible for the destruction of my supercharger. Good luck to everyone else with aftermarket pulleys on their cars.
QUOTE]

I thought I did a very careful search on the Kleemann 's product before I installed my K-BOX..
Couldnt it be the problem coming from the S/C itself ?


You've got 55K miles on your kleemann pulley .. Anyone here with after market pulley with longer mileage ?

nuclearhappines

how often should supercharger oil be replaced?
how often should s/c oil should be replaced if you have a pulley, live in a REALLY hot climate (like 100+ degrees over 80% of the year) , or both?

-nuke

k_lundquist

Here. Here.