Car: 2001, Mbz, C240, (6 cyl) 110k miles

Hello World,

Newbie to the DIY car world here but taking the plunge anyway. First time poster but long time reader, and that's cause i desperately need good help.

The Situation: had whining noise from engine so took serpentine belt off and rolled pulleys by hand (except for the crankshaft pulley - I couldn't move that one). But found whining noise eminating from Coolant Pump/Fan Pulley (number 6 in attached photograph), so now i need a Step-by-Step slow direction (by video preferably) as to how to replace this part.

Im hoping it's not hard. Thanks in advance for your help ��

 

The coolant pump fan pulley is attached to the coolant pump. Therefore, if the bearing is whining, you’ll need to replace the entire pump.

Here’s a pretty good video that shows how.
The creator seems to be a decent mechanic and explains every step well. He even mentions making a belt diagram and cardboard holder for the bolts to make sure you put the bolts in the right place on reassembly. He also mentions what tools he uses so you’ll know what you need to get.

I didn’t watch it all but through 10 minutes it looked good. BTW, here’s a capture from the video showing how the pulley mounts on the water pump:

Water pump pulley shaft on M112 engine

BTW when you’re looking for videos, it helps to know the engine designation, M112 in this case, and what other models and years use the same engine. You can get all this info from looking up your vin number specs (for example: https://www.vindecoderz.com/ ) and checking on Wikipedia (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merc...C-Class_(W203)).

Good luck! This looks like a fun project!

 

Thanks for your reply.

Just a few questions:

• What is the right tool that will remove the water-pump pulley?
• What is good wheel-bearing grease for the water pump?
  • I plan to remove the water-pump-pulley cover and add the grease to the exterior of the water-pump bearing to help stop the noise. I'm not sure if belt-dressing, silicon spray, or white-lithium grease would be good?
    • I'm trying to solve this in the cheapest way possible, as this project would be too advanced for me.
• According to what I read, would I be correct in stating that my C240 Engine Destination (M112) should be the same as the C320, C32 AMG (per https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merc...C-Class_(W203)) and E240 and CLK240 (per the E26 description at https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merc...nz_M112_engine) ?
• Side note: The vin-decoder link is impressive, just interesting that it would not specify the liters of my vehicle, which is a 2.6L - just sayin'.
• Btw: If you know of a reliable and free vehicle vin-lookup, please let me know: I use https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle

Thanks,
Namaste

 

Comments below.

 

Okay I'm thinking i might just buck up and give this a shot myself. It actually seems like fun. My fear is that I don't want to screw something up even worse. Or I also want to make sure nothing pops off ...lol ...in the middle of driving.

With that being said I'll ask you:
1. where can I find the proper torque specs for the bolts involved in this situation?
2. I looked up the parts on rockauto.com and saw that some of the the water pumps offered come with a gasket and seal but in the video At 16 min the mechanic says putting on a gasket doesn't make sense to him....not sure if i should put the gasket or the seal on?!
3. This may seem amateurish but i realized that id have to remove the under-belly cover (to drain the coolant and retreive the tools that i lost there in the past couple of days) and the only way i can do this is by jacking up the car:

• Can I use the standard (flimsy) mercedes car-jack (meant for tire changes) to do this?
• do you have pics or vids on how to remove it?

I'll be researching online torx sets to purchase as I need a T50...

Thanks in advance for your help!!

Namaste

 

Only you can decide if your skills, aptitude and interest are up to the task.

I think if you approach it with patience and a desire to learn and do things right you’ll make out ok.

If you’re the type that is easily frustrated or are inclined to give up when things go sideways, well then you might want to think twice.

Torque specs are here: https://workshop-manuals.com/mercede...res/page_3428/

Regarding which of the two gaskets to use, I saw a how to on Pelican parts where someone asked the same question ( https://www.pelicanparts.com/techart...eplacement.htm). The advice was to see which type was used in the original and replace with same. Sounds like good advice. They have a nice written procedure too. Prices also seem good, you might want to give them your business. I’ve used rock auto, Pelican, FCP Auto, ECS tuning and others. All good. Even Amazon—sometimes they have good prices on parts by the OEM manufacturer. Sometimes they sell pure junk.

Some people like to use Permatex gasket compound on jobs like this but I usually stick with stock gaskets and seals on MBs. If you have a flat gasket, make sure you clean it well if anything is left on the engine block. Be careful though since the block is aluminum. You don’t want to gouge it.

Good luck!
5by5

 

Forgot your last question about jacking!

Yes you can use the standard jack but you must use jack stands to support the car when you work under it. Don’t skip this—you could easily be killed if the car comes down. I had a close call once so I don’t cut any corners here.

Otherwise try ramps or running the car up on wood planks to get some room to work.

I just looked at my C240. I think you might be able to remove the most forward screws, drop the belly pan a little and access the radiator drain without removing the entire pan. Once you drain the coolant, I think you can finish the job from above. 8mm hex.

Where are you located BTW? If you’re in the US near a Harbor Freight store, they have a set of star sockets and bits for $15. It includes T50 and T55. Search for “star sockets.”
5by5

 

yes i'm excited about doing it but anxious at the same time. wanna finish it this week. thanks for telling me about the jack stand as i was unsure that was needed.

1. newbie question: i'm thinking that i could just unfasten the fasteners on the hoses that connect to the water pump with a flat screwdriver or pliers, then refasten them, correct?

2. Instead of the Permatex Gasket Compound that you were referring to, I took the same-colored (black) grease from a mechanic shop...I plan to put that on both sides of the gasket - can that work instead?

3. The torque-spec link you sent me is confusing to me so I'm thinking of just fastening the bolts according to feel; hard enough so they won't fall off - do you think that'll work?

 

Clamps: OEM is a locking clamp like this only bigger. They require a special tool to unlock. Most people switch to stainless steel screw type hose clamps. My 2005 has had the water pump replaced by previous owner. It now has screw type hose clamps.

OEM clamp looks like this only bigger:


You can twist/cut them off with a pair of diagonal cutter pliers. Then reassemble with hose clamps. They’re cheap and easy to use. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File....screw.agr.jpg

For the gaskets, just clean the mating surfaces and install dry. Permatex could be used as a replacement for gaskets but I’d use the ones that come with your pump. Grease could mess up the rubber gasket and isn’t necessary for the flat gasket.

Best,
5by5

 

Torque specs: You can go be feel if you have a lot of experience with smaller bolts in aluminum. It’s safest to use a torque wrench though because it’s easy to over tighten and strip the threads or break the bolt. That’s a big headache to fix. Of course, if you don’t tighten enough, it might leak.

Do do you have a torque wrench? If so, you can convert the units to whatever scale is on your wrench. The mechanical click type torque wrenches only cost about $20 at discount tool store. Cheap insurance. https://www.harborfreight.com/38-in-...nch-63880.html

 

M6 are the smaller bolts. Torque to 10 Nm.
M8 are the larger ones. 26 Nm
M6 pulley bolts are 9.

 

Getting started is utterly frustrating: The most difficult thing so far in beginning my project is finding the proper car-jack stands. I've been chasing different auto-parts stores for jack stands and it seems that everyone has the same kind and none of them fit the C240; the U-shaped handles at the top of the jack stand don't fit the C240 anywhere under the sides of the vehicle. And trying to get these jacks to stand under the car itself require a floor-jack, otherwise trying to do it with the OEM standard-jack would be just too risky.

This car has 4 "mounting spots" (on the side frames by the tires) meant for to jack up the car, but once you jack the car up, where the heck do you put the jack-stands?! The mounting spots seem to be made of hard steel (which is why one can jack their car up in that spot) but the part of the frame located on either side of the mounting spots seem to be made of hard plastic, which won't hold the car-jack stands and would be dangerous to place there.

I was hoping I could put a few two-by-fours under the tires but I think that's dangerous too, especially if I don't have wheel chocks there. I'm frustrated at this point. Do I really need to buy a car ramp just to drain the coolant fluid and remove the belly pan?

What are your thoughts - can you show me via photos?

Btw, thanks for the torque specs...as I was looking them up on my own I just didn't understand pre-tapped vs not pre-tapped thread. I'm assuming we always go according to the pre-tapped thread, since that's what your circled....ha!

 

You should be able to make those work. They’re very similar to the ones I use.

I usually don’t put the jackstands at the lifting point. It would be difficult maybe impossible if you’re using the supplied jack.

I normally use one of the hard points on the frame where suspension components connect to the frame. You need to use some care and maybe trial and error to find a spot in the front that’s both solid and doesn’t block the belly pan.

Have you tried removing some of the belly pan bolts without jacking? I think you can probably remove at least four which may give you enough clearance to drain the radiator without lifting the car.

My daughter drives the 2005 so there’s no way for me to try this right now. Next chance for me is Sat; I’ll try to answer your question then.
5by5

 

That's not encouraging.

Imho, I hate those types of jack stands. Imho, they are good only for trucks/SUVs.
You want a jack stand that makes sense to use on a real life car.

I have a bunch of both of the following. Imho, someone else's life may not be worth ~$25-$50, but mine is!
Camco 2 Pack 44561 Aluminum Camper Jack-2 Pack, 2 Pack
Price: $21.82



Camco Olympian Aluminum Stack Jacks, Stabilize, Position And Level Your RV, Trailer Or Camper, Can Support Up to 6,000 lbs, Extends 17" - (4 Pack) (44560)
Price: $31.40



Fwiw, the following type may be good if the car is going to be on jack stands for more than a day:
Torin Big Red Aluminum Jack Stands: 3 Ton Capacity, 1 Pair
Price: $69.79

Btw, I found that photo in t his thread (an interesting read):
https://www.benzworld.org/forums/w12...stand-but.html



Imho, I use a composite decking as a wide and stable base, and a Camco jack stand, if the car is going to be on jack stands for any length of time.


As for ramps, imho, "Race Ramps" are the only decent general purpose ramps.
The plastic ramps have a bad tendency to skid/slide.
After screwing around with POS plastic POS ramps too many times, I bought the following:
Race Ramps RR-40 40" Race Ramp- Pack of 2
Price: $140.60




Good luck!

 

Its so amazing that out of all of the videos i watched about changing the water pump and flushing the coolant, none discused the imprtance of proper car jacking and mounting, so it isn't a surprise that a newbie like myself wouldn't think that jacking up your car is that difficult and that mounting it on stands is really that important. It's only after the trunk full of tool purchases that ive made and im ready to begin do i find out that theres a science to getting the car lifted!!

RedGray: First thank you for shaing that post about car jacking, it really wowed me.

Second, im thinking of getting the Harbor Freight ramps i posted up here, what do you think? Or just drive my goodyears onto some 2x4s - I dont know and im at a loss and on a $$ budget.

Third, where is the frame rail on a C240?

5by5: I didnt get started on the belly pan at all as i wanna get enough room for the whole thing in one shot. Im trying to finish this project before the weekend.

Where's the location near the suspensions that you're talking about?

thanks all

 

Google is your friend! https://www.pelicanparts.com/techart..._Your_Benz.htm

Red, I like your suggestion to use the screw type jackstands. They’d fit the lifting points better than the cast ratchet type.

As for hard points, there’s a spot in the center under a cut out in the pan. This is where I put the floor jack to lift the front but you need to use a spacer or block. You can’t remove the belly pan until you rest the car on jack stands. (Ignore the glass cloth. That’s the repair for a torn up belly pan.)



Here’s the spot near where the control arm mounts. It’s where I put the stands.

 

I can confirm that you don’t need to jack up car and remove belly pan to access radiator drain. This picture was taken with the front four belly pan bolts removed. You can reach them all without jacking. The picture shows jack stands but that’s just so I can get a decent picture.

 

Here’s how I jack the car and where I place the jackstands

 

Picture of car on the ground with the front four belly pan bolts removed. Notice, that this gives enough clearance to access drain.

 

Here’s a picture of the belly pan bolts you need to remove. Car is on the ground. I used 1/4 drive ratchet and 8mm socket with 2” ext. to remove bolts.

Easily done with car on the ground by reaching under. No need for jacks and jack stands!

 

Jacking setup. Note you don’t need to jack car if you remove the front four belly pan bolts!

 

Thank you for your photos - now this gives me a clearer understanding of where to place the front jack-stands (with U-shaped handles).

Good article: but not sure where the location is when it refers to putting an extra jack-stand at the "steel box section of body"....?

 

Not sure. Maybe just someplace solid like the spot I showed for my jack stands. Or use the center lift point for the backup. Btw, be sure to let the car down on the stands. It will be much more stable than leaving the car on the jack.

A backup jack stand is good but I usually use the spare tire. It’s thick enough to protect the average human and it spreads the weight around so you don’t have to worry about it catching the car.

I’ll say it one more time though—you don’t need to jack the car to drain the coolant. The safest place of all is to leave the car on the ground.

 

5by5, you have a concrete driveway and live in CO?
How the heck do you get away with that? CO weather is similar to New England weather. The temperature extremes and the above 32F/below32F winter temps are extremely abusive to anything concrete.

I agree that on concrete, those types of jacks are very stable, and are good.
For asphalt, they are not good. One end will begin to sink in, and so on.

My dad got me a set, when a car "didn't stay where it was, when it was jacked up".
So, those 4 jacks will stay with me for as long as I'm around. They are also a very good reminder that Safety must come first!
It's also interesting what and why, when have an emotional attachment to some objects.


HealthBar:
Imho, most plastic ramps are the same. They all have the same issue with slipping and sliding.
If you get one, then I suggest using 3M Lifetime Silicon to attach the POS rubber foot up front, to it's housing under the front of the ramp. Those rubber feet come out after the ramp has been used a few times.
How well the plastic ramps do not slide, depends where in the Country, where you'll use it, how you'll use it, when you'll use it, etc.

Two years ago, in Autumn, I had to use my old metal ramps, to do something in my driveway. The two sets of plastic ramps kept sliding. Looking back, I should've tried a "anti fatigue" mat under the ramps, and long enough so that my tire would be fully on the mat, before it got to the plastic ramps.


Regardless, my RaceRamps are awesome! Imho, they are one of my best purchases ever in tools.
As a matter of fact, I loved my RaceRamps ramps so much, I even got the RaceRamp lifting Cribs.
Race Ramps RR-WC-10-2 10" Adjustable Wheel Crib
Price: $139.65



Good Luck!

 

Hey I just got my car onto the ramps and realized that I don't have enough room to work (from above the engine) so my question is, after I drain the coolant, then lock up the belly pan, can I then reverse the car off the car ramps to change the water pump while entire car is on the ground. Then once I install the water pump while it's on the ground (not on the ramps) I will fill the reservoir with coolant and will not need to access the belly pan anymore??

I really wanted to get this done before sundown, so any quick reply would be appreciated...

Side notes:

Btw RedGray, I'm not familiar with the car lingo yet so POS rubber stands for....? And I will most likely ask you later on about lift-cribs and the 3M silicone that you mentioned (and how that works) etc...but for now the above is my priority....

Thanks!!