Well after sitting for almost a year now, looks like I'll finally get "Carly" the 2002 C230 Coupe back on the road.
After replacing MAF last summer, supercharger starting making a horrendous noise, and I parked it.
I occasionally started it, and drove around the block. But in doing so one time most recently the
SC completely seized and the engine wouldn't run at all.

Wow I guess the belt is very tight! Pulled the belt and it started right up. Yup, it's siezed!
I've spent a lot of time perusing used M45's on car-parts.com hours and days
but it seemed most had even more miles (or just didn't say) than mine!
Nebulous return policies where you pay to ship it back and get a credit (for spend on what? If it's the only one they have) , or pay a restocking fee is it's
stuffed!

Yesterday I finally found a new listing from a SoCal wrecker with an 03 SLK with ~80K on the engine
as shown from the odometer , and I traced the VIN and it's true and correct!
Halleluiah ! I finally found a good working part (I hope) with relatively low miles.
It looks very clean! And they're including the oil trap and bosch actuator valve which if that is also good is a nice bonus.
I paid $300+ for a new one a couple years ago! (and that was Rockauto, lowest price anywhere!) It will be nice to have a working spare!

Wow! $225 shipped to Oregon! I don't miss the bay area much, but owning a Mercedes here (Southern Oregon Coast)
and not having access to picknpull's and junkyards with used benz's makes things especially difficult!
There's only one other C Coupe around here. And mines the only blue one!

Can't wait for it to arrive!
So I'll do an oil change on it, and also while I'm at it see if can resolve the alternator issue (if it is that)
where despite the voltmeter showing that the battery is obviously charging, the red light on dash is on
most of the time.

I had the whole alt rebuilt (Valeo not Bosch) around 140K (Now at 250K) and it failed around 245K just days before we were leaving for Oregon.
I pulled the alternator some time before the SC issue happened and put in a repaired
voltage regulator which is to say the original one with new brushes installed.
I went el-cheapo and only replaced the regulator. Hmmm...so I see FCP has the Valeo I need for ~ $225. As much as I paid for a rebuild!
Need a tensioner pulley too. So ~$600....hmmm...then I gotta transfer the reg from Cali and get it insured again.
All told about a grand plus my labor. Seems like a lot but oh well, it's a Benz!

Also I'm on the 2nd supercharger. Replaced the original at 100k Miles before it could fail, with a new one I got off
ebay for $600 way back when. So the new one lasted 150K miles.
Silly me I had it off the car once and was going to do an oil change but couldn't get the plug off the front, it stripped out,
and so I skipped it. Arrgh. Might have saved me this problem. Oh well, so I've read since then just pull the snout with it sitting on end and do it that way.

I might have had it running sooner, but no where to work on it in the winter.
Rains like mad here, like 85 inches a year. Poor Carly all that rain played havoc with the electrics but once dried out seems ok now.
Also the clear coat is coming off. My sweet baby! Was still looking good till it sat in rain here in Oregon.Arrgh

At this many miles I never seem to get it running for long before something else fails but
what the heck. Just like an Italian car it is soooo fun to drive! (When it runs!!!!)
I'd love to completely restore it, but that's gonna take $$$$.
And perhaps soon in the future, will one even be able to buy gas?

Looks like Oregon is joining California in banning gas cars in 12 short years, and one has to assume...gas.
Or at least make it soooo expensive no one can afford to drive a gas car.
Well at least for now. NO SMOG CHECKS!

 

What?! No love for my baby anymore around here?
I got the tensioner pulley, alternator and supercharger ready to go.
Just trying to make room the garage to get my car in.
Making progress but likely be a week before I get started.

 

I think most people are just lurking these days.

How did the supercharger seize up? Sounds like it ran out of oil at some point.

 

I for one am glad to see you back! When I first purchased my w203 coupe you helped me with wheels and a few other things. I have now sourced the same wheels as you (17 inch) and the thing runs like a champ. My daughter, yes purchased for her to drive, still loves driving it and I take it out on the weekend when the w210 needs a rest. Welcome back!

 

I got the garage cleaned out Halleluiah!
Car is in! But created more messes in the process. So work has not started yet.
We moved 2 years ago, but so much stuff was still in garage buried. Now all furniture is in the house
and found so many things I was missing.
Managed to dispose of so much via goodwill and turned out we have a local
metal scrap yard so originally thought I'd need a dumpster but did not.
Also more than 10 years of documents that needed to be burned, shredded,
huge pile of garbage bags, found a place in Grants Pass that came to our house and
shredded our stuff right in the truck, does local banks etc too.
Now I just need to organize the garage and my tools so I can get started.

As far as SC seizing, don't know yet why until I get it out.
Kicking myself, had it out a while back, put the exhaust back to stock, and was going to do the oil change.
but couldn't get the drain plug off. Turns out I saw on Youtube you can just take the front off
and change it that way. Didn't know about that.
Way back when I replaced it with new one at 100K for $600 on ebay and sold the old one.
Back then it was a $3000 part from the dealer and I was always replacing parts in advance
so I wouldn't be at the mercy of mechanics when out of town.
So now at 250K miles year that SC has 150K miles.
Eaton once told me the expected life is 100K.
So not sure if I could have saved it.
So I still have the oil from back when and now will go into "new" SC
with 80K miles on it from an 04 SLK.
Took a long time to find a clean one, and they sent the whole mess including the
oil catch (which is useless to me for SLK) and recirculation valve which is an expensive part by itself!
I bought a new one a while back at over $300 and it would've been $1500 at the dealer wholesale!
So now I have a spare. All for $225 delivered.
No scuffs on the rotors.
Can't wait!

 

Alternator was seized! Put in newer supercharger anyway though old one looked fine. No scoring on
rotors and felt fine turning it by hand.
But I'd already put my only bottle of SC oil in the newer-ish one so wtf just keep the older one as a spare.
Also new tensioner pulley, and idler pulley was done a while back but still squeak squeak squeak
when running. Looks like the accessories side has the issue, either water pump or
tensioner pulley. I'll take the belt off and see what's what. Water pump was replaced less than 50K miles ago
Graf brand. Well bad bearing somewhere. I'll find it. Also belt was replaced not too many miles back but wow
is it cracked. So looks like i need that too.
Drove around block. Seems good but didn't put front plastic bottom pan on and rear was dragging
so it was a short drive. But sounds and feels good!
Tomorrow's another day. Add to my insurance and then get out for a longer drive.

 

Was the entire alternator seized where the pulley wouldn't turn at all or just the pulley seized that wouldn't freewheel in one direction?

Congrats on getter her back on the road! And thanks for all the contributions to the forum! (W203 lurker that recognizes your name/car from other threads)

 

Well it was so bunged up it stalled the engine and would barely run. I ended up calling a tow truck to get my car out of the street and into the driveway.DOH!
I pulled the belt and it started right up. I wrongly assumed the SC was seized, which is kinda stupid as I didn't actually get my
hands on it and try to turn it and alternator was giving an error after replacing the brushes, so I just bought both.
And yeah it will barely turn but no easily. It's the original alternator, rebuilt at 130K now at 250K so 120K additional on it.
Found a new belt in my stash, so time to do that.

 

I'm enjoying reading about your progress. Good luck getting your car back on the road.

 

It's baaaack!
See new thread "IT'S ALIVE!"
Squeak Squeak Squeak on accessories side at idle was just the belt! Very badly cracked!!!
Bought one of those stethoscope doodads.
I replaced one pulley that didn't need replacing and almost another before googling troubleshooting for
noises from the front of the engine belt area. DOH! Wow, how did I ever not have one of these before?
Well, belt fixed it!