CRACKED ENGINE COVER! COOLANT GONE! SCARY STUFF! HAPPENED TO ANYONE ELSE? :)
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 10
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From: Auckland, New Zealand
2002 C32 AMG
CRACKED ENGINE COVER! COOLANT GONE! SCARY STUFF! HAPPENED TO ANYONE ELSE? :)
Hi guys,
Weather was good on Saturday so went for a drive out in the country, had my C32 serviced only about 5k kms (roughly 3,000 miles ago).
Slowing to allow someone to turn off the road - drop into '2' and I'm travelling at about 60kph...gas it and 'BANG'...
ME "What was that?"
G/F "Whatever it was, it was loud."
ME "Oh ****! We're trailing smoke!"
G/F "Hmmm...that's not good." (No kidding...)
Pull over as soon as it was safe and lift the bonnet/hood.
The plastic engine cover was smashed with a hole the size of a big fist and coolant was everywhere in engine bay.
- First thought: OMG! I've thrown a rod! (Engine's dead - bye bye car)
- Second thought: OMG! The blower's blown...bye bye car...
Had it towed back home and after calming down and checking her out more and after lifting the engine cover off it doesn't look so bad.
The V-pulley that powers the blower and other things on the car that runs off the crank underneath has a small metal retaining arm/clip (right hand side as you look at it). Well it had snapped at high-speed, sliced through the main coolant pipe (for the SC), smashed through the plastic engine cover and chipped the SC pulley itself.
All my SC coolant (from memory it's about four litres) emptied out in a matter of seconds. Thank god I pulled over quickly.
She's going my mechanics today - fingers (and toes and arms and legs) crossed she's an easy fix.
Weather was good on Saturday so went for a drive out in the country, had my C32 serviced only about 5k kms (roughly 3,000 miles ago).
Slowing to allow someone to turn off the road - drop into '2' and I'm travelling at about 60kph...gas it and 'BANG'...
ME "What was that?"
G/F "Whatever it was, it was loud."
ME "Oh ****! We're trailing smoke!"
G/F "Hmmm...that's not good." (No kidding...)
Pull over as soon as it was safe and lift the bonnet/hood.
The plastic engine cover was smashed with a hole the size of a big fist and coolant was everywhere in engine bay.
- First thought: OMG! I've thrown a rod! (Engine's dead - bye bye car)
- Second thought: OMG! The blower's blown...bye bye car...
Had it towed back home and after calming down and checking her out more and after lifting the engine cover off it doesn't look so bad.
The V-pulley that powers the blower and other things on the car that runs off the crank underneath has a small metal retaining arm/clip (right hand side as you look at it). Well it had snapped at high-speed, sliced through the main coolant pipe (for the SC), smashed through the plastic engine cover and chipped the SC pulley itself.
All my SC coolant (from memory it's about four litres) emptied out in a matter of seconds. Thank god I pulled over quickly.
She's going my mechanics today - fingers (and toes and arms and legs) crossed she's an easy fix.
Last edited by ROMAN1; Mar 4, 2012 at 03:17 PM.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 10
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From: Auckland, New Zealand
2002 C32 AMG
Obviously no one's had this problem, which is good - it was pretty rough times.
My mechanic said that the retainer arm breaking is simply fatigue. So that's a good thing - but did say that I've got oil mixed in with my coolant - perhaps a leaking I/C...ah well, the price of driving a 260kW baby as a daily drive.
My mechanic said that the retainer arm breaking is simply fatigue. So that's a good thing - but did say that I've got oil mixed in with my coolant - perhaps a leaking I/C...ah well, the price of driving a 260kW baby as a daily drive.
Super Member
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 601
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From: I liva at da land down under
Porsche 2004 911
A chipped s/c pulley? Tell the gf it needs to be replaced, and hit these guys up (http://www.eurocharged.com/index.php...mart&Itemid=99) go the remote tune cable and your c32 will be up well up from 260kw.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Nov 2010
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From: Auckland, New Zealand
2002 C32 AMG
Mac - love to mate but she'll cost a fair amount to fix and she is getting on a bit (10-years and over 200-kms on the clock) so I'll probably trade her in for a '55 or a newer (hopefully '04 C32). That'll get the full treatment though.
Zep - not really mate. I've uploaded a photo (forgive me "AHO"). The RED circle is pipe that was cut. The GREEN circle is roughly where the pulley retainer arm/clip is and the BLUE is roughly where the SC pulley was dented.
Zep - not really mate. I've uploaded a photo (forgive me "AHO"). The RED circle is pipe that was cut. The GREEN circle is roughly where the pulley retainer arm/clip is and the BLUE is roughly where the SC pulley was dented.
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Super Member
Joined: Jun 2011
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From: I liva at da land down under
Porsche 2004 911
Its too late now but maybe pulley saver kit could have helped. It will strengthen everything up and get rid of the idler all together. (3 pulley, gates belt and arm) its about 300 is NZ shipped. (http://www.needswings.com/Pulley-Sav...-pskc32c3.aspx)
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From: Philadelphia, PA
2008 A8L, 2002 996TT X50, 2009 X5
Was the pulley that came loose, the ribbed guide pulley just to the left of the S/C pulley, or the smooth guide pulley underneath them?
Are you running an aftermarket pulley kit, or the stock pullies?
The silver "finned" box just down and to the right of the red circle in the picture, is an AMG-specific oil cooler. If you have oil and coolant mixing, it's probably from that part getting damaged, IMHO. Relatively expensive part, if memory serves.
Sorry to hear of your situation - good luck with your repairs.
Are you running an aftermarket pulley kit, or the stock pullies?
The silver "finned" box just down and to the right of the red circle in the picture, is an AMG-specific oil cooler. If you have oil and coolant mixing, it's probably from that part getting damaged, IMHO. Relatively expensive part, if memory serves.
Sorry to hear of your situation - good luck with your repairs.
Super Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 852
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From: DE
2005 E55
Definitely sounds like a seized pulley. You're also going to want to change you radiator to the newer Behr radiator and flush your transmission. Hopefully you caught it before it did too much damage. For more info search this forum for "glycol contamination".
Super Member
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 601
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From: I liva at da land down under
Porsche 2004 911
You can check if you have a Valeo or not as not all 2002 were fitted with the Valeo etc : again Splinter
https://mbworld.org/forums/c32-amg-c...-if-valeo.html
Last edited by macbryanie; Mar 6, 2012 at 07:05 PM. Reason: about Valeo
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 10
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From: Auckland, New Zealand
2002 C32 AMG
Was the pulley that came loose, the ribbed guide pulley just to the left of the S/C pulley, or the smooth guide pulley underneath them?
Are you running an aftermarket pulley kit, or the stock pullies?
The silver "finned" box just down and to the right of the red circle in the picture, is an AMG-specific oil cooler. If you have oil and coolant mixing, it's probably from that part getting damaged, IMHO. Relatively expensive part, if memory serves.
Sorry to hear of your situation - good luck with your repairs.
Are you running an aftermarket pulley kit, or the stock pullies?
The silver "finned" box just down and to the right of the red circle in the picture, is an AMG-specific oil cooler. If you have oil and coolant mixing, it's probably from that part getting damaged, IMHO. Relatively expensive part, if memory serves.
Sorry to hear of your situation - good luck with your repairs.
Not sure what the answer to the first one is mate.
Stock pullies...I don't reckon I'll do anything to her now (230,000kms) but my next AMG (either an '04 C32 or an '06 C55 hopefully) will be chipped.
Mechanic said my I/C was leaking, which was why my coolant had some oil in it.
Apparently it's my SC clutch which is buggered. Having to wait nearly two weeks for the parts to come ex-Germany...and driving an A160 in the meanwhile...whoopee.
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2005 Pontiac GTO 6.0 LS2 - Blue
Sounds like what happened to Juan a month back. The supercharger pulley rivets gave out. You probably didn't need an entire clutch, but instead just the pulley. Getting it repaired at a shop would have been much cheaper, or even going aftermarket such as the Eurocharged. The circled red pipe is for secondary air pump and can just be tapped. Only hot air runs through it.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 10
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From: Auckland, New Zealand
2002 C32 AMG
Sounds like what happened to Juan a month back. The supercharger pulley rivets gave out. You probably didn't need an entire clutch, but instead just the pulley. Getting it repaired at a shop would have been much cheaper, or even going aftermarket such as the Eurocharged. The circled red pipe is for secondary air pump and can just be tapped. Only hot air runs through it.
The price we pay is pricey parts when you have problems.
I'd imagine that with a considerably larger market and higher number of suppliers in the US GT4 that prices would be lower and options would be more plentiful. Economies of scale and all of that.
Anyway, she's back on Wednesday (Friday morning right now - gorgeous weather here in AKL)
