m a x i m u s

hey guys.

the old c43 is close to hitting the 80K milestone, so i was thinking about some preventative maintenance.

i have always had the a/b service done, had the tranny flushed at 55K, 60K, and 70 K (due to tranny work, under warranty), replaced O2 and MAF sensors at 60K.

BELTS ... what belts do we have on the cars? serpentine, accessory drive, fan? when have you all changed these?

SPARKS PLUGS ... i have yet to change these, car runs fine, though. when do you guys swap these out for new ones?

FUEL FILTER ... again, never changed. car runs fine. when did you change it?

TIMING CHAIN ... ditto.

any other suggestions would also be appreciated. i love the amg and would like to make it last for years to come, as well as ward off any big ticket repairs before they become a problem!!

MarcusF

If a dealer has been servicing your car, they should have checked the drive belt every B-service. I change my belt every 5 years regardless of condition.

Your car is nine years old. Regardless of mileage, I’ve never heard of any spark plug having a spec longer than 5 years. I would *carefully* change the plugs ASAP. The threads on your plugs are steel. The heads are aluminum. The plugs have been in about twice as long as they should have been. I’d change them "very carefully".

The fuel filter is way over due. My CLK maintenance booklet says 60,000 miles. Regardless of mileage, filters last about 4 years at best. The filter element in a fuel filter will clog and/or deteriorate over time. Clogged filters are hard on fuel pumps and cause low line pressure. Low pressure results in lousy spray patterns. When a filter deteriorates it allows trash to flow downstream to the injectors. This also causes the injectors to have lousy spray patterns. However, if the pattern is bad due to dirt, the injectors probably should be removed and serviced (RC Engineering in Torrance is who I use). I’d change the fuel filter immediately.

I’ve never heard of the double row chain on an M113 needing work.

As for other work, you may want to check the flex dics and motor mounts. If they're orginal, they're probably in need of replacement. I change coolant every other year (MB USA says every 3), brake fluid flush every other year, change the diff fluid every 4 years, and paper air filters (engine or cabin) deteriorate if left longer than 4 years. Since I drive 25K or so per year, mine never come close to lasting 4 years.

IHTH

StapleGun

Marcus is right on all - the big concern on the plugs is NEVER change them (spark plugs) on a hot/warm engine, YOU WILL cross thread and trash the head.

Fuel filter is an easy DIY. Also, check up on your harmonic balancer - there's an active campaign on its replacement at no cost to you, bring a serpentine belt and have 'em put in when replacing it.

v0ac

Mine i bought at 50k miles, and changed right away :
-Regular oil change ( every 5k km )
-Tranny filter/oil
-Air filters
-Fuel filter
-Some suspension work, drag link, spring adjust + allignement to be PERFECT

without asking if it's ok or not, just do it lol

m a x i m u s

thanks for the input, guys! i guess ill be changing my air and fuel filters and spark plugs this week or so.

question about the fuel filter ... i know where it is, and what it is, but was wondering if there are any tricks i should know about? ive replaced one on my honda before, but that was mounted high up in the engine bay by the firewall. since the MB one is mounted low, i assume i need to pinch off the hoses? i worry that i may stress the hoses if i do though ...

also, any preferences as to brand? bosch? mann?

v0ac

I would go with K&N,
i put oem ones..not cheap it's 100$ each..2 of em' so 200$ just there lol,
easy to install

m a x i m u s

i was actually wondering about brand of fuel filter, not air filter ... i read on this forum that the k/n air filters tend to mess up the MAF, at least on the C43's.

C43AMG

Let me add that you might want to grease the pivot point of the monowiper - or risk burning up the motor.

Andy7oaks

That's interesting because for the last 2 days my wiper has been struggling at the 12 oclock position as if it had hit a rough patch. I cleaned the blade and polished the windscreen and it is still doing it. Not sure what the effects of the pivot point gaining friction looks like though.

I started up today and there was a distinct cloud of blue smoke emerge which went away after a warming up. I know I have a slight crankshaft leak but I wonder if this is a sign of things to come. My last independent service put in some oil from a company I last heard of in the 1970's so I have been topping it up with synthetic ever since. Maybe the mix is no good, synthetic and EwingOil.

Plugs and filters have already been replaced, I am having the transmission fluid replaced in December along with yet another smashed front foglight but I cannot afford to have the air con LCD display replaced as it costs $1200 (£600) aparently.

I guess I'd better check out on the forum what a MAF sensor is as I have already been stranded by the crankshaft position sensor failing when hot which you guys mention a lot. Don't want another sensor giving up the ghost

Regards

Andy

guanabara

on the wiper thing try thesuggestion above, but even before that try putting some grease on the rod that goes in and out as the wiper goes around the widshield.
Try stopping the engine as the wiper is fully extended on the 2 and 10 oclock positions.
Then you can access the full extent of the wiper holding rod. sometimes it gets very dry. Ask the dealer what type of grease to use for your car.

MarcusF

Signal to Noise has a write-up on lubing the mono-wiper.

guanabara

Thaks Marcus, that's right on the money.

This link should be saved on a thread I saw that contains photos on several DIY projects. I will try finding it again.