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From: Land of mountains, cheese, chocolate and watches
12' W204 C63 AMG coupe "T-Rex", 12' W451 Smart Fortwo Pulse (99' W202 C43 AMG + Ultima Can-Am sold)
Winter upgrades 19'-20'
So it's the time of year that my Grand'ma is stocked away to hibernate till the weather gets warmer again and salt has been washed off the roads.
First job was changing the alarm siren as the OE internal battery was dead https://mbworld.org/forums/c36-amg-c...arm-siren.html and had leaked inside the unit. After dishing out a 159$ equivalent, the new one has been installed but I haven't tried to see if it works. Not really wanting to have my ears burst by the siren going off in the workshop. Installation is easy if the lower splash shield on the driver's side is removed.
Second job was attaching grilles to cover the fog light holes. The lights had to be disconnected after an advisory at the technical inspection 3 years ago due to the vehicle's lowered stance and I totally removed them leaving open holes in the lower bumber. Fog lights have to be above a minimum height from the ground, which was no longer the case with the KW Variant2 suspension set-up. I never got around finding a solution to cover the holes until now. Guess pure laziness
I had always wanted to install brake scoops to improve front brake cooling, as the pads have a tendency of "cooking" with hard use driving down mountain roads. I don't really want to drive off the mountain due to brake failure So installed some powder coated alloy grilles and lurking behind are some nifty scoops I ordered in a UK race shop. Next job will be attaching a flex hose to the scoop and threading it through the splash shield. Normally the hose should blow air behind the dust shield onto the rotors but I haven't figured out how without snagging the suspension parts. Need to get my thinking cap on over the next weeks
More updates as they materialize.
Alloy black powder coated grilles with the air scoops lurking behind... Brake scoops bonded with Wurth black gunk. It really sticks when dry while remaining slightly flexible Brake scoop from another angle Silicone flex tubing with attaching alloy funnels which can be glued or riveted to a hard support
Last edited by DRBC43AMG; Dec 8, 2019 at 12:57 PM.
So it's the time of year that my Grand'ma is stocked away to hibernate till the weather gets warmer again and salt has been washed off the roads.
First job was changing the alarm siren as the OE internal battery was dead https://mbworld.org/forums/c36-amg-c...arm-siren.html and had leaked inside the unit. After dishing out a 159$ equivalent, the new one has been installed but I haven't tried to see if it works. Not really wanting to have my ears burst by the siren going off in the workshop. Installation is easy if the lower splash shield on the driver's side is removed.
Second job was attaching grilles to cover the fog light holes. The lights had to be disconnected after an advisory at the technical inspection 3 years ago due to the vehicle's lowered stance and I totally removed them leaving open holes in the lower bumber. Fog lights have to be above a minimum height from the ground, which was no longer the case with the KW Variant2 suspension set-up. I never got around finding a solution to cover the holes until now. Guess pure laziness
I had always wanted to install brake scoops to improve front brake cooling, as the pads have a tendency of "cooking" with hard use driving down mountain roads. I don't really want to drive off the mountain due to brake failure So installed some powder coated alloy grilles and lurking behind are some nifty scoops I ordered in a UK race shop. Next job will be attaching a flex hose to the scoop and threading it through the splash shield. Normally the hose should blow air behind the dust shield onto the rotors but I haven't figured out how without snagging the suspension parts. Need to get my thinking cap on over the next weeks
More updates as they materialize.
Alloy black powder coated grilles with the air scoops lurking behind...
Brake scoops bonded with Wurth black gunk. It really sticks when dry while remaining slightly flexible
Brake scoop from another angle
Silicone flex tubing with attaching alloy funnels which can be glued or riveted to a hard support
Nice winter project. I was under my C36 the other day and noticed there is actually some factory brake -cooling venting which I thought was pretty impressive.
From: Land of mountains, cheese, chocolate and watches
12' W204 C63 AMG coupe "T-Rex", 12' W451 Smart Fortwo Pulse (99' W202 C43 AMG + Ultima Can-Am sold)
Originally Posted by Goldecho
Nice winter project. I was under my C36 the other day and noticed there is actually some factory brake -cooling venting which I thought was pretty impressive.
Yeah and you probably have noticed that there is a special cooling duct to the engine support in order to cool the rubber
From: Land of mountains, cheese, chocolate and watches
12' W204 C63 AMG coupe "T-Rex", 12' W451 Smart Fortwo Pulse (99' W202 C43 AMG + Ultima Can-Am sold)
Driving Grandma to the MB shop to get a signature on the advisories given following the technical inspection. Position lights back to OE with new bulbs and fog light holes covered with a grille. Then a pressure wash and back in the garage for a deep winter sleep. Despite the sun currently out for the moment, weather forecast predicts heavy snow showers starting tonight and over next days, so need to get this done pronto
I locked the vehicle and heard 3 bips when doing so and 1 bip when unlocking. May investigate how to uncode the bips as I'm not really in those noise things. Engine sounds are better IMHO
Last edited by DRBC43AMG; Dec 12, 2019 at 07:41 AM.
From: Land of mountains, cheese, chocolate and watches
12' W204 C63 AMG coupe "T-Rex", 12' W451 Smart Fortwo Pulse (99' W202 C43 AMG + Ultima Can-Am sold)
An upgrade I'll be doing over the winter months will be the installation of a ATF cooler. This will do away with the OE water/oil radiator which is apparently a ticking time bomb, with the tendency of leaking water into the ATF circuit and this ruining your transmission
Problems happend with bad Valeo radiators on C32.
The C43 had Behr parts which are known for their quality, Behr is a lot better than Valeo!
Aftermarket Behr may be manufactured in China which may be questionable for their Q reputation?
The OE parts for MB are made in Germany.
The ATF coolers from Behr are good stuff.
Are you replacing the entire oil cooler next to oil filter housing?
You only need to replace the 3 gaskets inside, as they turn stiff.
Knock on wood and still lucky, I don't have any leaks yet despite 21 years of age.
I'm going to replace my gasket next year before doing an oil change just to prevent a possible oil mess on my pulleys and belt.
No-one knows when it will start leak?
From: Land of mountains, cheese, chocolate and watches
12' W204 C63 AMG coupe "T-Rex", 12' W451 Smart Fortwo Pulse (99' W202 C43 AMG + Ultima Can-Am sold)
Originally Posted by MattCordell
Problems happend with bad Valeo radiators on C32.
The C43 had Behr parts which are known for their quality, Behr is a lot better than Valeo!
Aftermarket Behr may be manufactured in China which may be questionable for their Q reputation?
The OE parts for MB are made in Germany.
The ATF coolers from Behr are good stuff.
Are you replacing the entire oil cooler next to oil filter housing?
You only need to replace the 3 gaskets inside, as they turn stiff.
Knock on wood and still lucky, I don't have any leaks yet despite 21 years of age.
I'm going to replace my gasket next year before doing an oil change just to prevent a possible oil mess on my pulleys and belt.
No-one knows when it will start leak?
Hi Matt,
I am not touching the engine oil cooler attached to the oil filter housing. The three oils seals/gaskets were changed preventively last winter, when I changed the water pump and fixed the leak from the oil pressure pickup cover in the front of the engine block.
The upgrade will be the installation of a dedicated cooler for the transmission ATF as per video shown.
From: Land of mountains, cheese, chocolate and watches
12' W204 C63 AMG coupe "T-Rex", 12' W451 Smart Fortwo Pulse (99' W202 C43 AMG + Ultima Can-Am sold)
Originally Posted by MattCordell
You will install an extra cooler, now I get it.
What is the cooler inside the liner on front passengers side?
Is it for tranny cooling?
If its the one just behind the bumber, yup that's the tranny cooler which is a water/air cooler, i.e. coolant circulates through the unit with the risk of leaks, contamination of the ATF and catastrophic consequences to the transmission.. This cooler is eliminated altogether. The water pipes closed in loop and a separate in line air cooler is installed. Simple
If its the one just behind the bumber, yup that's the tranny cooler which is a water/air cooler, i.e. coolant circulates through the unit with the risk of leaks, contamination of the ATF and catastrophic consequences to the transmission.. This cooler is eliminated altogether. The water pipes closed in loop and a separate in line air cooler is installed. Simple
That's the one cooler behind the bumper.
Do MB sell gaskets for this cooler to take it apart and refresh with new rubbers?
I don't think and certainly can't see how the cooler can be dismantled.
The tranny cooler, is it connected with rubber hoses or copper lines as it is for brake lines?
Only thing I can think of is if a rubber hose cracks and leaks from the tranny oil cooler?
This cooler is a sealed part made of aluminium?
From: Land of mountains, cheese, chocolate and watches
12' W204 C63 AMG coupe "T-Rex", 12' W451 Smart Fortwo Pulse (99' W202 C43 AMG + Ultima Can-Am sold)
Originally Posted by MattCordell
The tranny cooler, is it connected with rubber hoses or copper lines as it is for brake lines?
Only thing I can think of is if a rubber hose cracks and leaks from the tranny oil cooler?
This cooler is a sealed part made of aluminium?
If you view the video in my post #5 you will clearly see that the water pipes to and from the cooler are rubber, while the oil pipes from the transmission are metal.
As far as I can see and something you can also expect, the cooler is a sealed unit.
1998 C43 w/ 55 swap Wavetrac LSD and 6-Speed manual
The trans coolers MB had big problems with are the ones integrated into the radiator in the mid 2000s. The C43 trans cooler is completely different and in my mind a more robust design. If worried about it - just replace the cooler with a new OEM. Or have it pressure tested and inspected by a good radiator shop. Furthermore, I suspect it's function is more then a cooler - in very cold weather it would also help warm up the trans fluid via heat transfer from the coolant. Something the air only cooler won't do.
I suspect failures of the C43 trans cooler are a symptom of poor maintenance and/or the wrong radiator fluid - nothing to do with the design. There are specific formulations of radiator fluid to be used in MBs b/c of the alloys used. Coolant can also become more corrosive over time if not changed per the maintenance schedule. C43 coolers that have failed are likely to be a direct result of one or both of these mistakes.
From: Land of mountains, cheese, chocolate and watches
12' W204 C63 AMG coupe "T-Rex", 12' W451 Smart Fortwo Pulse (99' W202 C43 AMG + Ultima Can-Am sold)
Originally Posted by x463
The trans coolers MB had big problems with are the ones integrated into the radiator in the mid 2000s. The C43 trans cooler is completely different and in my mind a more robust design. If worried about it - just replace the cooler with a new OEM. Or have it pressure tested and inspected by a good radiator shop. Furthermore, I suspect it's function is more then a cooler - in very cold weather it would also help warm up the trans fluid via heat transfer from the coolant. Something the air only cooler won't do.
I suspect failures of the C43 trans cooler are a symptom of poor maintenance and/or the wrong radiator fluid - nothing to do with the design. There are specific formulations of radiator fluid to be used in MBs b/c of the alloys used. Coolant can also become more corrosive over time if not changed per the maintenance schedule. C43 coolers that have failed are likely to be a direct result of one or both of these mistakes.
Thanks and appreciate the insight. I had also thought of the benefit of heat transfer from the coolant in cold weather driving, but in my case the C43 never sees the roads during winter.
1998 C43 w/ 55 swap Wavetrac LSD and 6-Speed manual
Coolant temp is relatively stable (compared to outside air temp) as it's regulated by the fans and thermostat. It's likely not just cold weather that's a factor. Considering how the fluid level of the trans needs to be checked at a specific temperature of 80 C I wouldn't mess with the original design. It's possible you won't get the trans fluid up to temp quickly or there will be a lot of variation with an air only cooler. There has to be a reason MB didn't go with a much cheaper/simpler air only cooler and it's probably a pretty damn good reason.
From: Land of mountains, cheese, chocolate and watches
12' W204 C63 AMG coupe "T-Rex", 12' W451 Smart Fortwo Pulse (99' W202 C43 AMG + Ultima Can-Am sold)
Wednesday I had a sneak peak of my 18" Monos which have been totally refurbished. Now also fitted with new Michelin SP4's. Will be going to pick them up in a week or two and bring them back to my garage. Grandma is still fast asleep and under covers. We've just had a period of fresh snow and the roads are all salty again. So no way is the c43 getting out of hibernation for the moment. I'll post some pics asap.
I was blown away by the quality of the work. It certainly was not cheap, but the wheels look even better than when new.
Next step will be the same work on the 17" Monos I have
Last edited by DRBC43AMG; Feb 28, 2020 at 07:27 AM.
Wednesday I had a sneak peak of my 18" Monos which have been totally refurbished. Now also fitted with new Michelin SP4's. Will be going to pick them up in a week or two and bring them back to my garage. Grandma is still fast asleep and under covers. We've just had a period of fresh snow and the roads are all salty again. So no way is the c43 getting out of hibernation for the moment. I'll post some pics asap.
I was blown away by the quality of the work. It certainly was not cheap, but the wheels look even better than when new.
Next step will be the same work on the 17" Monos I have
Yeah pics please. And where did you buy the fog grille covers? Would love a set for my black c43. Can you post pics of the front showing both grilles?
From: Land of mountains, cheese, chocolate and watches
12' W204 C63 AMG coupe "T-Rex", 12' W451 Smart Fortwo Pulse (99' W202 C43 AMG + Ultima Can-Am sold)
Hi George,
Grilles are surplus stock I had on hand from my Ultima Sports Can-Am build. Made a template of the fog light hole and cut to forme. You can find anodized alloy I different hole sizes on the internet no problem. I'll get some pics a bit later as I'm not at home until the end of the week
Hi George,
Grilles are surplus stock I had on hand from my Ultima Sports Can-Am build. Made a template of the fog light hole and cut to forme. You can find anodized alloy I different hole sizes on the internet no problem. I'll get some pics a bit later as I'm not at home until the end of the week
From: Land of mountains, cheese, chocolate and watches
12' W204 C63 AMG coupe "T-Rex", 12' W451 Smart Fortwo Pulse (99' W202 C43 AMG + Ultima Can-Am sold)
Originally Posted by speed43
Oh ok, nice job! I Look forward to the pictures.
Just one photo for the moment. Can't get a full view across the front for the moment. Later....
Oh BTW the "tooth brace" is now bonded to the bumber. No falling off ever!
Fog light covered with a grille. Behind is the brake air scoop
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So installed some powder coated alloy grilles and lurking behind are some nifty scoops I ordered in a UK race shop. Next job will be attaching a flex hose to the scoop and threading it through the splash shield. Normally the hose should blow air behind the dust shield onto the rotors but I haven't figured out how without snagging the suspension parts. Need to get my thinking cap on over the next weeks 
