xsever

Yeah, nothing informative showed up, but if you have the name of the previous owner, definitely try reaching him via Facebook or whatever to ask him about what happened to the car. A friend of mine was in a similar situation and he emailed the previous owner and got a lot of useful info from him. I would definitely give it a try.

Lastly, I decoded the VIN for you and you can find below the list of options on the car:

Sales designation: CLK 550
Order number: 0 9 704 60007
Delivery date: 29 07 2008
Market: NA,North America
Production order: N

Paint code 1: 590U - FIRE OPAL RED - UNILAC
Equipment: 815A - AMARETTA/LEATHER/NAPPA/SEMI-ANILINE - BEIGE

Engine no.: 273967 30 281116
Major assembly variant: A 273 010 95 00
Part var. design.: 27396730
BITTE BASISMOTOR A 273 010 85 00 80 BESTELLEN.



PLEASE ORDER BASE ENGINE A 273 010 85 00 80.

Transmission: 722904 01 945915



SA code

212B - OP. INSTRUCT. AND MAINT. BOOKLET-ENGL. FOR USA/CAN
213 - SPEED-SENSITIVE POWER STEERING/VARIO STEERING
232 - GARAGE DOOR OPENER WITH 284 - 390 MHZ FREQUENCY
242 - FRONT SEAT RH ELECTRIC ADJUSTABLE WITH MEMORY
249 - INSIDE AND OUTSIDE MIRROR AUTOMATIC DIMMING
264 - LICENSE PLATE ATTACHMENT AMERICA
265 - LINES-NO.PLATE DISCONTINUED
275 - MEMORY PACKAGE (DRIVER SEAT, STRG. COL., MIRROR)
284B - AIRBAG LABEL - ENGLISH FOR USA
301 - ASHTRAY PACKAGE
342B - INSTRUMENT CLUSTER LANGUAGE - AMERICAN ENGLISH
359 - LOW COST TELEAID USA
387 - MOBILE PRE.-INSTALLATION (MTUS) USA / CANADA
401 - FRONT SEAT CLIMATE CONTROL
414 - ELECTRIC TILT/SLIDE SUNROOF IN GLASS VERSION
427 - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 7-SPEED
428 - STEERING WHEEL SHIFT BUTTONS/GEARSHIFT PADDLES
461 - INSTRUMENT WITH MILES IND. AND ENGLISH LEGEND
470 - TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR (TPM) LOW LINE
486 - SPORTS SUSPENSION
494 - U.S. VERSION
524 - PRODUCT PROT. F.PAINT - TRANSPORT VEH.PRESERVATION
535 - AUDIO 20 CD RADIO, USA
536 - "SIRIUS" SATELLITE RADIO COMPLETE SYSTEM
551 - ANTI-THEFT/ANTI-BREAK-IN WARNING SYSTEM
573 - CHILD SEAT MOUNTING, ISOFIX IN REAR
581 - AUTOMATIC CLIMATE CONTROL
600 - HEADLAMPS - CLEANING EQUIPMENT
615 - BI-XENON HEADLICHT W.ACTVIE CURVELIGHT RIGHT-DRIVE
619 - CORNERING ILLUMINATION
634 - DELETION - FIRST AID KIT
636 - DELETION - WARNING TRIANGLE
668 - PRODUCT PROT.F.TRANSPORT VEH. W/ TIE-DOWN HOOKS
673 - HIGH-CAPACITY BATTERY
690 - EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE (MINI SPARE)
736 - WOOD DESIGN ASH-TREE BLACK
763 - RADIO REMOTE CONTROL W/ PANIC SWITCH (315 MHZ)
772 - AMG STYLING PACKAGE-FRONT SPOILER, SIDE SKIRT
786 - AMG DOUBLE-SPOKE WHEELS 18" WITH MIXED TIRES
7XXL - NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA
809 - AEJ 08/1
810 - SOUND SYSTEM
810A - AMARETTA/LEATHER/NAPPA/SEMI-ANILINE
819 - CD CHANGER
875 - HEATED SCREEN WASH SYSTEM
881 - REMOTE TRUNK LOCKING
887 - SEPARATE TRUNK LID LOCKING
889 - KEYLESS - GO
954 - EQUIPMENT PACKAGE FOR AVANTGARDE VEHICLES
986 - IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (VIN-NO.)
989 - IDENTIFICATION LABEL UNDER WINDSHIELD
A22 - NEW CONVERTER GENERATION
A24 - JOINT FLANGE, 4-ARM 120
A49 - CONVERTER WITH 3 FRICTION DISKS
A52 - R- VALVE BODY ASSEMBLY WITH VGS 3
K15 - STEUERCODE FUER SERVICEINTERVALL 15000 KM
M273 - V8-GASOLINE ENGINE M273
M55 - CAPACITY 5,5 LITRE
NA1 - CONTROL CODE BREMEN PLANT
U12 - FLOOR MATS, VELOURS
590U - FIRE OPAL RED - UNILAC
815A - AMARETTA/LEATHER/NAPPA/SEMI-ANILINE - BEIGE
M273 - V8-GASOLINE ENGINE M273

Yidney

Why are you waiting for the arrival of your pump to get the last of the water of the water out? I thought you had already decided to take the far better course of removing the lower oil pan. Not only will you then be assured there is no more water down there (which a pump will not do), but it will be your only opportunity to peek inside the engine.

Merc Mania

I have been hesitant in asking the mechanic to remove the sump, out of concerns that in addition to the sealant that needs to be scraped off with great care using a plastic instrument, there may also be a gasket requiring replacement, that could prove difficult to find here.

The mechanic happens to be around today, and he says some M273 motors have a sump gasket, while some use sealant alone. I'll think it over some, and decide in the next day or so whether to have the sump dropped, or wait until the oil extraction pump arrives. I really would prefer to get rid of that water in the sump right away, to minimize its corrosive effect in the engine, so maybe I'll roll the dice and have the sump removed, IF my check of the WIS repair manual confirms there is no sump gasket to replace.

Just out of curiosity I looked over prices for a used M273.967 motor stateside, and found them to be steep compared to the local parts market here in Africa where a used M273 motor can be acquired for the equivalent of $1,300. By comparison, a used M273 engine up for sale on Ebay carries an asking price of $3K, while a rebuilt one is fetching prices between $10K and $12K depending on whether the buyer has a core engine to trade in.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercedes-Be...-/391033019198

http://mercedesengines.net/s550-e550/

Looking at these prices, there is no way I could afford an engine swap in this car, were I currently residing in the USA. Those Mercedes engine prices quoted in the US are out of this world.

Yidney

I think you have a bit too much concern about cleaning off the old sealant from the mating surface. The concern is to not put any gouges or large scratches in the surface that could serve as a conduit for future leaks. So yeah, using a screwdriver is a bad idea. But I have no doubt that if the old sealant was at all stubborn, I would not hesitate to use a standard single-edge razor blade held at a low angle and kept flat to the mating surface. It's all about the care with which it is done. Using a plastic tool eliminates risk from a careless person, as does cutting food with a pillow instead of a knife. You can put a pretty good edge on a plastic scraper by rubbing it in sandpaper laid on a flat surface, but it still is not great if the material is stuck on pretty good.

aleks001

I find that using a wire wheel is one of the best and easiest ways to remove gasket material quickly, sometimes it's just so stubborn it will take you literally forever with a razor blade. If your wheel is too abrasive and creates too many scratches then you just get some fine sand paper and go over it again quickly to make a nice flat surface, I just did this with the water pump in the m112 worked a charm, that old sealant was otherwise impossible to get of.

Rudeney

With the correct solvent, a plastic scraper and a microfiber cloth, you can have the old RTV cleaned off quickly.

Fatz

I would think goo gone or WD-40 would make it fairly easy to remove it with a plastic scrapper. The microfiber towel is a good idea for removing the final bits of the stuff. Since neither should hurt the surface, you could probably saturate the RTV and let it sit for 30 minutes.

aleks001

Any recommendations ? I tried wax and grease remove, brake cleaner, WD-40 and a razor blade all did nothing, this thing was baked on good!

Rudeney

MBZ has their branded chemical, but this should work, too:

https://www.permatex.com/products/ga...one-dissolver/

aleks001

I don't know man, this permatex company, i've never tried anything of theirs that has worked properly.

Rudeney

Then try this:

http://www.rmeuropean.com/Products/0...071-MFG22.aspx

Merc Mania

Oil Pan Sludge and Water


Metal Fragments of Doom
Finally decided that there was no getting around dropping the oil pan, and boy was I glad I did so. When the oil pan came off, there was thick layer, comprising a gooey cocktail of brown water and sludge as thick as axle-grease, caking the sump, meaning that it would NOT have been possible to clean out using the oil extraction pump I have on order. It really is amazing that such a quantity of primeval muck remained in the oil pan even after the second oil and filter change. Now the plan of action is to reinstall the cleaned sump, re-fill the engine with Mobil1 OW-40 oil, while replacing the oil filter again, before firing up the motor for another listen. If lady luck smiles, and the engine quietens down with this third oil change, then I will run the car for an hour or so, before carrying out a fourth and final change of the oil and filter, again taking care to drop the oil sump to ensure a clean sweep.

With that third infusion of new engine oil in the car, the final make-or-break test will be performed, by starting up the car, and listening to determine if that ominous ticking noise subsides. If the ticking noise persists after that upcoming THIRD oil change, then without a shadow of doubt there has been damage to the crankshaft bearings, meaning that the engine and transmission assembly will need to be shoe-horned out to have those bearings replaced as needed.

The presence of three wafer-thin metal fragments in the oil sump may be the conclusive evidence of crankshaft bearing damage, or, as the mechanic here suggests, could also mean that tiny fragments of the oil pump sieve may have broken free into the sump, which is not good, though nowhere near as serious as would be the case if these metal fragments are from anywhere else in the engine. By the end of the day here, I will be able to write back, and give an update about whether or not major surgery will be required to save this M273 motor. At this point, the odds are beginning to look like this repair job will be long and drawn out, rather than quick and easy.

Yidney

Once you had the lower pan off, did you look up inside? Usually that crud is everywhere the oil goes. It doesn't all fall down into the pan. It would take a lot of oil changes to get it all out. Why do you conclude the fragments must be crank bearings? Could be that, or con rod bearings, or some chunk of piston at a wrist pin or who knows what else.

Merc Mania

The inside looked reasonably clean, but to try and flush the last traces of the sludge out, we've been running the car for the past 40 minutes, during which the ticking sound has abated somewhat. The engine runs smoothly at a steady 80 degrees temperature with the air condition switched on, so that hopefully eliminates cylinder head gaskets from the list of usual suspects. Despite the now barely audible ticking sound, I still hold out some hope that the 4th oil change and sump removal will suffice to solve the ticking noise entlrely, without resorting to major surgery with the engine out of the car.

Those tiny metal bits found in the sump are not good news, but I knew from the onset that this would be a gamble of a purchase, and that the engine and transmission may well wind up being pulled, to properly resolve all that might be wrong. In comparison to the older Mercs that I bought and refurbished, this car is about the most functional and intact vehicle I have purchased as a non-running car, and given the very low cost of mechanic labor here, the most significant costs associated with getting this vehicle on the road, will be the cost of parts, rather than labor charges, which are the deal-breaker in the West where workshops charge truly cringe-worthy hourly rates.

Yidney

After you let it run a while there are two places you can check the oil to see if you are still getting a milkshake. The dipstick, obviously, but you can also remove the filler cap since on this car that allows you to see an entire cam gear and the timing chain. If it looks like oil there and not cream, then you probably don't need to drop the pan again.

aleks001

Have you considered running an engline flush through the car ? It should help remove some water and gunk. If you dont have any it can be substituted for kerosene. You put in about 300 ml and let the car idle for 15 minutes. Then drain the oil immedietly.

Merc Mania

In retrospect, I would have done well to postpone any action on this car until AFTER I had thoroughly researched the subject of oil changes in the MBWorld archives. My eagerness to hear the motor run for the first time, got the better of me, and was the reason why I neglected to drop the oil sump right away, and instead only removed the drain plug, prior to the first and second oil changes that were carried out, and before any attempt was made to start the engine.

The initial oil changes left all that sludge in the car because, at the time, I hadn't yet stumbled on the archive warnings alerting to the fact that removal of the sump drain plug would NOT ensure a total evacuation of all the contaminated oil in the engine. By the time my my research confirmed that the oil sump MUST be removed, I had already fired up the motor and run it at idle for a few minutes on several occasions, in the hopes that the new oil would circulate and silence the engine ticking sound. Granted, it is also highly likely that the previous owner of the car made an even worse error by trying to start the car after it had been flooded, but without taking the precaution of changing the engine oil at all, and if that is the case, this engine was close to ruined even before I purchased the car, in that the engine bearings were scored and chaffing already due to the blocked oil channels throughout the system. While the drive train is out, I will have the torque converter opened up to remove all the old transmission fluid, which may well be in similar degraded condition to the engine oil.

My conclusion now is that this engine WILL be removed, along with the transmission, for a replacement of all crank and piston bearings at the very least. Those metal shavings found in the oil sump were almost certainly from the friction-degraded engine bearings, in which case I would not get many miles out of the car if I neglected to take the motor apart and do a thorough job of its cleanup. The coup-de-gras came after about 20 minutes of running the engine yesterday. The engine ticking sound was becoming quieter by the minute as the motor ran at a nice stable temperature of 80-degrees, with the air condition blowing very cold, and the cooling fan working perfectly, when suddenly, the motor died.

A turn of the key produced NO response from the starter besides a click, suggesting that the engine may in fact have seized completely, when one or more bearings finally gave way. Barring a miracle that would see the engine fire up when a final start attempt is made today, my conclusion is that the Fat Lady has indeed sung her curtain-lowering tune, with respect to this engine in its current state, meaning that the entire drive-train will have to be removed, and the engine taken apart for a post-mortrem, as a prelude to a full engine rebuild with new crank bearings, rod bearings, piston rings, engine seals and the whole nine yards.

Were I currently resident in the USA, where the cost of an overhaul can easily exceed the value of a car, this is the point at which I would be on the phone to the nearest junk-yard, with a view to cutting my losses on this project. Here in Africa however, where mechanics' labor charges are very affordable, the primary expense incurred during major automotive repairs is the cost of the parts required. As this impeding overhaul progresses, I will document its major phases with photographs, but will refrain from boring MBWorld readers with frequent updates during the tedious rebuild process that will likely entail long wait periods as parts that I cannot find here are shipped from the US West Coast. When the job is complete, and assuming no errors are made along the way, I will round up this account with a summary of all it took to revive my dream car, out here in the African sticks.

aleks001

i feel for you man

xsever

Sad to hear what things have come to, but your dedication and passion are exemplary. Best of luck and definitely looking forward to as much updates as possible. Godspeed and make her purrrr again!

Yidney

It will be interesting to see photos of a total engine rebuild project. I don't think we've ever had one on here. As for the torque converter, step one is to open up your tranny pan an see how the fluid looks. If it has no signs of water in it, I would not worry too much. And remember, you are lucky in that your torque converter has a tiny drain plug in it - most don't. So if it has no water in it, just drain it. If it were me, I'd drop the tranny pan first, and if the fluid looks normal, I would not even pull the tranny from the car. "Normal" tranny fluid at your miles is pretty brown - don't expect red - but not as dark black/brown as used engine oil. Also, there are a couple of magnets stuck to the bottom of the tranny pan to collect metal fragments. Those magnets will be fuzzy from what they have collected. Don't be alarmed - that is what they are there for. Sometimes they are really fuzzy and look like round lumps. Just be sure to use the correct fluid. It's not an off-the-shelf fluid most places. I live in a metro area of 2 million people and I mail order it because I cannot find it locally except at dealer prices.

I assume you will have your engine totally disassembled and carefully inspected before ordering parts. I still think the odds are at least 50/50 that the engine damage occurred at the moment the water entered, so you might be buying a con rod and piston or two. I really doubt you made things worse by running it with that sludge in the pan. The patient was already terminal.

Anker

There's a very distinct sound that is emitted from a seizing engine, very difficult to describe, but once you have heard it you will recognize it right away, Did you try to turn the engine by hand? The engine stoppage could also have been caused by an electrical problem, and the click may just indicate a battery that's run down. I would do some further diagnostics before committing to an engine overhaul.

I was born in Johannesburg and spent my teenage years in Tanzania, so I can relate to your situation and description of car mechanics. Very entertaining and nostalgic to read about your travails.

megacrazy

Sad that the engine needs to be replaced but what can you do. It's a good project . I am looking forward to all the pics and especially the "mechanics" and "workshops" where the work is getting done.

Merc Mania

This closeup of the oil pump housing shows the mounting bracket that was snapped off by the force of the engine failure.

Time for another update now that a replacement engine has been located for this car. The donor engine evidently came out of a 2008 Mercedes S550, so the ancillaries that differed between the CLK550 and the S550 models, namely the oil sump, exhaust manifolds, and engine mount brackets, were all transferred from the outgoing engine, along with the 2009 camshaft solenoids, into the newly acquired motor. The intake manifold, which turned out to have contained enough water to house several goldfish after the car was flooded back in Texas, was carefully dried out, washed with gasoline, and transferred to the replacement motor, whose own intake manifold contained a hairline crack, probably from being piled up haphazardly inside the junkyard's chaotic warehouse where this purchase was made.

The oil-pump in the junkyard engine has been retained for now, even as I order a new one to be safe, since the oil pump in the removed engine had its housing snapped like a twig when the engine threw a rod. Installation of this replacement junkyard M273 V8 engine is complete, but the starter is being worked on over the weekend, which will delay the moment of truth until tomorrow Monday. If this engine runs fine, I'll go ahead and use the new spark plugs I ordered before the last engine imploded, change the oil again, and take her for a spin, knock on wood.

The junkyard allows one week of installed running trials for all used engines, so the clock is ticking as the mechanics scramble to test this newly bought engine first thing Monday morning, after which the motor can be sent back for a replacement if need be. I'm keeping my fingers crossed with a little more guarded optimism now, and of course I will report back here with the final chapter that will hopefully conclude this comedy of errors, when I get to road-test and critique what will be the final crowning addition, to my modest stable of DIY V8 Mercs.






This is the result of my failure to go the whole hog and have the original water-damaged engine dismantled for inspection, before starting it up. Con rod broke and impaled the crank case.


Of the eight piston con rods, one was deformed, and another snapped in two, impaling the crank- case for a total engine write-off.


The replacement M273 engine is delivered from the junk yard. This motor is evidently from a Mercedes S550 of 2008 vintage, so the engine mounts and water pump were swapped out.


The replacement engine is manhandled out of the tiny hatchback that delivered it here.


The replacement engine is lowered into place


The engine serial number confirms that this motor is beyond the range affected by idler sprocket issues, but NOT beyond the range of cam shaft solenoid leakage, so we swapped in the solenoids from the outgoing engine, since they are in good shape




Aerial view of the junkyard engine on final approach into its new home under the hood of my CLK550.

Yidney

Fascinating. What did you have to pay in USD for the engine? That's the first time I ever really looked at M273 con rods. They are sort of delicate looking. I'll think of that every time I torture them from here on out.

Merc Mania

I wound up paying the equivalent of $2,500 USD for this 2008 M273 engine, which is about the going rate for an "as is, ought-to-run" M273 V8 engine stateside. Luckily the outgoing engine provided all the external components that were either different from the ones on the junkyard engine, or just in better condition. Most of the M273 engines that were spotted here were from the problematic 2006 and 2007 years, so I passed on them, and waited until I heard about this engine whose 2008 serial number only calls for the replacement of all camshaft solenoids on the newly acquired engine, with the ones taken off the water damaged motor, all else being equal.

Those junkyard engines are tossed in heaps where they are stored, and dragged apart as needed for sale, so my original car engine's wiring harness, water pump and a serpentine belt pulley all came in handy as replacements for the expected assortment of damaged ancillary parts on the engine I just bought. The replacement motor does appear to have clean plugs and exhaust ports, with clean oil and no metal shavings in the oil sump, so it should run just fine, once it is ready to be fired up, but if it doesn't, it'll get it sent back for a replacement, which is an outcome I'd rather didn't happen, given the rarity of late model 2008 or newer M273 engines in the local market.

I hope to write back tomorrow with news of my first highway run with this CLK550, and would probably be praying for good fortune right about now, were I a religious man. What the heck. I'll go ahead and pray anyway. Might as well keep all bases covered, assuming of course that my selfish prayer about a car engine won't simply be ignored as the babbling of a deranged piston-head.