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I buy MB's that are in good shape but have mechanical issues and fix them. Picked up a 2006 CLK350 this past weekend. It has minor issues, the main two being the headliner needs to be re-wrapped and the conductor plate is having issues. It drives after clearing the codes in DAS, but I will eventually have to address the speed sensors. This one is getting a bunch of new parts including all fluids, all suspension, and any other maintenance or defects. I plan on documenting the progess of this "restoration" with pictures. Stay tuned!
So over the weekend I tackled the speed sensor issue with the conductor plate.
To do this you have to remove the valve body assembly from the transmission.
After the plate is removed from the valve body, the sensor replacement can be done. Heres the plate, upside down before the replacement.
The new sensors are installed and prior to resoldering.
The sensors have been soldered. The whole area was cleaned and coated in flux beforehand so it looks a little greasy. The ball shape of solder is critical to keep the circuit from pulling away from the sensors. Also, since the old sensors were epoxied in, you must melt some of the surrounding black plastic to the new sensors to hold them in place. Not pretty but effective.
After everything was reinstalled and refilled with fluid, I opened DAS and cleared the codes. I recently upgraded my Xentry system to the latest version (12/2019 C6). So far its well worth it.
Took the car out for a test drive and so far so good. Shifts great even though It was just a quick test because its cold and I removed the sunroof assembly to try and find why it was stuck.
Turns out the cables are mangled. I managed to find a set of used ones second hand online and I'm currently waiting for them to arrive.
In the meantime I picked up a really good set of used staggered tires with 90% tread. The tires that it currently has don't match and coming from a racing background, that drives me nuts.
I'll put the car on jackstands, pull the wheels off, and take them to a shop to be installed installed.
Still a whole whole lot more to come:
Intake flap adjuster
Coolant flush
Hood struts
Engine mounts
Trans mount
Rear flex disc
Brake fluid flush
All 4 brake hoses
All 4 front control arms
All 4 sway bar bushings
All 4 sway bar links
Both front struts and mounts
Tie rods
Rear shocks
Alignment
Deep interior/exterior cleaning
1985(W126)500SE, 1994(W124)E420 1991(R129)500SL and The Mothership 2009 CLK550
Holy Moly ! This is a whole enchilada endeavor without question, and it looks like all the stops are pulled to overhaul this fine chariot from the ground up. Something tells me that this discussion topic will cover many, many pages, as the crowd edges in closer to follow the procedure. Some of the most brilliant and innovative minds on this planet, are to be found sharing knowledge on car repair forums. For us lesser mortals whose every automotive repair project starts with phoning the mechanic, threads like this are both inspirational and sobering to follow.
Great to see a conductor plate repair and pictures! My wife's car failed while she was driving out of town and I directed her to the MB dealer. They said the plastic in the CP that holds the sensors fails and allows the sensors to move creating an error? Good job with the DIY fix!
Last edited by Paulers; 12-29-2019 at 11:17 AM.
Reason: spelling
Looks good . I did the conductor plate and complete fluid change a few month ago . Just make sure you replace the atf fluid now. I wish I had a garage. I wanted to get another clk and put it in an e55 engine.
Looks good . I did the conductor plate and complete fluid change a few month ago . Just make sure you replace the atf fluid now. I wish I had a garage. I wanted to get another clk and put it in an e55 engine.
Thanks. Of course, ALL fluids will be replaced. I work out of a 2 car garage.
Birds of a feather are we. Love the story and build. My next project will be an AMG. Looking for a cheap C32 in good condition.
I had a c32 also. Not a huge fan honestly. I ended up spending a lot of money on the car and trading it in for a c55. only got $2500 out of it and later I was told it burnt.
Nice work! How do you get the headliner out of the car?
Theres a lot of steps, but it's actually pretty simple.
Pop out the A & C pillar covers.
Pop down the sunroof control panel and disconnect all electrical connections.
Remove the metal sunroof trim at the front of the sunroof hole.
Remove the front and rear foldable handles and sunvisors.
There's a strap that attaches the headliner to both C pillar's (They look like little seat belt straps) - detach them.
Detach the electrical connections leading to the headliner from the rear at the C pillar connections.
Pull headliner down in the front slightly and then slide it forward.
The headliner will drop down alltogether.
Disconnect the front electrical connections leading to the sunroof controls.
Headliner is fully detached.
Its been a few weeks since I've posted an update, but I've still been working away on it.
I replaced all 4 brake hoses as the old ones were cracking and replacements are less than $10/wheel. Also flushed the system.
I replaced all 4 lower control arms and front struts. Being that this car has sport suspension, replacing the struts with a conventional spring compressor was terribly difficult because the strut shaft doesnt have much travel so the 16-20" uncompressed spring has to almost be completely flat to install.
Leaking old strut. Swapping out the control arms.
Three out of 4 of the wheels were badly bent on the inside. To keep cost down, I searched for a nice set of used wheels and it turned out to be difficult to find a set of 17" staggered wheels with the right offsets. After a few weeks I managed to find a nice set of wheels locally from a SLK32 that are direct replacements. I think they look awesome.
The intent is to fix as much as I can, then sell it. But I am falling in love with it and may have to keep it!
Next up is an interior cleaning. Good thing, because its gross.
The difficulty is not with the sports suspension per say. There is a special spring compressor for Mercedes that is much easier to use.
The standard non-sport strut shaft is about 4" longer that the sport version when completely extended and makes all the difference in the world. I would definitely recommend using a purpose built compressor for sure.
12-16-2019, 12:41 PM
