Had this baby running well for over 12 years, Fully serviced thought MB repair twice a year. In 2014 the cabin AC refused to cool. AC cabin red light use to flash. MB refilled coolant and told me it was a temporary fix as there may be a bigger problem. With the car being so old i thought the problem was solved atleast temporary.

5 months passed without incident. Completed full service A. Cabin A/C fails to cool. MB told me i need to replace the compressor at a whopping US$5000/- At this point the car isn't even worth that much with over 100k Kilometers (65k miles) But drives beautifully.

Thus summer we just couldn't bear the heat so decided to take it to a mechanic who specialises in W211 /212 ETC. On the way to the mechanic I hear a heavy knocking sound coming directly from the engine. Car was cold. After 10 mins of slow driving the knocking sound silences, no warning lights, engine oil level was tested a day before to be normal. Cabin A/C was fully turned off.

5 mins away from the mechanic I hear this loud bang and the dashboard warning light shows a battery symbol "SERVICE" Never seen that before ... I seem to have also lost power steering while on the highway in heavy traffic! I was on a straight road, I was still in control of the accelerator and brakes and found I could still apply power. Not knowing what to do I was looking for a place to stop the vehicle, it seem to still be able to maneuver with effort. I wondered if i could make it all the way to mechanic. My instincts told me to stop but i was forced to go for another 30 meters round the bend. With the power steering cut I had to force the vehicle to turn to come to safe stop. The engine temperature seem to have risen but not significantly.

I called the toe truck, said he was 20 mins away. I was still on a side of a major intersection so i removed the hazard triangle from the boot, which promptly snapped after many years of non usage. A slight burning smell in the interior of the cabin. I opened the hood, and found the belt completely off the engine pulleys with shrapnel all over the engine compartment. On closer inspection it looked like the belt itself was in one pc and without any cracks, but one of the pulleys seem to be damaged.

Here are some photos. Finally the mechanic was able to inspect the car after it was toed. This is what he said just on a visual inspection

- AC compressor [pulley?] stopped rotating and caused excess friction on the pulley where it lost tension
- Need to replace AC compressor
- Something about the HEAT pump also need to replace
- While the belt does not have cracks the grooves are deep and needs replacement

Is their any advice or suggestions ? Thanks for your help. I want to make sure I am doing the right thing going forward and with the replacement.



No Power steering was hard to turn in to this layby




Shrapnel all over the place




What could be the problem?

 

"What could be the problem?"
Umm... I'm going to say that your AC compressor pulley is busticated. When the belt fell off you lost power steering and battery charging and coolant circulation (hard to steer, battery light comes on, car gets hot).