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Well, folks, I can say mission a success... sort of. I got everything* back together and pulled the car out of the garage and all appears to be well. I'm about to take it on a test drive. This is one royal pain of a job, but in retrospect, I learned a lot (more about what NOT to do LOL) and have a feeling of accomplishment. Also, the car is much smoother now.
* I am still not able to get the top AC Compressor bolt started, but I got the bottom front and rear bolts in. It seems very solid and I have an appointment at the dealership to mount and balance my snow tires, so I will just have them work their magic and bolt that in. I figure they'll hit me with 1/2 hour labor for that.
That being said, I am happy to answer any questions and give any tips to those of you who have a 2011 E350 4matic and are attempting this job. It may be a unique setup because most (all?) of the 2011's had the new 7G-tronic plus transmission with the old non-direct injected version of the engine.
My advice in general is think twice before undertaking this on your own if you're not a super expert, and plan on it taking longer than you expect.
Well, folks, I can say mission a success... sort of. I got everything* back together and pulled the car out of the garage and all appears to be well. I'm about to take it on a test drive. This is one royal pain of a job, but in retrospect, I learned a lot (more about what NOT to do LOL) and have a feeling of accomplishment. Also, the car is much smoother now.
* I am still not able to get the top AC Compressor bolt started, but I got the bottom front and rear bolts in. It seems very solid and I have an appointment at the dealership to mount and balance my snow tires, so I will just have them work their magic and bolt that in. I figure they'll hit me with 1/2 hour labor for that.
That being said, I am happy to answer any questions and give any tips to those of you who have a 2011 E350 4matic and are attempting this job. It may be a unique setup because most (all?) of the 2011's had the new 7G-tronic plus transmission with the old non-direct injected version of the engine.
My advice in general is think twice before undertaking this on your own if you're not a super expert, and plan on it taking longer than you expect.
Thanks again for all the help along the way!
Congratulations. Guys like you and Oda remind me of my Yosemite rock climbing college roommates taking on different routes up El Capitan. I will be taking this on after the weather warms up. I may get my brother who is a pro involved if he is willing. He more a Corvette / Firebird kind of guy and correctly thinks that these cars are a royal PIA.
I'm surprised that you can't get that other AC bolt in. It won't go it if you pivot the compressor around one of the other bolts?
Congratulations. Guys like you and Oda remind me of my Yosemite rock climbing college roommates taking on different routes up El Capitan. I will be taking this on after the weather warms up. I may get my brother who is a pro involved if he is willing. He more a Corvette / Firebird kind of guy and correctly thinks that these cars are a royal PIA.
I'm surprised that you can't get that other AC bolt in. It won't go it if you pivot the compressor around one of the other bolts?
Well, about a 30 mile drive and all is well. Nothing fell out and no error lights.
I tried wiggling, jiggling, pivoting the AC compressor, wigging the bolt, anything I could think of. It just won't grab. The other two bolts are lined up and the compressor is tight, so you'd think it would start. I even bought brand new bolts too. Really strange. ONe of the bolts is likely cross-threaded (the one on the back bottom) so that may have somethign to do with it, but at least it's in there and not going anywhere. I will likely try it again, but it's not a critical thing.
Well, about a 30 mile drive and all is well. Nothing fell out and no error lights.
I tried wiggling, jiggling, pivoting the AC compressor, wigging the bolt, anything I could think of. It just won't grab. The other two bolts are lined up and the compressor is tight, so you'd think it would start. I even bought brand new bolts too. Really strange. ONe of the bolts is likely cross-threaded (the one on the back bottom) so that may have somethign to do with it, but at least it's in there and not going anywhere. I will likely try it again, but it's not a critical thing.
I can imagine you have no desire to do this but I guess I wonder if it would even go in if the compressor wasn't there.
I might have to tackle this one day as I have the same 2011 E350 with the 4matic. I'm going to have my indy do it. He probably doesn't know what he's getting into and he'll quote me a low price as he replaces motor mounts all the time on other brands... I see a couple 16mm wrenches on eBay, you didn't mention what brand you had, just want to try a different brand that might be thinner.
I can imagine you have no desire to do this but I guess I wonder if it would even go in if the compressor wasn't there.
I tried that early on and there was no problem. It's really strange.
Originally Posted by cetialpha5
I might have to tackle this one day as I have the same 2011 E350 with the 4matic. I'm going to have my indy do it. He probably doesn't know what he's getting into and he'll quote me a low price as he replaces motor mounts all the time on other brands... I see a couple 16mm wrenches on eBay, you didn't mention what brand you had, just want to try a different brand that might be thinner.
Here are a few pictures of mine, including details of the areas I had to grind.
Yeah, looks like most 16mm wrenches on eBay are the KTC for $20. There's two other brands on there, Baum and AST but they are $25 and $40. The AST one looks thinner though. Baum looks the same as KTC.
Well, about a 30 mile drive and all is well. Nothing fell out and no error lights.
I tried wiggling, jiggling, pivoting the AC compressor, wigging the bolt, anything I could think of. It just won't grab. The other two bolts are lined up and the compressor is tight, so you'd think it would start. I even bought brand new bolts too. Really strange. ONe of the bolts is likely cross-threaded (the one on the back bottom) so that may have somethign to do with it, but at least it's in there and not going anywhere. I will likely try it again, but it's not a critical thing.
Have you tried tapping the hole? Sounds like bad threads or something stuck in there.
Have you tried tapping the hole? Sounds like bad threads or something stuck in there.
Do you mean tapping as in re-carving the threads? I've always been afraid of things like that.
I have an E-Torx box end wrench on the way that I just ordered. I will try that while applying some pressure on it. If that doesn't work, i will just pay the dealer to put it in. If it's quick enough for them, they may just charge me 1/4 hour.
Do you mean tapping as in re-carving the threads? I've always been afraid of things like that.
I have an E-Torx box end wrench on the way that I just ordered. I will try that while applying some pressure on it. If that doesn't work, i will just pay the dealer to put it in. If it's quick enough for them, they may just charge me 1/4 hour.
It's not too difficult to redo threads, Harbor Freight has a nice cheap tap and die set for sale. I used it on my truck's brake line caliper flare bolt's threads and it saved me from having to replace an entire brake line. If you can get someone else to do it for less than 50$ though, it's not a bad deal (if re-threading is required) . Hopefully they won't give you a hard time because of the DIY aspect, I know they don't like working on cars serviced by anyone else but their own technicians.
The whole issue of rethreading is why I asked earlier if the bolt would go in with the compressor out of the way. The reply was yes. To me this speaks of an alignment issue which should be able to be overcome if the unit is loosened to the point where the stubborn bolt has the authority to set the alignment. After the unit was off and the bolt would go in did you then try putting this bolt in first? It is possible that you are encountering a stack-up issue (ie the new bolt is fatter than the one you took out) Would be hard to believe that Mercedes would botch that up to point where you couldn't assemble it. Assuming that all the bolts are the same length and size it might be worth swapping them around.
The whole issue of rethreading is why I asked earlier if the bolt would go in with the compressor out of the way. The reply was yes. To me this speaks of an alignment issue which should be able to be overcome if the unit is loosened to the point where the stubborn bolt has the authority to set the alignment. After the unit was off and the bolt would go in did you then try putting this bolt in first? It is possible that you are encountering a stack-up issue (ie the new bolt is fatter than the one you took out) Would be hard to believe that Mercedes would botch that up to point where you couldn't assemble it. Assuming that all the bolts are the same length and size it might be worth swapping them around.
I started a new thread on this topic since it's not really related to the engine mount topic. I never tried putting this one in first, but in retrospect probably should have. It sounds like you may be right about this bolt being the one to set the alignment. I am scared to undo the rear bolt at this point since I think I cross threaded that one, but I would think it should still allow me to bolt the last one in, since it's completely tight against the bracket and there is considerable wiggle room built in because the bolt is so long. I may need to get a mirror or use my remote viewer thing to look under there and see what's going on. At this point I may just be ready to give up. Lots of frustration built up with this project. At least the car is drivable. 100 + miles and no issues whatsoever, so may be OK to just leave it and check periodically.
Had my car at the indy the other day and asked him about doing the engine mounts (I had the trans mount done when I had the transfer case repaired). He is quoting $1000 including the mounts. Just wondering what you guys who have done it think if it is worth doing yourself for that price. I definitely won't consider doing them until the weather warms. I tried shopping around over the phone and another indy wanted me to bring it in which is a pain. I guess maybe the best way to answer is what your touch time was beginning to end so I can figure an after tax wage.
Had my car at the indy the other day and asked him about doing the engine mounts (I had the trans mount done when I had the transfer case repaired). He is quoting $1000 including the mounts. Just wondering what you guys who have done it think if it is worth doing yourself for that price. I definitely won't consider doing them until the weather warms. I tried shopping around over the phone and another indy wanted me to bring it in which is a pain. I guess maybe the best way to answer is what your touch time was beginning to end so I can figure an after tax wage.
It took me 2 1/2 days which is why I made that comment above LOL
It really depends on your mechanical skills and how much you enjoy a 'challenge'. With patience and perseverance, I found this a rewarding job because of the improvement in the car's ride quality. However, there were several points along the way that got me pretty frustrated! If you're mainly interested in 'getting it done', I would say spend the money with your indy. If you're up for a challenge and take pride in your work, take it on yourself...... Hope this helps!
1. You will need the 16mm version, I just checked mine.
2. Yes, that is the proper term to describe it
3. I had to lower the steering rack to be able to get the driver side mount off without removing the AC compressor. You need to have the wheels pointing straight ahead ( there's a little green arrow on the steering column which aligns to a metal corresponding washer on the lower part of the steering column, that's how you know the wheels are straight), it's very easy to do, and since you're not unbolting anything your alignment shouldn't be affected. There are two bolts on each side of the steering rack carrier bracket ( if I remember correctly they're 18mm), you take them out and the whole assembly should lower just enough to give you some space to wiggle the mount off. If you're lucky you might not even have to lower the rack, the V6 might be more forgiving.
If your vibration at idle ONLY happens when you're at at stop light in Drive or with the car stopped (wheels not moving) in Reverse and there is no vibration at idle when in Park or Neutral then you don't need to replace the engine mounts, just the transmission one, Number 1 in the Picture 3 I attached( don't use Corteco as a replacement part, I did it and it failed after a few months, I'll have to replace mine again). On the right side of that pic you'll find the approximate position of the two steering rack bracket bolts, the ones you need to take out in order to lower the rack.
A general view of a MB steering rack setup is Picture 2 (and the 2 bolts you need to remove to drop the rack) and in Picture 1 you'll see the alignment notches I was talking about. As you sit under the car, looking at the steering column you should see on it a small green triangle/arrow on the plastic sleeve which will correspond to another arrow or some other sort of notch on the metal part of the column, right underneath the plastic sleeve, towards the front of the car. They should be perpendicular to the horizontal line of your car (pointing straight downwards) if the alignment on your car is correct. You can check this before unbolting anything.
When you say yours failed. what do you mean? You got the vibration all over again? I'm asking because I literally installed the same brand yesterday.
When you say yours failed. what do you mean? You got the vibration all over again? I'm asking because I literally installed the same brand yesterday.
Yes, it vibrates in D and R while stopped or moving slowly. I would say it was only good for about a month or so, then it started vibrating. I still have it on the car and it's getting to the point where it's almost as bad as the old one (which was the original one, 7 years old).
Don't cheap out, you'll eventually pay the price.
1966 Mercedes 250S/ 1993 Mercedes 300E 2.8/ 1987 Buick Grand National/ 2019 Ford Ranger FX4 Lariat
Originally Posted by Oda112
Ouch! Stealership here in MO was charging 1700 to 1900$ just for the 2 motor mounts in 2017, since I don't like throwing money away I decided to learn how to do it myself.
If you were living close by I'd help you with it. Payment would have to be made in the Heineken currency.
1966 Mercedes 250S/ 1993 Mercedes 300E 2.8/ 1987 Buick Grand National/ 2019 Ford Ranger FX4 Lariat
Originally Posted by Oda112
Springfield and St. Louis. St. Louis was more expensive,these were numbers over the phone.
Gotcha... I'm in the KC area, so Aristocrat seems to be the go-to for Mercedes service. Due to labor cost, I'll be tackling this job myself. You and the others who have posted about this have laid a solid blueprint for DIY fellas like myself, and I appreciate you all sharing tips and experiences with the group. Cheers!
Does anyone have the part numbers on the four steering rack bolts? The linked procedure specifies that all four must be replaced but I haven't found any parts sites that include bolts in their diagrams. The parts guy at the local dealership couldn't come up with a reliable one either.
Corteco should be fine. I understand they're OEM. Good move on the 2x4s. The biggest challenge for me was the front drive shafts limiting how much I could lift the engine. Moving it side to side might have helped me.
I think that doing the passenger side first helps for some reason, too. I did the driver side first on a very similar car ('11 C300 4Matic), and the passenger side was far more difficult. Don't ask me how I got it in. I don't know.
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