I am curious, as I am so worried these 2 plastic pipes and also the hose connected to it will break and ruined my engine, like it did on my Ford Fiesta 2011 at 27K KM but 10 years old then.
The first pipe
The hoses to these pipe, the no 2 plastic pipe, I do not know if f 3.5L uses the same P/N as my 3.0TT, my 3.0TT one is below and that is the P/N
This is the first hose, no 1 ( for 3.0TT ) , from the plastic pipe no 2 it goes to the thin heat shield/bulkhead and then interconnect with another hose towards the heater of HVAC system.
Below is hose no 2 ( 3.0TT ), from the bulkhead to the heater core of the HVAC system. I am sure 3.5L will have the same set up, albeit different P/N.
Why are you afraid of a failure in these lines? Does it happen often? Looks like it'd probably be an engine-out procedure. Not a lot of space behind the firewall.
Why are you afraid of a failure in these lines? Does it happen often? Looks like it'd probably be an engine-out procedure. Not a lot of space behind the firewall.
Plastic or rubber hoses will break/crack for sure and 10 years will be a good time. I mean I would want longer service life, but if I learnt the hard way, it will be too expensive a lesson.
My target is, by year 10th when and if I decided to keep my E400, it has to go thru a proper refit program for peace of mind.
So I got 2 years to decide and start collecting other people's experience and study the level of difficulty involved.
Any plastic or rubber hoses which carry coolant or lubricating oil or vacuum for my brakes or fuel, will have to be replaced. They are too critical in function.
Loosing coolant at high speed, it will be too late even if merely a few seconds after coolant level detection alert and I managed to shut down the engine.
The amount of heat remaining on the coolantless engine metal will warp head or crack block or will ruin my piston and lliners for sure if the loss of coolant is plenty enough like 40% of capacity.
Loosing lubricating oil is a total loss for sure, MB engine mostly and including mine, has no oil pressure sensor. I will be installing one soon when it arrives from USA in a month or so, Banks Gauge kits plenty of stuff coming....yipeee !!!
Uncle Murphy is a bad dude, when shi-et happens it is usually almost always at worst time, aka high speed
If anytime Murphy will strike me is when I am having fun at the track or during the 10 hours x 2 days , 1 way run Jakarta Bali or vice versa.
These are hard driving, so failure will be at these periods.
I know these 2 plastic pipes, it seems it is like an engine out job. If indeed so, I will replace as per my 10th year plan, up to 39 different risky components and some is almost a guaranteed engine out job.
I never own a car longer than 10 years, me wife do 5 years only.
I like this E400 as it is not as complex as newer MB. And I intent to keep perhaps up to 15 years, maybe more...I don't know yet. It has to pass its 10th year decision of mine.
Once I spent money on its 10th Bday, I will have to use to 15th year to make it worthwhile.
E400 power is decent like a poor man's mini V8...LOL, handling is decent and don't look too old fashion.
Engine power wise not too abused per liter of displacement vs HP output , still decent110HP per 1 liter.
W213 E350 a 2 liter is 299HP, that is 149HP per 1 liter displacement....hhhmmm, highly stressed engine.
We have luxury tax law applied in 2017 where 3,000cc and up get whacked big time. So getting at least 3,000cc is now much-much more money than previously.
Now MB newer cars in Indonesia, officially : the biggest cc non AMG is 2 liter, E300 if W213 and then jump to the AMG,
but MB Indonesia only offers Mercedes-AMG GT 53 4MATIC+ if a 4 door sedan body, not the true sedan E class E450, this GT is low roof line at the rear.
AMG GT 53 or W213 E450 , that is the inline 6 of 3,000cc with 48volts..lightweight hybrid...yuck, I will stay away from hybrid and low roof for rear seat is a no no.
I read W213 E350 is also 2 liter with 48V mild hybrid, no wonder MB Indonesia does not want to seel it locally.
BTW, local cost for this ugly shaped GT 53 sales tax paid ready to roll on the road is 2x USA price, US$200K+ approx. No way I will be spending that much.
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I take pride in maintaining my car in always mechanically tip top shape to the best I can. Any breakdown on the road is a shameful event I will avoid at all cost.
If you see my postings on when I replaced mechanical components, you will see I like brand new feel/sound/performance as much as I can maintain so and I am hyper sensitive to changes on the car.
Electronics I can't comment much...when they go bad, they go bad. Albeit I keep everything as cool as possible with extra heat shield where I try as hard as possible to do not park my car under the sun if I am out...and things like that.
Mechanicals are very much more predictable, so I focus on them.
I am attaching my 10th year refurbishment plan if you want to see what's on my head. This list only focus on plastic & rubber hoses, that's it.
Other wearing mechanical componenst has its own maintenance/replacement target list and some can be measured, so it is easier.
HHmmmm... the 10th year rubber&plastic-be-gone list does look expensive
I agree with replacing plastic and rubber parts proactively. Also agree 10 years is a good milestone to do these things.
Those pipes should come out. Not easily, but they should. Either remove the bulkhead/dash panel doubler to make more space, or remove the transmission crossmember to lower the back of the engine and create more space. Or both. WIS will be helpful as always.
These 2 pipes can be replaced, no need engine out of car but won't be a fun job.
I am saying this from my test where I can now TOUCH all the 3 bolts/screws A,B and C for pipe no 1.
For M276.8 3.0 Turbo :
Remove all these..............
01. Both engine air filter box - EASY
02. Remove engine computer - EASY
03A. Remove the cover of wiring box on top of intake manifold. TRICKY when doing carefully to NOT break any of the plastic tab.
03B. Up to wiring box removed from its position and parked sideway to not block our access to the middle of the V tunnel.
03C. Yes, wiring harness need to be unclipped from all sensors yada yada.
04. Inlet manifold and its adapter removed.
See here : https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...eaning-p2.html
No need to remove aftercooler system unless for intake valve cleaning, for crankshaft manual hand spin.
05A. Loosen the cable tray for engine starter motor from its resting at 05B.
My car is right hand drive, a left hand drive car will look different but the concept of this starter cable tray will remain the same.
05B. Remove steel wire tray bracket
Bracket 5B
06. Remove HP fuel pump outside noise insulations (1) and steel protection cage (2) , as we need to remove these two HP fuel lines below. Later removed the inside thick foam insulation (3)
Remove HP fuel pump outside noise insulations (1) and steel protection cage (2) , as we need to remove these two HP fuel lines below. Later removed the inside thick foam insulation (3)
With the fuel pipes removed ( 3 pipes for my case because I want to remove HP fuel pump ), the access becomes DECENT .
No need to remove Vacuum Pump for sure to replace HVAC heater core pipe 1 and 2 .....yipee !!!! Correction : Screw C of plastic pipe 1 is blocked by Vacuum pump for its total removal, so Vac Pump has to come off first .
Pipe 1 section which it connects to end of Bank 2 coolant output bore
So, I have a strong faith that pipe 1 and pipe 2 , and hose 1 replacement won't be so tough afterall.
When you feel you're missing some knowledge to understand something, you go about finding sources to make sense of what's happening.
Fluff does not live in your quarters.
This is the best way to reverse engineer the design bugs carefully planted in the crib: ridiculously brital plastic hoses.
I had a look under the hood of a Toyota V6 truck this weekend... they use similar plastic pipes but THEY ARE INSERTED INSIDE RUBBER HOSES. From outside it looks like a loose rubber gas pipe... in fact only a protective pipe for the thin plastic pipe within.
This directly validates that these discount German pipes are know to be heat sensitive and fail.
Toyota knows that well, so they protect them against catastrophic failure.
This brings back the case to simply upgrade the plastic hoses back to "rubber/EPDM" hoses with zero plastic madness.
The discovery of hidden gems is always exciting even on top side
Arigato gozaimas !
Now come the RE-Install.
Damn I spent so many days cleaning the intake valve, I tend to forget small details when come installing back the components.
01. Near Screw-UP. Could be fire hazard.
1 fuel pipe I forgot to tighten ( yes, engine won't be started so soon ). Last nite I was about to sleep and then somehow my subconcious mind told me I probably missed 1 compression nut.
All these fuel compression nut size 19 is a 15Nm and 90 degrees.
Its a bi-etch to must use CrowFoot type wrench, as there is no other way to torque a nut that has a pipe in the middle.
This is the NUT I missed last nite. Its done now. Too many things on my mind... too much toys to install
02. Day Dreaming.
I nearly re-connect all sensors/coils/injectors connectors..........while I have not INSTALL THE INTAKE MANIFOLD !!! Duggghh
03. The most DIFFiCULT bolt/screw to re-install.
The number 2 bolt is my frustration, removing it is not that difficult, but re-install the #2 bolt aiming into the female bore thread with the stupid black starter cable tray pinching my tool and the angle of the bolt insertion is a pain.
Photo below 7th Aug is when I removed bolt no 2. Its angle is so awkward and black starter cable tray pinching so hard on my tool, I can't feel the E10 tool locking the E10 bolt.
The red line is the black starter cable tray routing.
I can't push away too far back the black starter cable tray, as its tray is secured at lower portion by bolt #1. This bolt I must tighten first before I can proceed to install bracket #5 or else no more
access for my hand to do bolt #1 when bracket #5 already installed.
No 3 is a clip, this type : Its still do-able to install it, space wise for our hand/finger but no fun.
No 4 is also no fun to re-install. Space wise is the problem.
04. Stamping accuracy poor. Hole for bolts to stingy sized, no room for misalignment.
I ended up filing a bit of the rear hole to make it a tiny bit bigger. This is so thick steel, like 3.5 - 4mm.
Bloody hell, took me 1+ hour and someone must help me to insert the bolt while I "bend" this thick crash protection of the fuel pump.
See, approx 1mm out of alignment the rear hole. The front one is easy/good. This may end up a techy forcing bolt in and damage the female thread at the cylinder head....I almost did that.
I hate working near fire wall. My back hurts doing the 90 degree position too long. The 2nd image with red X , below
Me wife doesn't allow me anymore to use her Yoga foam pad.
So I use pillow instead.... LOL
These 2 look difficult to remove or install, but they are not.
To re-install I use masking tape to secure E10 Torx bolt into the tool first, and then aim backwards...... like fishing
The bolts head are towards the firewall as in circle no 1, the circle no 2 is already done and I kept the bolt there on purpose so that it wont get mixed up with other bolts.
05 - Brain Dead , me
I was washing the intake manifold with carb cleaner, Simple Green and water....guess what. I forgot that the MAP sensor is still attached .... LOL.
Probably its a goner. Have no fear, I have a spare one. The original one was replaced for fun by me like 2 years ago, so I keep the perfectly working one as spare.
I really like silicone seal/o-ring. They degraded so little, compared to common NBR or EPDM.
All new seals 6 + 6 + 1. Sixes are intermediate manifold, manifold and 1 is for throttle body.
I like that Mahle ( OEM of the manifold ) has the brain to place many 3 teeth pincher, so that the seal won't fall off. They are assembled upside down ( facing down ) and I recalled in the older days, when faced with such situation with
similar seal without pincher teeth, I need to use silicone grease and that is no guarantee them seals won't fall off.
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
but won't be a fun job.
