S-Class (W220) 1999-2006: S 320 CDI, S 320, S430, S 500, S 600

2002 S430 problems after replacing belt

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Old May 8, 2017 | 01:01 PM
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Geneva Britt's Avatar
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2002 Mercedes S430
2002 S430 problems after replacing belt

I own a 2002 S430 and I need help! After replacing the serpentine belt my car will not get out of second gear and the display does not show MPH or gears.

My serpentine belt shredded and the idler pulley blew off. I knew I had a problem while I was driving on the freeway and the battery needs charging light came on. The car did not overheat at first but the power steering started to fail.I drove one mile to my house and at that point the car was overheating. We changed the belt and pulley and cleaned all of the belt remnants from the engine compartment. The pulley flew off and cracked the cover of the coolant recovery tank. We sealed this with JBweld. The battery was dead so we recharged it. It was very wet weather when all of this happened.

We bought this car 2 months ago. It was a good deal but we have no money for professional repairs. My husband is an aircraft mechanic and has worked on cars as a hobby but this car is more complicated. We really need advice.
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Old May 8, 2017 | 01:57 PM
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Disconnect the battery for at least an hour then Try the resets in the sticky thread that says STaRT HERE it's the Encyclopedia at the top of the forum

usually the problem you describe (limp mode, not showing gears in cluster ) It's usually an issue with the transmission electronics .

They either need to be reset or you may have fluid in your tcu and need a conductor plate . It's probably not an expensive problem but will need some troubleshooting

Last edited by tusabes; May 8, 2017 at 02:10 PM.
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Old May 8, 2017 | 02:55 PM
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2003 S500 - Toyota Corolla (in the rain)
Welcome to the forum Geneva. Sorry to hear about your bad luck. Your husband should also change the tensioner pulley (this is the one that keeps the belt tight). It is relatively easy to do and cost less than $50. If he removes the belt just give the pulley a nice spin with your hand. If it makes any kind of noise it probably needs to be changed. The noise means that the bearings are wearing. While there he should also check the water pump pulley for any noise or play and make sure the bolts are tight.
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Old May 9, 2017 | 01:57 PM
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Thank you ! we are going to follow your advice.
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Old May 9, 2017 | 03:36 PM
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Forgot to add that the new tensioner pulley should come with a pin already installed. Tell him DO NOT take that pin out until the tensioner is installed and the belt is seated properly around all the pulleys. Otherwise, he will never get that belt on.

Here is a tensioner pulley.
Amazon Amazon
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Old May 22, 2017 | 04:16 PM
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Originally Posted by tusabes
Disconnect the battery for at least an hour then Try the resets in the sticky thread that says STaRT HERE it's the Encyclopedia at the top of the forum

usually the problem you describe (limp mode, not showing gears in cluster ) It's usually an issue with the transmission electronics .

They either need to be reset or you may have fluid in your tcu and need a conductor plate . It's probably not an expensive problem but will need some troubleshooting
Hi! Thanks for the advice. I have been trying to find the "sticky" thread you referred to for reset options. Can you send a link or? Gen
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Old May 22, 2017 | 04:36 PM
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https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...tart-here.html
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