BOTUS

well what a waste of time - Merc incompetence takes a 20 min job to 2 hours and I suspect might be part of clb0099 issues....

the bottom bolt is restricted by the right upper idler pulley
cleaning off the pathetic gasket is easier with the secondary air pump out the way - but a bolt to get at this means the top middle idler pulley has to come off
both of course mean the belt has to come off
the electrical connector is hard to get off and even harder to reconnect to the new housing - and I suspect MIGHT well cause bent pins - I struggled to get it to connect - as if it was the wrong plug !!!
then we get to the quick release top hose - what UTTER criminal ever thought of this insecure hopeless joke !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My hose and stat housing were both in almost perfect condition and came apart with a small fight - been spraying wd40 at it for 9 years to stop the corrosion risk - but I wanted to clean it up and lube to get it to press back in nicely - and one off the hose magically expanded in diameter by 10 mm
Even though I tried hard to get it to slide back in the O ring somehow got snagged and is slightly marked - I thought bet Merc the criminals don't sell it - they seem too - but the criminal dealer told me the don't, and outright refused to look it up !!!

I have a Merc dealer that does postal stuff via Ebay selling https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122399508560?RADIATOR COOLANT HOSE O-RING SEAL 39.3mm FOR MERCEDES CLS E-SERIES 0269976745 - for $20 !!!

39.3mm seems a smidgen smaller - the OD of the housing is >44mm and on a merc parts drawing they fail to show the part number - but do show it was once a separate part

the old Blue antifreeze is G48 suitable for MB 325.0 ( and was used by BMW cars and bikes till 2019)

Senecat

A can of worms is opened just to replace the thermostat? Is this a 273 or 278 motor?

BOTUS

so - ordered a cheap O-ring off ebay - won't turn up till Mon at the earliest - and don't want the job hanging over me....

so run around the corner to one major country wide car parts place to ask if they do one, as their website is useless - https://www.gsfcarparts.com/ - (UK place its an acronym, once stood for German, Swedish and French car parts) do you have an O- ring (nope). So I try local parts place (nope) decided now I have a part number lets go back and ask the Main dealer muppets again as only 1.5 miles from my house - Different nice bloke serving - Oh lets have the vehicle reg so we can check if that part number was ever meant for your car - "Oh that's funny".... rummages about on the computer system and pulls up part drawing for the cooling system on 221's Tractor or V8 Petrol - Part 12 top hose stat end O-ring... rummages more "ha, what was it you said, bet you wont have stock"- "two on the shelf" less than $10

Get home to measure the internal diameter is the 39.5mm the outside is around 46mm - I'd not fully topped up or ran up the car - but the hose had been on with the old O-ring and seems to have weeped a bit ! - popped it off threw on the new O-ring in a couple of minutes - so 0269976745 is the correct part and they do stock at main dealers

now to find something leaks and the heater valve I fitted also doesn't help restore the heater operation to sensible mode
I did that last week and its a much simpler job than the crazy stat - but tepid heat unless rammed to Max - so I suspect its some deliberate software insanity that drives it - Oh and all the connectors including the bottom of the four 1/2" hose connectors on mine were all rock solid - popped the covber off and it seem in working condition - I can wind easily to full open or fully closed - motor and gear would have been better with a clean up but at £55 not worth the fight

BOTUS

273

Senecat

Glad you got the O-ring sorted easily. Gotta love the 10 other things that break or need fixed just because you have to fix one thing.

BOTUS

why isn't the O-ring in the pack with a thermostat - can't fit it without one and they give the gasket for the housing ???