First DYI Mods for my S55
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 127
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta
'03 S55 AMG, '01 CLK55 AMG
First DYI Mods for my S55
Just completed several DIY mods. It's my first attempt at doing my own maintenance instead of taking it to the local dealer. The upgrades are as follows:
1. Green High Performance Air Filters
2. Oil Change with Mobile 1 0W-40 w/ FSS Reset
3. Mann Fleece Oil Filter
4. Magnecor's KV85 Competition (8.5mm) Spark Plug Wires
5. DENSO IK16 Iridium Spark Plugs
6. Bosch Ford Lightning I/C Pump swap
7. SpeedTuning USA ECU Tune w/Speed Limiter Removal
Let me say thanks to 1FastC32 for his excellent write up on the I/C pump fix
Thanks to all the members on the forum for numerous suggestions and discussions. After two trips to the dealer about the I/C pump failure and lack of power, I said the heck with them and went about researching potential fixes on MBWorld. The problems that I had were all discussed by various members in the AMG forums. Two of the biggest complaints I had were that I could never get the car past 140mph (it was like the car hit a wall and completely stop pulling) and the fact that after one high speed pull, the car completely bogged down and would not shift properly. I was very unhappy with the car at this point since I knew that it was capable of performing much better. The dealer basically said they could do nothing to verify high speed performance and refused to fix anything.
The best part of this story is that all this was done for under $1K and several hours of my time.
Results: A much improved performance from this awesome car. I have not dynoed the car either before or after any of this, so I have no idea if there are any HP or TQ gains, but I can say without a doubt the car is running much smoother and stronger. My plans are to get it on a dyno and see where it stands officially and make a couple of 1/4 miles runs.
1. Green High Performance Air Filters
2. Oil Change with Mobile 1 0W-40 w/ FSS Reset
3. Mann Fleece Oil Filter
4. Magnecor's KV85 Competition (8.5mm) Spark Plug Wires
5. DENSO IK16 Iridium Spark Plugs
6. Bosch Ford Lightning I/C Pump swap
7. SpeedTuning USA ECU Tune w/Speed Limiter Removal
Let me say thanks to 1FastC32 for his excellent write up on the I/C pump fix
Thanks to all the members on the forum for numerous suggestions and discussions. After two trips to the dealer about the I/C pump failure and lack of power, I said the heck with them and went about researching potential fixes on MBWorld. The problems that I had were all discussed by various members in the AMG forums. Two of the biggest complaints I had were that I could never get the car past 140mph (it was like the car hit a wall and completely stop pulling) and the fact that after one high speed pull, the car completely bogged down and would not shift properly. I was very unhappy with the car at this point since I knew that it was capable of performing much better. The dealer basically said they could do nothing to verify high speed performance and refused to fix anything.
The best part of this story is that all this was done for under $1K and several hours of my time.
Results: A much improved performance from this awesome car. I have not dynoed the car either before or after any of this, so I have no idea if there are any HP or TQ gains, but I can say without a doubt the car is running much smoother and stronger. My plans are to get it on a dyno and see where it stands officially and make a couple of 1/4 miles runs.
Super Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 943
Likes: 1
From: Long Island, New york
2004 S55 AMG
How is the I/C pump install? How is performance? Also what about the SpeedTuning USA ECU Tune? There seems to be mix feeling on them on the forum. Some claim car ran too rich after the tunning.
Super Member
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 579
Likes: 0
From: Toronto, ON
Bentley Flying Spur, CL550
+1. I am also wondering about the I/C install. And could you be more specific on that new pump you used. From my own searching thru the forums I've been seeing most guys used the Johnston pump.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 127
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta
'03 S55 AMG, '01 CLK55 AMG
As for the SpeedTuning USA ECU upgrade, it's too early to tell, I just dropped it back in and have done limited testing/driving. However I noticed that the car will smoke the tires in 1st gear whether I am on slow roll or from a stoplight. It would not do that before and I suspect it was due to the recall issues that have been discussed by many here. I will say that the customer service was been outstanding. They got it and have it turned around the same day and I had it in my hands by noon the next day. I'll save any further comments for a later time after I have had enough time to really drive the call a little more. Specifically I want to get it on a dyno and make a couple 1/4 mile runs to say if there was any increase/decrease in performance over stock.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 127
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta
'03 S55 AMG, '01 CLK55 AMG
You can find it here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Bosch...QQcmdZViewItem
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 2,566
Likes: 7
'14 ML BT
6. Bosch Ford Lightning I/C Pump swap
Let me say thanks to 1FastC32 for his excellent write up on the I/C pump fix
The dealer basically said they could do nothing to verify high speed performance and refused to fix anything.
Results: My plans are to get it on a dyno and see where it stands officially and make a couple of 1/4 miles runs.
Let me say thanks to 1FastC32 for his excellent write up on the I/C pump fix
The dealer basically said they could do nothing to verify high speed performance and refused to fix anything.
Results: My plans are to get it on a dyno and see where it stands officially and make a couple of 1/4 miles runs.
Post the dyno please.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 127
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta
'03 S55 AMG, '01 CLK55 AMG
They go through Service Advisors seems like every 6 months or less. I had 4 different BMW SA's in 5 years....... all terrible BTW.
The dealer doesn't have any loaner cars, the sales reps are generally clueless, and the Sales Manager is a jerk.
The mechanics are basically OK if you can ever get past the SA and talk directly to them.
I honestly drive 4 hours to Atlanta to get my AMG serviced at Atlanta Classic Cars (top notch facility) now.
If you own a German car, you are basically forced to use them because they are the only game in town. If anyone else on the board is in Tallahassee who has different experiences, I would love to hear about them.
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Super Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 943
Likes: 1
From: Long Island, New york
2004 S55 AMG
If your I/C pump has failed, you will notice immediate performance boost. The I/C pump swap was pretty straight forward, view this thread for the details: https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...light=1fastc32
As for the SpeedTuning USA ECU upgrade, it's too early to tell, I just dropped it back in and have done limited testing/driving. However I noticed that the car will smoke the tires in 1st gear whether I am on slow roll or from a stoplight. It would not do that before and I suspect it was due to the recall issues that have been discussed by many here. I will say that the customer service was been outstanding. They got it and have it turned around the same day and I had it in my hands by noon the next day. I'll save any further comments for a later time after I have had enough time to really drive the call a little more. Specifically I want to get it on a dyno and make a couple 1/4 mile runs to say if there was any increase/decrease in performance over stock.
As for the SpeedTuning USA ECU upgrade, it's too early to tell, I just dropped it back in and have done limited testing/driving. However I noticed that the car will smoke the tires in 1st gear whether I am on slow roll or from a stoplight. It would not do that before and I suspect it was due to the recall issues that have been discussed by many here. I will say that the customer service was been outstanding. They got it and have it turned around the same day and I had it in my hands by noon the next day. I'll save any further comments for a later time after I have had enough time to really drive the call a little more. Specifically I want to get it on a dyno and make a couple 1/4 mile runs to say if there was any increase/decrease in performance over stock.
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