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2003 S55 Pulley broke in half

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Old Aug 1, 2012 | 10:37 PM
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2003 s55
2003 S55 Pulley broke in half

Hey guys I have a 03 s55 amg. This morning I turned on the car and heard a clanking sound. I turned the car off and open the hood and found the a/c pulley off the car. The thing that puzzled me was that the belt was still in tact. I was hoping someone could tell me what would cause this. Also should I replace the pulley of the whole A/C comnpressor. The pulley cracked in the middle. By looking at the piece that goes in the middle of the pulley look as it just broke off. The pulley itself was $284 at the dealership. On Ebay I saw the pump for around $250 and less.

Now a about 1 month ago my A/C off button was lite and I had erased the code so my A/c would work. do you think this may have caused this. I think the fault code was KLA A 1298

My part number for a compressor is A000 230 90 11

Can I use this part .A001 230 28 11 this is a A/C compressor as well.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercedes-G32...699d11&vxp=mtr


Any insight on this issue would be great








Last edited by mike730; Aug 1, 2012 at 11:32 PM. Reason: add a picture
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Old Aug 1, 2012 | 11:14 PM
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awiner's Avatar
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Holy crap I have never seen a OE pulley break like this before.

How many miles on your car ?
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Old Aug 1, 2012 | 11:27 PM
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2003 s55
I have 94k. I agree I have never seen anything like this do you think its best to replace the compressor or just the pulley
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Old Aug 2, 2012 | 12:07 AM
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At that mileage spin all your pulleys with the belt off and replace any that are making noise. There maybe plastic tensioner pulleys on yor engine that should be replaced at that mileage in any case. Replace the belt too. Keep the old belt and quiet pulleys in a spare box in case you get stuck. Tip: get your oem parts from a Sponsor not eBay.
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Old Aug 2, 2012 | 08:43 AM
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I would replace the pulley only unless you have AC cooling issues, it is better to not upen up a good functioning AC system unless you have to do it.
I have seen VW plastic pulleys do the same thing...plastic just wears out faster....
Mike
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Old Aug 2, 2012 | 08:48 AM
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I would replace the pulley only unless you have AC cooling issues, it is better to not upen up a good functioning AC system unless you have to do it.
I have seen VW plastic pulleys do the same thing...plastic just wears out faster....
Mike
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Old Aug 2, 2012 | 09:19 AM
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Good idea

Originally Posted by mrbenzes
I would replace the pulley only unless you have AC cooling issues, it is better to not upen up a good functioning AC system unless you have to do it.
I have seen VW plastic pulleys do the same thing...plastic just wears out faster....
Mike
Thanks , mike, im going to modify my account.

Note that it is a Nippon Denso a/c compressor and pulley. This is a widely used unit in many different car brands. One should be able to repair parts for it or a cheaper OEM new unit from a better Auto Parts store. One probably cant get a repair compressor pulley kit from MB they want to sell you the entire unit at a much higher price even from a Sponsor. however-

If you compare prices with MB consider replacing the entire unit with a new Oem N Denso compressor. You don't know what damage has been caused internally by the pulley failure. Then you will fix once! Remember don't forget new a/c oil and coolant. I would get one bottle with green dye just to see if there are any other leaks in the system. The condenser may fail at this age, for example.

My admonitions about replacing the other pulleys stands.

Last edited by grane; Aug 2, 2012 at 09:23 AM.
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Old Aug 10, 2015 | 04:40 PM
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Anybody ever hear of the super charger pulley slipping on the 03 S55?
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Old Aug 11, 2015 | 07:59 AM
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This same thing happened to me last year on my S55 with the a/c pulley.
I ended up pulling out and replacing with a new pump from Amazon I believe.
I was worried about how much "life" was left in the pump after the pulley let go like this. It happened to me when I was a few miles from home and it sounded like a dieing diesel truck! That job sucked I thought more than doing the ABC pump.
Johan
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Old Aug 11, 2015 | 02:02 PM
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the only thing i can think of that would cause a crack like that maybe the clutch is failing? if it engages too hard i suppose it could put a lot of stress on the rest of the system. i do not offer the pulley by its self but i do have several replacement options. please let me know if you have any questions or if i can be of any further assistance.

https://www.carpartsdiscount.com/cat...html?3594=2163
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Old Aug 12, 2015 | 06:11 PM
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'06 MB S55 AMG; '04 Audi Allroad 4.2; '05 BMW M3 Conv.; '92 MB 500E
I agree with all the remedial suggestions here. As to why it failed, at 12 years and 94k, tons of factors come to mind, wiki ate and use being chief among them. If it was "rode hard and put up wet" in Chicago or DC summers, then stored for winters, it would make sense -- very hot then very cold. Who knows? Just be glad the whole engine didn't blow. On supercharged cars, I consider pulleys and belts regular maintenance, every 5 and 50k sort of thing. My crank pulley was a tad wobbly at the 10 year mark, so I just swapped it, just so I didn't have your current situation. Heat + cold + vibration can't be a good recipe there.

Happy trails,

maw
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