SL-Class (R230) 2003 -- 2012: Discussion on the SL500, SL550, SL600

SL/R230: when does the torque kick in on your stock sl600?

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Old Jul 7, 2022 | 08:03 PM
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2004 sl600
when does the torque kick in on your stock sl600?

When does your torque seem to kick in on your stock sl600? From reading online, the car should pull really hard even at 1800 rpm. I seem to feel the surge in torque around 2500 or 2800 rpm. I am trying to figure out if it is just the intercooler pump gone bad or if there could be more on my car. Waiting for my foxwell to arrive to get some stats and info from the computer. Any thoughts on good ways to test? I feel like I am waiting for the sl600 to drop down in gear all the time as well to access the power. definitely considering the TCU upgrade so that I can keep the car in whatever gear I want rather than relying on kickdowns etc.
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Old Jul 8, 2022 | 10:47 AM
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2006 SL600
You are right on you barely need to push the pedal to get the twin turbo v12 moving along effortlessly.Tons of torque available 1800 rpm and above .HTH
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Old Jul 9, 2022 | 08:51 AM
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Sl600
I am a new SL600 owner and with all that torque had expected rocket ship launches and acceleration. But it feels sluggish off the line, surprising. Interested to hear feedback from,others.

‘’I saw a posting they a gasket at rear of engine which seals the output of the turbos often drives out causing leakage of turbo boost….??
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Old Jul 9, 2022 | 12:21 PM
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2005 SL65 AMG
Any M275 that feels down on power needs to be checked for proper function of the intercooler system and for boost leaks.

The common boost leak location at the back o the engine is at a round black plastic plug in the intake manifold. It is sealed with an o-ring that gets hard and fails.
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Old Jul 9, 2022 | 01:06 PM
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Sl600
Thank you very much! Would know where to begin without knowledgeable advice from friends!
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Old Jul 9, 2022 | 01:10 PM
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2004 sl600
Originally Posted by sivikvtec
Any M275 that feels down on power needs to be checked for proper function of the intercooler system and for boost leaks.

The common boost leak location at the back o the engine is at a round black plastic plug in the intake manifold. It is sealed with an o-ring that gets hard and fails.
Do you happen to have a picture or diagram of what to look for? My Bosch intercooler pump and retrofit reservoir just arrived today. Waiting on my foxwell that is supposed to arrive tomorrow so that I can do the install. Would love to check the aforementioned o-ring while I am in there. Thanks for all the help forum!
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Old Jul 9, 2022 | 05:21 PM
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2005 SL65 AMG
Originally Posted by dyc1077
Do you happen to have a picture or diagram of what to look for? My Bosch intercooler pump and retrofit reservoir just arrived today. Waiting on my foxwell that is supposed to arrive tomorrow so that I can do the install. Would love to check the aforementioned o-ring while I am in there. Thanks for all the help forum!
To see the o-ring, you have to get access to the rear of the intake manifold and remove the black plastic plug, it’s best if you just remove the manifold, which is a big job.

Heres some photos showing the general area of it. I removed the manifold from my car and took it to a welder who just welded the hole closed. The hole is in the manifold because cars without SBC (C215, W220…etc) have a brake booster connection there. On the R230 the hole is not used because SBC doesn’t use engine vacuum, so it’s just plugged because Mercedes couldn’t justify unique tooling for a intake manifold specific to the R230.




Last edited by sivikvtec; Jul 9, 2022 at 06:04 PM.
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Old Oct 17, 2022 | 09:32 PM
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2004 sl600
So I finally got around to swapping out the intercooler pump and new reservoir. Now I know what everyone means when they say the intercoolers should be barely warm after driving. Before I could not even touch the intercoolers as they were burning hot. Now after idling for any amount of time and spirited driving, the intercooler feels like a warm blanket.

i used a vacuum coolant filter I found on Amazon for like $65 and it worked like a charm. I was not able to pull as much vacuum as suggested but it still filled the system beautifully. Topped off the reservoir a couple times and the level doesn’t move anymore. System with the reservoir seems to be self burping like others have experienced. Highly recommended!
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