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Noticed a chalky sort of noise coming from my clutch bearing and it looks like it's been slinging grease all over making a huge mess under my hood. Part of the mess is also due to some leaking oil cooler gaskets that I need to do but what is up with this bearing? I haven't touched it yet but it seems like the grease is creeping out and it seems to have some noise until the under hood temps rise. Is this is a by product of running the car in cold weather or should I be looking at either regreasing or replacing the bearing in a whole? I took the belt off to spin the pulley by hand and it seems tight with out any nasty noise... Should I be worried?
I have a video but I can't seem to upload it through the site.
Also, what high speed grease did you use? A guy in the DIY SC oil thread recommended Rheotemp 500 but it seems like unobtainium. I plan on pulling my SC soon to clean it, regrease the rear bearings and change the oil in it..
Another question, is this the correct bearing? I have heard of people using the red seal instead of what this has.. Any difference over the two? Just want to make sure that I order the correct part.
your new front bearing comes greased ... so no worries
(oops I see the question was about grease for your existing bearing )
However, you may have a SC front seal issue as well. From your pic, it looks like SC oil is coming out from behind your SC pulley. I see oil all over your SC pulley springs AND, I see a line of oil on the hose directly below the left engine-cover-post (on the right of the SC pulley in your picture). This line is from lube that is most likely NOT from your SC pulley bearing and suggests oil is coming out from the front seal of the SC gearbox.
or, has someone perhaps sprayed a bit of lube into the bearing and pulley?
Chris
Last edited by latemodel21; 01-24-2016 at 04:41 PM.
your new front bearing comes greased ... so no worries
However, you may have a SC front seal issue as well. From your pic, it looks like SC oil is coming out from behind your SC pulley. I see oil all over your SC pulley springs AND, I see a line of oil on the hose directly below the left engine-cover-post (on the right of the SC pulley in your picture). This line is from lube that is most likely NOT from your SC pulley bearing and suggests oil is coming out from the front seal of the SC gearbox.
or, has someone perhaps sprayed a bit of lube into the bearing and pulley?
Chris
My engine oil cooler gaskets are currently compromised and need attention but it's been too cold to get those done. I have the seal rings here just need the time to do it. So that could possibly be what you're seeing. It seems a little too thick to be SC oil I think which leads me to believe that the thicker build up near the bearing assembly is coming from the bearing itself. I haven't sprayed anything in there lol. I also did the smell test on the grease by feeling it and sniffing it and it doesn't smell like the famed "pungent farm animal smell" that the SC oil has.
Just went and double checked to make sure it wasn't the SC oil and it appears to just be engine oil. My engine bay is an embarassing mess right now but I couldn't see any evidence of an SC oil leak around the clutch assembly itself or oil spots on the upper engine where the SC sits. All of my pulleys are covered in oil though as are my belts. I have new belts to put on as well, I just need a garage to pull into so that I can clean this mess up and get these issues situated.
My engine oil cooler gaskets are currently compromised and need attention but it's been too cold to get those done. I have the seal rings here just need the time to do it. So that could possibly be what you're seeing. It seems a little too thick to be SC oil I think which leads me to believe that the thicker build up near the bearing assembly is coming from the bearing itself. I haven't sprayed anything in there lol. I also did the smell test on the grease by feeling it and sniffing it and it doesn't smell like the famed "pungent farm animal smell" that the SC oil has.
I would suggest that you check the SC oil level ... just so you know its fine and give it a snif (you never know, it may have been refilled with something other than jet oil at some point). The line of oil (below the cover post I mentioned before) most certainly came from the SC (more specifically, it was slung from between the magnet assy and the SC pulley's pressure-plate) ... maybe it is not an issue , but it does warrant further investigation. If you needed some of the "Unobtainable" rtheotemp500 I have it, however, this bearing is easy enough to replace and that is what you should do.
it is possible, I suppose, that oil somehow has been shot onto your SC pulley (from any nearby pressure-driven oil leak) and then in turn was slung off of the pulley .... thereby mimic-ing an SC leak ....
Chris
Last edited by latemodel21; 01-24-2016 at 05:26 PM.
Another question, is this the correct bearing? I have heard of people using the red seal instead of what this has.. Any difference over the two? Just want to make sure that I order the correct part.
Someone posted about a S/C rebuild kit. It's not for our cars, but those people might have a source for the proper grease.
yes, that company sells the NYE Rheotemp 500 in a small tube for a very reasonable price.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/252048346170?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
I would suggest that you check the SC oil level ... just so you know its fine and give it a snif (you never know, it may have been refilled with something other than jet oil at some point). The line of oil (below the cover post I mentioned before) most certainly came from the SC (more specifically, it was slung from between the magnet assy and the SC pulley's pressure-plate) ... maybe it is not an issue , but it does warrant further investigation. If you needed some of the "Unobtainable" rtheotemp500 I have it, however, this bearing is easy enough to replace and that is what you should do.
it is possible, I suppose, that oil somehow has been shot onto your SC pulley (from any nearby pressure-driven oil leak) and then in turn was slung off of the pulley .... thereby mimic-ing an SC leak ....
Chris
I'm definitely going to replace the bearing. I was just looking for the rheotemp 500 for when I tear the SC down for a cleaning and regreasing.
If I check my SC oil, what would be the best way to do it? Get a metal clothes hanger, untwist and stick it in to see if it comes out wet and sniff it? That oil spot on the hose was pretty thick with a consistency of grease and dark. I really don't think that I have an SC leak but I do want to rule that out officially.. Here are some pics of how bad my oil cooler leak is.. It's only gotten worse in the past week.. Can't seem to find a DIY on how to do it though. I watched my buddy do the seals on a NA M113 with ease but it seems like a PITA to access the four screws to the oil cooler housing on an M113k.
I'm definitely going to replace the bearing. I was just looking for the rheotemp 500 for when I tear the SC down for a cleaning and regreasing.
If I check my SC oil, what would be the best way to do it? Get a metal clothes hanger, untwist and stick it in to see if it comes out wet and sniff it? That oil spot on the hose was pretty thick with a consistency of grease and dark. I really don't think that I have an SC leak but I do want to rule that out officially.. Here are some pics of how bad my oil cooler leak is.. It's only gotten worse in the past week.. Can't seem to find a DIY on how to do it though. I watched my buddy do the seals on a NA M113 with ease but it seems like a PITA to access the four screws to the oil cooler housing on an M113k.
given the amount of oil that is spewing here and there, the scenario in which oil is sprayed onto the SC pulley and then slung off is not so unlikely. Still the SC oil should be checked. Take care to not drop the fill plug. Any clean object (coat hanger as you mentioned) would work for a snif test. If you want to look at the condition, you could push a bit of clear tube in and take a sample. You may want to devise a method that gives an indication of the fill height.
the oil spot on the hose being thick suggests that it is either some other lube or an accumulation of SC oil that happened over a long period of time. In any case, that lube (whatever it is) seems to have been slung from the pressure-plate of the SC pulley where it meets the magnet. Oil contamination on the friction surface of the magnet is a concern as it can lead to the friction material (that is embedded in the forward face of the magnet) breaking down and dis-lodging.
given the amount of oil that is spewing here and there, the scenario in which oil is sprayed onto the SC pulley and then slung off is not so unlikely. Still the SC oil should be checked. Take care to not drop the fill plug. Any clean object (coat hanger as you mentioned) would work for a snif test. If you want to look at the condition, you could push a bit of clear tube in and take a sample. You may want to devise a method that gives an indication of the fill height.
the oil spot on the hose being thick suggests that it is either some other lube or an accumulation of SC oil that happened over a long period of time. In any case, that lube (whatever it is) seems to have been slung from the pressure-plate of the SC pulley where it meets the magnet. Oil contamination on the friction surface of the magnet is a concern as it can lead to the friction material (that is embedded in the forward face of the magnet) breaking down and dis-lodging.
Chris
Okay, I'll check that. Just curious, when you remove the bearing assembly for replacement, will the pressure plate easily pop off for a better look at the magnet? I looked with a flashlight all around and couldn't see any evidence of oil or grease between the two but would rather dig in deeper just to be sure. I'm new to this area so sorry if some of it seems redundant or ignorant.
Replaced my clutch bearing, did oil cooler seals, replaced belts, and cleaned things up yesterday..
When I removed the clutch pulley to replace the bearing, I smelled that famous barnyard smell of our supercharger oil and looked through the holes on the clutch itself and noticed some wet looking dirt... After a brief freak out, I sucked the old SC oil out (which was actually a good bit) and replaced the old oil with new mobil jet oil II... Now I'm afraid that my front seal is compromised and am wondering how much of a pain it will be to replace the front seal (If possible).
I already plan on removing the SC this spring to replace sensors, rubbers, and clean/ regrease the rear bearings, but looking on EPC, I can't find a front seal for the SC.. Can anyone hook me up with a picture, part number, or guidance on how I could replace my SC front seal?
Replaced my clutch bearing, did oil cooler seals, replaced belts, and cleaned things up yesterday..
When I removed the clutch pulley to replace the bearing, I smelled that famous barnyard smell of our supercharger oil and looked through the holes on the clutch itself and noticed some wet looking dirt... After a brief freak out, I sucked the old SC oil out (which was actually a good bit) and replaced the old oil with new mobil jet oil II... Now I'm afraid that my front seal is compromised and am wondering how much of a pain it will be to replace the front seal (If possible).
I already plan on removing the SC this spring to replace sensors, rubbers, and clean/ regrease the rear bearings, but looking on EPC, I can't find a front seal for the SC.. Can anyone hook me up with a picture, part number, or guidance on how I could replace my SC front seal?
(please, someone correct me if I am wrong) There are no Mercedes part numbers for ANY parts internal to this supercharger. Additionally, replacing the supercharger input shaft seal is not a simple undertaking (or one that I have seen chronicled).
did you happen to measure how much oil you gto out of it?
when you say "looked through the holes on the clutch itself and noticed some wet looking dirt" are you referring to holes in the magnet or the pulley part of the "clutch"? (your magnet should look like the one shown in post #21). The reason I ask is because in severe cases or front-seal-leakage, some of the organic-looking material in the face of the magnet can actually come out (when sufficiently degraded by leaking SC oil) and may appear to look like dirt.
and this other outfit says they work on IHI SCs and have a great flat rate for SC repair ... I have no first hand experience with either company, but the second one may supply parts to DIYers ... http://jonbondperformance.com/index....products_id=12
01-24-2016, 03:34 PM
