DIY heat exchanger install
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Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 419
Likes: 132
From: UK
2004 E55 K Wagon &. '96 SL500
DIY heat exchanger install
Hi I have ordered a larger heat exchanger on eBay which is basically a copy of the PLM with the OEM Mounting points and nipples for the coolant pipes.
The bumper removal seems to be the fiddliest part, is getting it back on as easy or difficult as removing it ? Also to avoid breaking the lower middle mesh , how easy is it to unscrew the bolts under the radiator from beneath ?
And can the bumper be removed without removing the entire arch lining and just by undoing it and pulling it to the side ?
I'm considering doing it at home on axle stands.
The bumper removal seems to be the fiddliest part, is getting it back on as easy or difficult as removing it ? Also to avoid breaking the lower middle mesh , how easy is it to unscrew the bolts under the radiator from beneath ?
And can the bumper be removed without removing the entire arch lining and just by undoing it and pulling it to the side ?
I'm considering doing it at home on axle stands.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,428
Likes: 288
From: New Zealand
There are multiple ways to do it. I found the easiest way is to remove more stuff. Jack the front of the car up. Remove the front wheels and the front half of the wheel arch liners entirely. You could avoid these parts but it makes it much more difficult. It seems like a nightmare pulling the lining out but once you work out how it comes out it isn't actually difficult, just tight.
I found I could get a 1/4" extension behind the bumper to remove the two bolts behind the mesh. For reinstalling I removed the mesh once the bumper was out as it is easiest to remove it without destroying it with the bumper off. I then put the bolts back in and clipped the mesh back in last.
Make sure you remove the driving light wires, air temp sensor just pops out of the grill and the parktronic if you have it is an annoying large plastic clip module thing. The job is fiddly but easy enough. Lining up the hole for the torx screw on the large black clip inside the bumper on each side was the most annoying.
I found I could get a 1/4" extension behind the bumper to remove the two bolts behind the mesh. For reinstalling I removed the mesh once the bumper was out as it is easiest to remove it without destroying it with the bumper off. I then put the bolts back in and clipped the mesh back in last.
Make sure you remove the driving light wires, air temp sensor just pops out of the grill and the parktronic if you have it is an annoying large plastic clip module thing. The job is fiddly but easy enough. Lining up the hole for the torx screw on the large black clip inside the bumper on each side was the most annoying.
