2006 E320CDI not used for months, when started serpentine belt smoked and snapped, alternator appears to be seized

[pmcgsmurf]

On the OM648 I'd think you can get to everything from the top OK.

You will certainly have to remove the fan and possibly the radiator to get access to the bolts with tools. Just take the bolts out then flip the alternator to get access to the wire nuts.

 

[Stocho]

On the OM648 I'd think you can get to everything from the top OK.

You will certainly have to remove the fan and possibly the radiator to get access to the bolts with tools. Just take the bolts out then flip the alternator to get access to the wire nuts.

The engine, I believe, is OM642 in this car (In car registration document Engine number does not have OM but starts with 642920 ).

Does it make it more difficult?

 

[pmcgsmurf]

The engine, I believe, is OM642 in this car (In car registration document Engine number does not have OM but starts with 642920 ).

Does it make it more difficult?

Sorry, didn't notice it was the facelift.

Not sure but if you cannot get under the car I wouldn't start it.
Get someone round to do it.

 

[Stocho]

The car owner pays £130 per year for a breakdown cover - so had a plan of RAC taking it to a garage to fit alternator bought on ebay (reconditioned, 12 month warranty)... The quotes ranged 2 to 3 hours labour, £160-£270 moneywise.

But MOT run out on Monday (which is no coincidence as the only reason I tried to start the car last week is to take it for an MOT) and looks like RAC will refuse to take it due to no MOT.

So I suppose back to fixing it on the drive. The question I have now is how easy the job is if done from under the car? The alternator appears to be right at the very bottom of the engine so is it an easy job to remove it with access from below the car?

Basically there are mobile mechanics around who I would imagine would have no difficulties in getting under the car... but I would not trust them to remove the fan or radiator hoses - yet alone the radiator. If it is a simple job if done from below then surely I could trust them to remove the bottom tray, undo the 4 screws and unplug the cable...

The other idea I have is if that alternator pulley-clutch that I am able to remove with the tools I bought could be made into a free rotating pulley (like a bearing) .... I could then put serpentine belt on, connect second battery in parallel to the main one and drive to the garage myself (perfectly legally, by pre-booking MOT as well)... (Though there is a problem with this plan as well - as the car has not been driven for months what are the chances of it passing emission test with a cold engine that has not been revved.... Well I suppose I could warm it up and rev a lot on my drive couple of days before taking it to the garage once serpentine is driving the coolant pump....)

 

[geoffus]

What do you mean " would not trust the mobile mechanic to remove fan, radiator and hoses" ?
Surely that's your best course of action to have your car fixed.
Other than that you could get your car towed to your chosen garage for the repairs, will the RAC not tow because its MOT has ran out ?
If you don't fancy doing this job, then I would think the mobile mechanic needs a call.

 

[E55BOF]

^+1. A mobile mechanic does this sort of simple job every day for a living; I think one could be trusted to do it correctly...

 

[Stocho]

^+1. A mobile mechanic does this sort of simple job every day for a living; I think one could be trusted to do it correctly...

But is it a simple job (for a person who does not specialize in MB)? I assume that, unlike me, a mobile mechanic will be able to get under the car. But will it allow a very simple removal of the alternator or will he need to remove much of the front of the car (fan, radiator hoses, probably radiator as well) anyway? Is there some structure below the engine (other than the removable plastic tray) that would prevent an easy removal of the alternator from under the car (as it looks to me like it is right at the bottom of the engine) ?


I had a simple oils service on W210 done not by a mobile mechanic but by Halfords Autocentres (people working in warm garage with proper car lifts, access to all the tools needed, toilet, kettle, etc) .... and instead of screwing the bottom trays to the underside of the car they just strapped the front tray to the middle engine tray and on motorway it was hitting the road ( Halfords Autocentres messed up undertrays - where to get new ones cheap? | Bodywork ) .... And that was a very simple job.... If fan and radiator removal is required lack of knowledge, lack of experience with Mercedes cars or impatience (I would imagine hard to be patient when you are not working in a nice garage with all the right equipment and facilities but in winter under the elements on someone's drive) can easily lead to broken fixings, etc. Even refilling the car back with coolant is not trivial as the correct coolant has to be put in (which was replaced not so long ago with proper MB coolant) ....

If even with access from under the car radiator fan, radiator hoses and possibly the fan have to be disconnected I suppose my next thing would be to remove the alternator pulley (something I already did and put it back) and try to unpack it with the view of somehow making it rotate freely in both directions. This would then allow me to put serpentine that would drive coolant pump, power steering etc. I could then legally drive it to the garage by also booking it for an MOT test (you can drive without MOT for repairs as well ... but only after the car has actually failed and MOT test).

 

[Doodle]

Halfords Autocentres

Those 2 words speak volumes. They may have a nice warm garage, with lifts, tools etc. They're also a franchise trading on the brand name, rather than reputation and the general experience is frequently as you've found because they don't care. It's all about volume and margins in most cases.

A mobile mechanic will usually be time-served and a sole trader - reputation means repeat business & networking.

 

[pmcgsmurf]

I think to be honest you are making a bit of a novel out of this.

If you can fix it, go ahead, otherwise get someone in to do it or get it recovered to a garage.
Any decent mobile mechanic will have a look, understand what is needed and get on and do it.

 

[MrGreedy]

As above.

Given the issues around fitting the belt, alternator, MOT being required and not know what else might crop up (and therefore potentially leaving yourself open to criticism if 'you' haven't fixed it and the owner has 'wasted' money), my recommendation is get it towed or trailered (usually about £50 for something local) to a decent garage (Merc specialist?) who can get the thing up on ramps, makes sure it's running, and then get it MOT'ed for you in one hit.
This could quickly turn into a series of unenjoyable detective missions (on someone else's car) whilst you contemplate crawling around outside on the floor at the worst time of the year in lashing rain.

 

[Stocho]

... and therefore potentially leaving yourself open to criticism if 'you' haven't fixed it and the owner has 'wasted' money...

The owner points me to this video and thinks it is a very easy job and does not understand why I am hesitant or making a fuss...

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That video is for the inline version of E320CDI W211. More to it I just can't believe it is that easy for the inline version as it seems they did not have to remove the fan, did not have to disconnect radiator hoses. Looks like there is plenty of space there. Is that video grossly misleading even for the inline Engine?

 

[Petrol Pete]

Technically speaking it should not be on a public road without an MOT (parked or otherwise) but as you do not intend to leave it standing growing moss on the roof I doubt if this will become a 'problem' for you.

Is their enough access to fit a shorter belt bypassing the alternator altogether ? Charge the battery, get it started enough to get it moving during daylight. No idea if this is possible but the cooling and PAS would work

 

[Stocho]

Technically speaking it should not be on a public road without an MOT (parked or otherwise) but as you do not intend to leave it standing growing moss on the roof I doubt if this will become a 'problem' for you.

Is their enough access to fit a shorter belt bypassing the alternator altogether ? Charge the battery, get it started enough to get it moving during daylight. No idea if this is possible but the cooling and PAS would work

The car is parked on private land so despite the utterly strange logic of the decision in Pumbien v Vines it can stay there perfectly legally.

Intercooler pipe is within 5mm of the belt and has to be removed to fit it - not just because it is so close to the belt and essentially obstructs the pulley but because the screws that hold that pipe will not allow to get the belt in even for a person with infinite dexterity. But removing it is not a problem. The problems would be due to:
1. It is not just the pulleys that stick out of the engine where the belt runs - other things also stick out and in the same plane as the serpentine belt just slightly out of the way. A route bypassing the alternator would likely be obstructed by those other things sticking out of the engine.
2. A belt of appropriate shorter length would have to be found and the tensioner pulley would not allow for much tolerance with regard to the length of the shorter belt.

 

[Petrol Pete]

The car is parked on private land so despite the utterly strange logic of the decision in Pumbien v Vines it can stay there perfectly legally.

Intercooler pipe is within 5mm of the belt and has to be removed to fit it - not just because it is so close to the belt and essentially obstructs the pulley but because the screws that hold that pipe will not allow to get the belt in even for a person with infinite dexterity. But removing it is not a problem. The problems would be due to:
1. It is not just the pulleys that stick out of the engine where the belt runs - other things also stick out and in the same plane as the serpentine belt just slightly out of the way. A route bypassing the alternator would likely be obstructed by those other things sticking out of the engine.
2. A belt of appropriate shorter length would have to be found and the tensioner pulley would not allow for much tolerance with regard to the length of the shorter belt.

For some reason I thought the car was parked on the road ? must have mixed my threads up , sorry. Not much consolation I know but here is my recent alternator story, I had to replace the alternator on our Toyota Yaris, tiny little engine but for some reason all of the 'interesting' stuff is squashed up against the drivers side wheel arch in the engine bay. I had to work from both the top and bottom, remove the main engine mount unit and pull the entire engine forwards about 100cm to get the alternator out ! as the engine mounting has to be removed to change the serpentine belt I did that and the idler pulley bearings at the same time . It's not just MB that make life difficult ! Good luck.

 

[Stocho]

RAC recovered the car to the garage yesterday and the alternator was replaced. They said another pulley had collapsed as well. So the total invoice was just under £200. The cost of reconditioned alternator was £150 but will probably get £30 back when I send them the old alternator.

When I received the reconditioned alternator it was immediately obvious it is not a DIY job as it weights about 10kg!!! When your arms are twisted in some horrible shape in the most awkward of positions one thing is handling something that weights couple of kilos .... but 10kg....

So this problem is hopefully solved... now next problem - white smoke but that is another topic....

Thanks a lot for advice!