Latest on my W202 C230K aka ''Rough Rough''

[John Jones Jr]

This a continuation of a thread http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/general-discussion/149423-got-myself-w202-c230-kompressor.html which I started two years ago (!) part of which is a copy & paste job so it's really not too concise so forgive me fellow W202'ers. I haven't updated for a year either (I've plenty of excuses ) but the bottomline is I didn't really use the car and got distracted by life & work, not to mention buying another car a few months ago.

Anyway here's the old gal just as the sun is going down (far more flattering than bright sunlight ) after a hard day scrubbing, washing, touching up (plenty), claying etc, along with boot spoiler and all badges removed. It's no a clean now after the winter but a wash & polish should help.

 

[John Jones Jr]

So, the current state of play is:

I sent the injectors away for cleaning but the flow rates were almost perfect so there was no need but one only finds this out after they have been tested. I'll have to give credit to Dipetane https://www.dipetane.com/ for that.
I got the throttle body adaptations carried out on STAR which improved the overall driveability of the car and since that was getting sorted had the BAS/ASR module replaced with a 2nd hand one, warning light off now and BAS operational again. One of coil lead plastic connectors was cracked so a new lead was soldered into the loom as the plastic connectors are not available separately, no biggy as the lead is cheap from M-B and there little labour involved.

Next week all going well I'll be replacing the PVC valve and hoses below the inlet manifold as preventive maintenance measure, again the parts are cheap from M-B, in total about £65 including a throttle cable and a blanking plug for one of the sill covers.

I'll also have to attend to:

Head lamp height levelling adjuster inop.
Replace the throttle cable.
Investigate screech from v-belt area on cold startup, suspect an idler or tensioner bearing is on the way out.
Fit both engine mounts and gearbox mount which I purchased over a year ago!

At the last MOT, I had two advisories, brake hoses (cracks) and Springs (rusty) so I ordered a set of stainless steel brake hoses from CP Racetec (£52) who are well known for their bike parts and a pal recommends them, we'll see. Buying cheap could mean buying twice.

Next up is a set of springs, so I opted for Eibach ProKit E2545-140, good value too from eBay.de @ just over a hundred quid delivered (€150). These will drop the car by another 10-15mm as it's a Sport model instead of 30-35mm on a standard W202. But I'll possibly have to adjust the Koni's to suit these springs, I hope I have the patience and get it right too.

I'm now looking forward to driving the old gal when the above items are done and getting a new MOT. After that I actually don't know what the future holds for the car, it's worth sod all so the only sensible option is to keep and importantly use it I suppose. Maybe go Cafe racer style, do a bit of stripping, thus lightening (c.150kg) but keep it useable as daily driver for if or when required?

 

[John Jones Jr]

So to summerise and help me keep track and focused on the jobs in hand.

1. Replace PVC valve & hoses. Clean out hose connectors in Cyl.head.
2. Replace throttle cable.
3. Fit missing Blanking plug on o/s sill cover.
4, Replace engine mount x 2.
5. Replace gearbox mount.
6. Change S/c oil.
7. Attend to head lamp height adjustment inop.
8. Attend to noise from V-belt area.
9. Replace brake hoses - ordered.
10. Spring set - order.
11. Spring compressor - order.
12. Change engine coolant & thermostat - order.

 

[John Jones Jr]

Here's shot of some new parts.

Parts numbers for the PCV valve and hoses which is applicable to W208's also:

Valve A1110100091.
Hose (large) A1110181582.
Hose (small) A0020940182 - needs cutting in half as two sections are required.

Plug (sill cover) A0029977986 - one required for each sill cover, located at rear.

Throttle Cable A2023001530.

The new key is actually only a new housing purchased for few quid from a German eBay retailer, looks and feels almost identical to the original.

 

[John Jones Jr]

.
8. Attend to noise from V-belt area.

After having a look at the belt pulleys & idler none look like they've ever been replaced and one bearing seems to be a bit rough. So, I've decided not to mess about and order up all V-belt associated parts bar the actual belts as I renewed both using Conti's when fitting the larger crank pulley 11,000 miles ago.

Here's the list of required parts, I've plumped for Febi products on the basis of cost and they are considered better quality that some other suppliers. Judging by what I've found online between U.K. and German suppliers the total parts will be approx. £160 including delivery which I'm happy with. It's well worth shopping around, especially if you're not doing anything on a lazy Sunday as prices vary considerably, it would have been very easy to pay c.£300 for the exact same Febi parts.

Febi have an excellent parts site http://www.febi-live.com/en/Home and if you register with them and they automatically email the list of parts that you require, as below.

Part No- Description Quantity
17430- Aux Belt Pulley 1
09782- Aux Belt Pulley 1
15923- rep. kit belt tensioner 1
28229- Aux Belt Tensioner 1

Attached is a how do for the SLK (R170), reckon this is the same as the W202 & W208 and very similar to most Merc's of the era bar the S/charger.

Pelican Technical Article - Mercedes SLK 230 - Replacing Your Belt Tensioner

 

[John Jones Jr]

So to summerise and help me keep track and focused on the jobs in hand.

1. Replace PVC valve & hoses. Clean out hose connectors in Cyl.head.
2. Replace throttle cable.
3. Fit missing Blanking plug on o/s sill cover.
4, Replace engine mount x 2.
5. Replace gearbox mount.
6. Change S/c oil.
7. Attend to head lamp height adjustment inop.
8. Attend to noise from V-belt area.
9. Replace brake hoses - ordered.
10. Spring set - order.
11. Spring compressor - order.
12. Change engine coolant & thermostat - order.

Update:

13. Check for Engine Coolant leak at rear of block - if there is a leak it's very, very minor as there's no visible coolant lost from the header tank but I did notice some slight coolant stains there last year.

14. Fit new Knock Sensor - simply because I have it which was kindly donated to me by another Merc owner well over a year ago!

15. Replace Throttle Body Seal, original one doesn't look great after I removed the mesh filter from it. I have a complete seal from a spare T/B.


It's easy writing lists, almost as bad as being all talk & no action.

 

[John Jones Jr]

Below is shot of the old BAS/ASR control unit, it's mounted just below the brake master cylinder. From what I've gathered these units are the same on all W202's,W208's & W210's. The replacement unit actually came from a Portuguese W210. I made a point of buying the used one (something like £400 new?) from a warm climate county as my suspicion is they become damaged due to water ingress or more likely dampness. Part number A 025 545 47 32

The other two shots are of my spare T/B and seal (with gauze), the T/B is upside down here showing how the seal is located, actually in the inlet manifold with the T/B bolted on top. A good seal is important and even more so with Kompressor. I will locate a generic seal without the gauze at some stage as all I see is the gauze acting as a restriction - in actual fact I can't work out why the gauze is required in the first place, there's some reason obviously but I won't worry about it.

 

[John Jones Jr]

My S/steel brake hose set arrived from Cobra Performance, [email protected]

These Racetec hoses look good and look very similar to the equivalent HEL product, same or similar part number and also they state ''Manufactured under licence to HEL performance'' (whatever that exactly means?). They use the HEL logo on their info sheet too. Sounds promising along with being £30-40 cheaper than buying from a HEL retailer. I think time will only tell.

 

[John Jones Jr]

The list is getting longer!


1. Replace PVC valve & hoses. Clean out hose connectors in Cyl.head.
2. Replace throttle cable.
3. Fit missing Blanking plug on o/s sill cover.
4, Replace engine mount x 2.
5. Replace gearbox mount.
6. Change S/c oil change (again).
7. Attend to head lamp height adjustment inop.
8. Attend to noise from V-belt area.
9. Replace brake hoses & carry out full B.F.C.
10. Spring set - order.
11. Spring compressor - order.
12. Change engine coolant & thermostat - order.
13. Check for Engine Coolant leak at rear of block.
14. Fit new Knock Sensor.
15. Replace Throttle Body Seal.
16. Operation of Eng. oil level sensor @ next oil change.
17. Repair broken Intercooler mount - suspect worn engine mounts to blame.
18. Carry P.A.S. fluid change.
19. Consider adding front bonnet vent.

 

[John Jones Jr]

I forgot about this thread. So, a little up date.

1. Replace PVC valve & hoses. Clean out hose connectors in Cyl.head. Done
2. Replace throttle cable. Done
3. Fit missing Blanking plug on o/s sill cover. Next
4, Replace engine mount x 2. Done
5. Replace gearbox mount.Done
6. Change S/c oil change (again).
7. Attend to head lamp height adjustment inop.Next
8. Attend to noise from V-belt area.Next
9. Replace brake hoses & carry out full B.F.C. Next
10. Spring set - order.
11. Spring compressor - order.
12. Change engine coolant & thermostat - order.
13. Check for Engine Coolant leak at rear of block. Next
14. Fit new Knock Sensor.Next
15. Replace Throttle Body Seal.
16. Operation of Eng. oil level sensor @ next oil change.
17. Repair broken Intercooler mount - suspect worn engine mounts to blame.
18. Carry P.A.S. fluid change.
19. Consider adding front bonnet vent.
20. Fit new washers for spark plug cover bolts - order.

Below are photos of the new mountings, purchased over a year ago!

 

[John Jones Jr]

So, some progress. Brake hoses now replaced, rears were the worst with a fair degree of cracking as per M.O.T. advisory. Both the belt tensioners, idler and shock have been replaced, all looked original and the worn bearing sound from the front has gone. The H/lamp height adjustment is now working, one of the vacuum pipes was chewed (well it look chewed) possibly by a mouse.

1. Replace PVC valve & hoses. Clean out hose connectors in Cyl.head. Done
2. Replace throttle cable. Done
3. Fit missing Blanking plug on o/s sill cover. Next
4, Replace engine mount x 2. Done
5. Replace gearbox mount.Done
6. Change S/c oil change (again).
7. Attend to head lamp height adjustment inop.
Repaired
8. Attend to noise from V-belt area.Done
9. Replace brake hoses & carry out full B.F.C. Done
10. Spring set - order.
11. Spring compressor - order.
12. Change engine coolant & thermostat - order.
13. Check for Engine Coolant leak at rear of block. - Inspected, no leak. Stains suspected due to old leak.
14. Fit new Knock Sensor.Done
15. Replace Throttle Body Seal.
16. Check operation of Eng. oil level sensor @ next oil change.
17. Repair broken Intercooler mount - suspect worn engine mounts to blame.
18. Carry P.A.S. fluid change.
19. Consider adding front bonnet vent.
20. Fit new washers for spark plug cover bolts - order.

 

[John Jones Jr]

Yippee, the current list is getting smaller!


3. Fit missing Blanking plug on o/s sill cover. Next

6. Change S/c oil change (again). Next

10. Spring set - order.
11. Spring compressor - order.
12. Change engine coolant & thermostat - order.


15. Replace Throttle Body Seal.Next
16. Check operation of Eng. oil level sensor @ next oil change.
17. Repair broken Intercooler mount - suspect worn engine mounts to blame.
18. Carry P.A.S. fluid change. Next
19. Consider adding front bonnet vent.
20. Fit new washers for spark plug cover bolts - order.

 

[gbjeppm]

Only just seen this John. Keep going, a well fettled 202 is nice.

 

[John Jones Jr]

Only just seen this John. Keep going, a well fettled 202 is nice.

Cheers, gbjeppm. I don't know about well fettled as I'm not too concerned about the aesthetics (just as well ) but I've no objection to spending a few bob and time getting the old bus driving right. So, it should end up being reasonably good mechanically if nothing else it has a bit more poke and better handling into the bargain (and in due course it will go on a diet), even if it's only worth a packet of crisps & a mars bar. I think W202's have a lot going for them, just where does one draw the line spending money on them even if I know full well I'm on a financial hiding to nothing after the first few hundred quid!

 

[500E]

Good to see progress on this. Get more pics up!

 

[John Jones Jr]

So, on Friday I put the old gal back on the insurance as I reckoned it was time for a few blasts and a bit of a shakedown after getting the throttle adaptations sorted via STAR and see what improvement the new mounts along with the S/steel brakes hose have made.

Firstly, the cold start screech from one of the V-belts (suspect S/C) has gone along with the dry/worn bearing sound that use to be continuously present, that's a good start anyway and if there was an S/c belt slip before it's banished now.

The mounts have made a difference most noticeable is the new G/box one - far less vibration from the gear lever and it wasn't bad prior to replacement, the new engine mounts haven't added anything to the driving experience from what I can tell but I can clearly see there's less engine rock while opening & closing the throttle by hand.

The S/steel brake hoses I think have made a difference to the pedal feel, unsure being candid it could just be a placebo effect, there's still a little too much initial brake travel for my liking, might strip down the brakes completely and give them a good cleaning & lube up when time allows.

The engine performance is good, I'd actually say very good and very impressive for what it is. Third & fourth gear in gear acceleration is joyous, managed to get a touch of wheel spin when changing up from 2nd to 3rd. Pull in 5th from either 1500 rpm or above thanks to all the torque makes driving easy if one desires, even at 70 mph in fifth it nips up to the ton in short order.

Another RR session will confirm my seat of the pants dyno test but I reckon it's now producing more power since last years RR test and remap, then it was producing 180 Bhp at the wheels (213Bhp/250ft lb@ fly), the Remap guy was expecting c.220Bhp but that was before it had the throttle reset along with a new MAF relocated to it's original location plus the other bits & bobs, one of which on the advice of pal was removing the new'ish NGK/NTK o2 sensor and replacing it with the cleaned up (left in citric acid for 24 hrs, rinsed and dried quickly) Bosch one that was originally there. So, 190Bhp@the wheels is very realistic even if it's not my target of 200 (230Bhp @ the fly).

I'll use the car daily over the next couple of weeks and hook up the OBD reader to check LTFT's etc and try and get a picture of what way the engine is performing now compared to last year. Oh yeah, it does pop and bang from the exhaust on overrun more than ever now, I'll take that as a good sign

 

[John Jones Jr]

The Good news:
I did a 350 mile trip over a day and performance seems very good, engine parameters all look good, on live data LTFT's @ -12 and IAT's are generally @ 26C. I have a small Autel OBD screen mounted on the dash to keep an eye on things. Usually I mount it to the w/screen using a suction phone mount. In gear acceleration is as impressive as ever along with 30+ mpg as a bonus.
The Bad news:
My old issue with intermittent boost pressure loss @ sudden WOT returned - typically occurring in 3rd gear (great fun when overtaking on a single lane road!). I'm not too downhearted about it as I was previously, it should be fairly straightforward to remedy judging by the comments and input from others who have a good understanding of the M111K including modifying them for more power. The glass is half full at present.

After taking some advice the first item on the list is to keep an eye on boost pressures and see if there's any tell tale sign of something amiss prior to losing all boost and importantly what the actual max pressure is. So, to that end I had a great excuse to buy a boost gauge. When for a Stack, expensive (65 quid including delivery) for what it is but I'll have no reason to doubt the boost pressure readings unlike buying a £10 Chinese one or a TIM at £25. I'll mount it discreetly if I decide to have a permanent display reading.

 

[John Jones Jr]

As part of my quest to solve the issue of intermittent boost loss @ sudden WOT and high rev's (c.5000) I need to do a few things.

First, I need to get data for boost pressures, MAF output voltage and LTFT's. I plumbed in a boost gauge, wired up a multimeter and hooked up my OBD reader for live data. All these instruments need feeds from the engine bay so I had on side coming out under the bonnet a wire for the MAF, a the cable for the OBD and the other side a the vacuum line for the boost pressure, all these were going in the side windows - that generated a few odd looks at the petrol station. The only data I can't collect at the moment is the all important AFR's which I'll sort out in due course.

Next up was to disconnect the battery for 30 mins which will cause the ECU to go into a relearn mode and adapt any new perimeters should they be need or cause. From what I tell it seems to take 200-250 miles for the relearn to be completed. I double checked the new boost gauge pipe unions including fitting small cable ties to the vacuum pipe rubber connectors at the FPR.

So, tanked up and proceeded to do a 100 mile blast. Nothing eventful to report. The car is driving well for such an old yoke, plenty of power and a great overtaking machine too. No boost loss issues either even with 10 psi max boost pressure (up from the standard 6 psi) along with 30 mpg giving plenty of wellie in the lower gears.

What I noticed was the amount of time the S/c is not producing boost and it doesn't seem to be required either, I presume this is to aid fuel economy and limit wear on the S/c. The very instant boost too seems impressive. I've come firmly to the conclusion that M-B have fitted a rather sophisticated S/c system rather than just a complex one.

Next step is to another 100-150 miles and see if the boost loss issue arise, I expect it will, if so I'll clamp the MAF output voltage to 4.5v and go from there. I will also relocate the MAF closer to the T/B again as should kill off to intermittent minor flat spots.

Here's the engine spec & data as it currently stands:

Engine spec:

220mm pulley.
Remap.
Standard I.C.
Standard plugs, one stage cooler (7) - a set NGK BKR7E plugs have been ordered.
FPR @ 4.0 bar, standard 3.8.
New S/c belt tensioner.
New Pierburg MAF in original location.

Engine data/readings:

LTFT's: -12 to -13%.
IAT's: 26C. (ambient air temp. 17C)
MAF: output voltage 4.91v max @ 5800 rpm.
Boost pressure: 0.7 bar(10 psi) max @ 5800 rpm.
AFR's : Don't know!
Power: 214 Bhp @ 5400/340 nm (250 ft lb) @ 3800 rpm. (Conservative by all accounts).

 

[John Jones Jr]

I ordered three plug cover bolt washers as the rubber section had perished.

Part number A 111 010 00 73.

Worth replacing as they stop moisture from getting to the coils & plug leads.

 

[John Jones Jr]

Yippee, the current list is getting smaller!


3. Fit missing Blanking plug on o/s sill cover. Next

6. Change S/c oil change (again). Next

10. Spring set - order.
11. Spring compressor - order.
12. Change engine coolant & thermostat - order.


15. Replace Throttle Body Seal.Next
16. Check operation of Eng. oil level sensor @ next oil change.
17. Repair broken Intercooler mount - suspect worn engine mounts to blame.
18. Carry P.A.S. fluid change. Next
19. Consider adding front bonnet vent.
20. Fit new washers for spark plug cover bolts - parts received.

O.k, back to the list. One step forward and three steps back!

21. Strip, deglaze and clean brakes. Rear pads are a bit low too.
22. Replace both front lower ball joints.
23. Relocate MAF to T/B.
24. Fit new plugs, NGK BKR7E's -ordered.
25. Fit direct mount fuel pressure gauge - ordered.
26. Find fuel rail adaptor to suit above.
27. Permanently mount & wire in boost gauge to dash, I've no idea where yet.
28. Check adjustment of new throttle cable.
29. Consider bolt on-bolt off decat pipe set. Quoted £270.