Uncle Fester
Active Member
The thermostat has been playing up for a little while, sometimes sticking open causing low engine temps, so I bought one with the intention of replacing it when time allowed.
The car however, had other ideas!
On the way home last sunday evening the water pump bearing collapsed and threw the aux belt off about a mile from home, so I did manage to make it home.
Today I replaced both.
The Haynes manual would lead you to believe that the Thermostat is the simpler job, but this is not the case.
The water pump is pretty staright forward nuts and bolts, just make sure you note down where each bolt comes from, as there are different sizes and lengths,
The thermostat has three bolts, and one is quite difficult to get to, but managable with a good socket set,
The bypass pipe does not have "O" rings as stated by Haynes, and they fail to mention the fuel lines that need to be disconnected and moved to access the bolts.
These fuel lines have plastic connectors that have become brittle over time, and will break when you try to remove them, and MB don't sell just the end fitting, but the whole pipe assembly, at a cost of about £100 for the 2 or 3 you need to replace.
This is a good money making scheme for MB, as the actual cost of these plastic bits should be nearer £20 and they'd still make a fair profit!!
I refilled with MB coolant at 50% concentration
Anyhoo, job is done, and car running again.
Anybody know where fuel lines and pipes for the CDi can be sourced at sensible prices?
The car however, had other ideas!
On the way home last sunday evening the water pump bearing collapsed and threw the aux belt off about a mile from home, so I did manage to make it home.
Today I replaced both.
The Haynes manual would lead you to believe that the Thermostat is the simpler job, but this is not the case.
The water pump is pretty staright forward nuts and bolts, just make sure you note down where each bolt comes from, as there are different sizes and lengths,
The thermostat has three bolts, and one is quite difficult to get to, but managable with a good socket set,
The bypass pipe does not have "O" rings as stated by Haynes, and they fail to mention the fuel lines that need to be disconnected and moved to access the bolts.
These fuel lines have plastic connectors that have become brittle over time, and will break when you try to remove them, and MB don't sell just the end fitting, but the whole pipe assembly, at a cost of about £100 for the 2 or 3 you need to replace.
This is a good money making scheme for MB, as the actual cost of these plastic bits should be nearer £20 and they'd still make a fair profit!!
I refilled with MB coolant at 50% concentration
Anyhoo, job is done, and car running again.
Anybody know where fuel lines and pipes for the CDi can be sourced at sensible prices?
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