Uncle Benz
Senior Member
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2006
- Messages
- 4,229
- Reaction score
- 3,571
- Age
- 53
- Location
- West Sussex
- Your Mercedes
- Mainly Mercedes
I'm really enjoying Alex's occasional series of pictures from his workshop. I don't generally do this sort of thing, as I'm rubbish with a camera and rarely get the time. I thought though that you might like to see what I have mostly been doing today...
Another little garage local to me had recently replaced the torque converter on a 2010 E350cdi. W212 shape. I've done a few of these myself, they occasionally develop a judder while changing gear usually on cars above 150,000 miles. Anyway, said garage had replaced the converter and about 50 miles later the car stopped with a bang and complete loss of drive. The car was recovered to the repairer who diagnosed a complete failure of the gearbox and asked me for a second opinion. In fact my diagnosis over the phone from seven miles away ended up being spot on. They had not engaged the dog on the torque converter correctly into the oil pump in the gearbox, and the two little drive pegs had sheared off. At this point the mechanic on the phone began sobbing. A few hours later the car was delivered to my place, and now my workbench resembles a plane crash...
The oil pump is located in the bell housing, but it is bolted in from the inside. That involves quite a strip to get to the bolts. That's why the other garage chickened out. New pump with intact drive dog is on the blue vice, but there's a bit of cleaning to do first and a new gasket and some O rings coming tomorrow. Ideally I'd pull the clutches and inspect them at this level of tear down, but the brief on this job is just to fix it.
Another little garage local to me had recently replaced the torque converter on a 2010 E350cdi. W212 shape. I've done a few of these myself, they occasionally develop a judder while changing gear usually on cars above 150,000 miles. Anyway, said garage had replaced the converter and about 50 miles later the car stopped with a bang and complete loss of drive. The car was recovered to the repairer who diagnosed a complete failure of the gearbox and asked me for a second opinion. In fact my diagnosis over the phone from seven miles away ended up being spot on. They had not engaged the dog on the torque converter correctly into the oil pump in the gearbox, and the two little drive pegs had sheared off. At this point the mechanic on the phone began sobbing. A few hours later the car was delivered to my place, and now my workbench resembles a plane crash...
The oil pump is located in the bell housing, but it is bolted in from the inside. That involves quite a strip to get to the bolts. That's why the other garage chickened out. New pump with intact drive dog is on the blue vice, but there's a bit of cleaning to do first and a new gasket and some O rings coming tomorrow. Ideally I'd pull the clutches and inspect them at this level of tear down, but the brief on this job is just to fix it.