Fitting a Towbar to a W163 Advice please

OP
Uncle

Uncle

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2011
Messages
178
Reaction score
2
Location
Berkshire
Your Mercedes
CLS Shooting Brake 350 Blutec - W163 ML270 Inspiration Family & Lux pack - BMW Z3 1999 2.0
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #21
No thanks its looks really straight forward....... famous last words;)
 
R

rb79

Guest
Tow Bar Electrics ML320 W163

Hi, new to the forum.
Have fitted the tow bar below, no issues with that, i am however in need of a little guidance with wiring in the electrics. As you can see from the pictures previous owner has cut wire out.
Any help appreciated.:D
RB
 

Attachments

  • $_57 (1).JPG
    $_57 (1).JPG
    135.5 KB · Views: 29
  • $_57 (2).JPG
    $_57 (2).JPG
    159.2 KB · Views: 26

Mainspring

New Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2020
Messages
8
Reaction score
2
Your Mercedes
ML/2001/270cdi
If you are getting an after market T bar, you should get the wiring with it. Any Westphalia bar should come complete. Mine is a removable one and the wiring is easy. I just fitted a rear wheel carrier and I was really not sure about fitting this, ask Malcolm. But no sweat well easy but a lot of sweat. Any bar will have two stiffening plates that fit to the rear cross member (all pre drilled) on the INSIDE of the joint between chassis and cross member. You need to remove the spare wheel, use a lot of penetrating spray after a few years under there without being used take it's toll it is a sod to move. the bolts go through from the rear forwards and you should have two spacer plates with pipes welded on these need to go inside the cross member to give strength to the tow bar. I bought a complete tow bar from Dronsfields for 90 notes, I now have two tow bars but it saved me a lot of problems to bring back my Honda Goldwing from Holland. I should think that an indy would do the whole job in about 4 hours, it took me 5 days of lying on my back (I am an invalid) so if I can do it so can you. Oh and the wiring for the tow-bar and rear wheel carrier are in the left hand side at the rear looking from the back to the front. so you need to remove the trim on that side to get at it.

Good luck.
Hello, I hope you don’t mind me asking about this? When you say the trim on the left side, is it the trim inside the boot space or underneath the back? I’m sorry for bothering you, I was just reading these and I have a 2001 ml270cdi and I have also fitted the rear wheel carrier and am just about too fit a tow bar. ThankYou, David
 

Mainspring

New Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2020
Messages
8
Reaction score
2
Your Mercedes
ML/2001/270cdi
ThankYou, my email is- sir.david@blueyonder.co.uk
i appreciate this, I was just looking through so I could get some ideas. Do you know about the wiring which is apparently behind the trim on passenger side, ianstanley put a post about it being their but that be inside the boot space or underneath? ThankYou, David.
 

Mainspring

New Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2020
Messages
8
Reaction score
2
Your Mercedes
ML/2001/270cdi
I had been looking through on here originally because I was having starting problems, after replacing sensors which where mentioned I still couldn’t get it too start. I was going on holiday next day so I called out the AA, he did a bit of checking and plugged in his computer, it was the high pressure pump wasn’t pushing out enough pressure. It was about 190psi and it wouldn’t go until it reached 200psi which it would get too eventually but it was killing the battery, he suggested I tried an electric pump just before the filter. I got one from Amazon next day just before we where going on holiday, my son fitted it and it starts now first time, better than it has since I got the car. I am going to get the new seals for the high pressure pump but it has solved the problem for now. I had no problems while we where away, and I didn’t have too worry about it killing the battery which I bought new last year!
 

joderest

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2018
Messages
1,286
Reaction score
813
Your Mercedes
ML270 2003
Tow bar.
Been about 4 years since i fitted one to our ML270, so i am sorry if got it incorrect.
Bumper removal is easy, remove all the small cover plates in the bumper, four bolts are located, remove these and it slides off the fittings, its quite heavy, so be careful.
Fitting tow bar is very easy, threaded holes are already there if i remember correctly, you must fit the corner reinforcing brackets.
when re installing bumper, the cover for the tow bar has to be cut to allow fitting.
wiring, there is a plug at the rear, and a fuse will be missing out of the engine fuse box which sends a live feed to the plug. I used one of the new type relays, which bleeps when indicators are on, I think it was called a 7 way relay which allows fitting the electrics, with out interfering with any other systems, it requires a live feed (hence putting fuse in !)
Ours has worked faultlessly since fitting, wife tows a horse trailer with it. I can remember having a heavy cold when i fitted it and it was all done during one day.
The plug on the car is located under the passenger side rear cover, and i fed the tow bar electrics in via one of the vent covers under the bumper on the left of the vehicle. The relay was fitted under the rear cover as well, instructions on the relay are easy to follow, you may need a small meter to sort out which wire does what on the vehicle plug end.
 

Mainspring

New Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2020
Messages
8
Reaction score
2
Your Mercedes
ML/2001/270cdi
Tow bar.
Been about 4 years since i fitted one to our ML270, so i am sorry if got it incorrect.
Bumper removal is easy, remove all the small cover plates in the bumper, four bolts are located, remove these and it slides off the fittings, its quite heavy, so be careful.
Fitting tow bar is very easy, threaded holes are already there if i remember correctly, you must fit the corner reinforcing brackets.
when re installing bumper, the cover for the tow bar has to be cut to allow fitting.
wiring, there is a plug at the rear, and a fuse will be missing out of the engine fuse box which sends a live feed to the plug. I used one of the new type relays, which bleeps when indicators are on, I think it was called a 7 way relay which allows fitting the electrics, with out interfering with any other systems, it requires a live feed (hence putting fuse in !)
Ours has worked faultlessly since fitting, wife tows a horse trailer with it. I can remember having a heavy cold when i fitted it and it was all done during one day.
The plug on the car is located under the passenger side rear cover, and i fed the tow bar electrics in via one of the vent covers under the bumper on the left of the vehicle. The relay was fitted under the rear cover as well, instructions on the relay are easy to follow, you may need a small meter to sort out which wire does what on the vehicle plug end.
Thank very much for the information, my son has looked at it and has seen the threaded holes. It sounds quite straightforward enough, I will have a look in a while and see whether I can find the wiring. I have got a spare wheel carrier on the back with a full sized spare because when I got the car it didn’t have any spare because the underside carrier was broken and just tied up. My son wired the rear carrier straight to the light wires. If I remove the cover from the side panel, should the wiring be their or are they hidden? I Have just had too tow start my older sons car because his starter motor has just packed up. When I towed it I never even noticed any strain on the ML, on the other cars I have had it and towed another car I have felt it pulling on the back with the strain especially when they let the clutch out too start it. It was as if their was nothing their! I appreciate your help It was very kind of you too send me this, kindest regard, David.
 

joderest

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2018
Messages
1,286
Reaction score
813
Your Mercedes
ML270 2003
As far as i remember, when the side cover in the left hand side rear was removed, the plug and wiring were there, down in the well.
I fitted the 7 pin bypass relay under the cover as well, it was quite a simple job in the end. The fuse in the under bonnet fuse box will not be there and has to be installed to send 12 volts to the rear to power the 7 way relay, i think its marked up with a trailer sign.
 

Mainspring

New Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2020
Messages
8
Reaction score
2
Your Mercedes
ML/2001/270cdi
ThankYou very much for the information. we are hoping to fit it this next weekend, weather permitting but I will check for the wiring plug in the side panel one day this week. Thanks for your information and I will let you know how we get on, I appreciate the advice I have received. David.
 

Mainspring

New Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2020
Messages
8
Reaction score
2
Your Mercedes
ML/2001/270cdi
I had very bad starting since I have had it and it slowly got worse, up too a point when it wouldn’t start at all. I had changed sensors etc but no luck, in the end I had too call out the AA again and the man that came out took the time to check everything, unlike the previous on who just got it going and suggested I take it in to a Mercedes garage for them too look at it. This one checked it all and found out that the fuel pressure in the rail was struggling to reach 200psi which it needed too start, we where going on holiday the next day so he suggested us getting an electric pump on the tank side of the filter and that would help until we sort the high pressure pump. We got a pump and fitted it as he suggested and it’s like a miracle, it starts first time every time now. All the time I have had it and had trouble, my sons fitted new sensors, replaced the inlet manifold because the old one was leaking and one of the flaps had come off and got trapped in the edge of the engine, luckily staying their which they got out. Now its running so good and so much more powerful, I‘m really pleased with it, I’ve just got to get the service kit for the high pressure pump and all should be good. I wouldn’t have known unless the AA man hadn’t taken the time to check it properly, I was going to take it into a Mercedes garage to get them too sort it but now I know what it was and my sons are going to service the pump with new gaskets. Many thanks, David.
 

AIB understand your special Mercedes deserves a special insurance policy. We have a refreshing attitude to insuring high performance, modified, imported or classic and vintage cars and deal with the UK’s leading insurers. We offer discounts for length of ownership, where the vehicle is kept overnight and limiting the mileage and can also cater for those clients who need higher mileage and business use. To obtain a quotation please call the team on 02380 268351 or visit us atAIB Insurance
Top Bottom