Help with noise from front of engine M113 5.0 V8

[Mark Hart]

May depend on alternator but not seen a freewheel clutch on any M112/M113 engine to date (and I've two at present as well as had two in the past).
Part number I found in WIS is A1121550215 which shows a solid pulley.

When Cole did my pulley he locked the crank using a bar to wedge the torque converter against the bell housing.
Historically I've used a piece of old ring gear cut to the size of the starter aperture then held in place by an assistant as I lean on a breaker bar.

Thanks Kiwi, what WIS was trying to say was the alternator section is 54 sub group 26 why they didn’t just put a link I don’t know, you’re quite right it’s a fixed pulley.
Sorry Dave but at least I know how to check an alternator with a freewheel clutch now, have to return the one I bought or sell it on.
There’s definitely a noise coming from the left side of the engine if it’s not the pulley it might be the internal bearings looks like there’s a kit A0009805215, but might just be worth buying a whole new unit or getting a reconditioned one if that’s the case.

Thanks for your help guys looks like kiwi might be right the ac comp is most likely the main cause now. I’ll have to start putting some money in the piggy bank to get the ac work done .

Thanks for your help again, I’ll post back once I get to the bottom of what the issue was.

 

[LostKiwi]

I fitted a Hella compressor to my W210 (like this one:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hella-Air-Conditioning-Compressor-8FK351175-511-GENUINE-5-YEAR-WARRANTY/163413810722?epid=249371300&hash=item260c38de22:g:MJEAAOSw8L5cBmgJ&fits=Car+Make:Mercedes-Benz|Model:CLK|Cars+Year:2002 )
Very reasonable price and works perfectly....
Not listed for yours but have a hunt round and there will almost certainly be one for yours.

You can test yours by dropping the serpentine belt off, apply 12v to the clutch and try to rotate it. If it's like my old one it'll feel dreadful. The pump was the source of my AC leak.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

I’d put money on it being the a/c compressor mine is shot on the 210 so I don’t use it. Symptoms of a failing compressor or magnetic clutch bearing consist of a groan at start-up (lack of oil in the ac system - dry compressor) and a constant whine from the magnetic clutch bearing audible around 1-2000 revs if the bearing is shot. A new compressor and mag clutch will cure both

 

[Mark Hart]

I’d put money on it being the a/c compressor mine is shot on the 210 so I don’t use it. Symptoms of a failing compressor or magnetic clutch bearing consist of a groan at start-up (lack of oil in the ac system - dry compressor) and a constant whine from the magnetic clutch bearing audible around 1-2000 revs if the bearing is shot. A new compressor and mag clutch will cure both

Thanks Malcolm, when you say you don’t use it do you mean the car or the ac ? My has that groan your talking about at startup. When it’s cold there’s like a high pitched whine for about 20 seconds then it goes off almost like a fan shutting down but it’s not the fan. Then about 5 seconds after it’s quiet the groan starts you hear in the video above. The blower controls in the car are off so the ac shouldn’t be running but it will still groan. I’ve just been gathering all the part numbers from wis, figure if I’m spending up to £200 on a new compressor I may as well do a hood job and replace the other bits to get the ac going again like condenser, drier and expansion valves etc.
Hoping I can do this myself but some of the parts say the system will need a flush... should I be doing this service at home or should I take all the bits to an ac specialist and pay the labour?

 

[LostKiwi]

You'll need to evacuate the system before refilling. You should also replace the drier unit (gets moisture out if the system). To evacuate and refill properly requires specialist equipment.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Thanks Malcolm, when you say you don’t use it do you mean the car or the ac ? My has that groan your talking about at startup. When it’s cold there’s like a high pitched whine for about 20 seconds then it goes off almost like a fan shutting down but it’s not the fan. Then about 5 seconds after it’s quiet the groan starts you hear in the video above. The blower controls in the car are off so the ac shouldn’t be running but it will still groan. I’ve just been gathering all the part numbers from wis, figure if I’m spending up to £200 on a new compressor I may as well do a hood job and replace the other bits to get the ac going again like condenser, drier and expansion valves etc.
Hoping I can do this myself but some of the parts say the system will need a flush... should I be doing this service at home or should I take all the bits to an ac specialist and pay the labour?

I don’t have the a/c on it is switched off in the car via the dash switch ie, the magnetic clutch is disabled. When the compressor first started groaning/screeching on start-up I had the a/c recharged with added oil which sorted the problem for a while, the magnetic clutch/compressor bearings (difficult to say which) don’t whine when the a/c is off just when it’s under load however at 95k miles it was my intention to renew both

 

[Mark Hart]

I don’t have the a/c on it is switched off in the car via the dash switch ie, the magnetic clutch is disabled. When the compressor first started groaning/screeching on start-up I had the a/c recharged with added oil which sorted the problem for a while, the magnetic clutch/compressor bearings (difficult to say which) don’t whine when the a/c is off just when it’s under load however at 95k miles it was my intention to renew both

Yeah mine has 113k miles so I’m thinking just refresh all the components. I’m assuming the new compressor will come with the magnetic clutch? It’s not something I’d have to buy and replace separately?

I think I’ll take kiwis advice, I’ll fit the new bits myself then take it to a specialist to have it properly recharged.

Would you guys recommend changing the lines, line seals or valves at the same time? I attempted a recharge in November but the gas I put in escaped... I noticed in the fill valve there were bubbles where the charger was fitted so I’m suspicious the valve is bad too.

 

[LostKiwi]

You don't normally need to change lines and seals.
A vacuum test and regas will soon show if there's a problem. If it leaks they won't refill.

 

[Mark Hart]

So new crank pulley arrived, a febi aftermarket one £40 off ebay. Surprisingly where the ridge of the rubber fits into the metal is raised all the way round which means the pulley I have on the car the rubber has been pulled inwards not pushed outwards which is worse than I thought since most of the pulley is like this.

Bought a new crankshaft seal that sits behind the pulley too, figured change them both whilst in the area. However to fit the seal correctly you need a special sleeve to make sure it fits snug. Online people are selling them for over £100 each, Nielsen sell it as part of the set to do both front and rear seals but the set is £200. Went to mercedes dealer in teesside for the sleeve... £22.50 inc vat. I got the last one in the country but worthwhile checking with Mercedes when you want these special tool pieces they can surprise you on price.

Sleeve part number for reference on m113 is 119589011400, there’s no a on the front that caught the guy out at the dealer. “That doesn’t look like a part number.” “Oh there is a part registered as that.”
This should fit both the m113 v8 and m112 v6 since the v6 essentially has two cylinders removed from what I’ve read.

Summary of part numbers for future reference in case it helps someone else with a m113 unit:

A1120351400 - Crankshaft pulley

A0069907004 - Crankshaft Pulley Bolt

A0239978447 - Crankshaft seal front

A112589004000 - counter holder (I’m looking online for this £70 plus shipment from the us, seems steep but you can’t do the job without it)

119589011400 - crankshaft radial seal sleeve

 

[LostKiwi]

This should fit both the m113 v8 and m112 v6 since the v6 essentially has two cylinders removed from what I’ve read.

Correct. The M112 is a 90 degree V8 based on the V8. This allows both engines to be assembled on the same line as there is little difference in the layout other than 2 cylinders are removed.

 

[Mark Hart]

On a related note do you guys know how much difference there is between the power steering pumps in terms of feel on a 2003 clk to say my 2017 Octavia?

Seems like an odd question I know but bear with me... here’s what I know

My two front tyres are shot, the previous owner ran this car for 1000s of miles with the tracking wildly out. I’ve had the track fix but my tyres have distinctive wear on the outer edges and hardly none in the centre, logically this might affect steering feel, all 4 tyres inflated to 2.6 bar.
I’ve recently replenished the entire system with new power steering fluid, the proper stuff from Mercedes, there are no leaks as the level remains the same, I know the pump is working because when turning lock to lock and hitting full rotation you hear the pump whine.
I know the track rod ends and the entire front and rear suspension need some new components, most of them are original from what I can tell.

So my question is this, my steering in the clk feels very heavy compared to the octy e.g it’s very easy to wax on, wax off when turning a corner in the octy, not so in the clk it kind of needs two hands. Could this be the tyres and the suspension or could I possibly have a problem with the pump or heaven forbid the steering box too?

 

[Terrykal]

Mark you are comparing two different systems.
All newer cars have electric power steering while older cars have hydraulic steering or electro-hydraulic system.
even porsche has changed its system to purely electric steering nowadays for all the known benefits and with all the negatives too for a driver that enjoys his car.
More specifically, the skoda you are mentioning and in general all VAG group cars (vw-audi-skoda-seat) are known to have very light steering with no feedback at all.
Merc and bimmers always had a heavier feeling so no need to worry.