What have you done to your car today?

I've been pulling the power steering pump on my daughter's 2015 SLK250 for about 10 days now. 🙂 I stare at it, curse a little, stare at it some more. The engine bay can hold a 5.5L V8 but somehow a 1.8L 4 fills the entire space. My hand is all cut up from loosening the air pipe to the turbocharger. I've probably done about 30 minutes of actual work

I was happy to find a bootleg manual on Etsy that was obviously meant to be navigated with software. It's over 11,000 pages long and takes a lot of searching but it's still very nice to have. I can only see 1 of the 3 bolts that hold the pump. Sigh... Despite the length, surprisingly annoying tasks like removing the intake pipe are just "disconnect air pipe from turbocharger".

That reminds me that I need to order 1/4" ratchet extensions in 30 different lengths.

slk250-under-hood.jpg
 
mfennell said:
I've been pulling the power steering pump on my daughter's 2015 SLK250 for about 10 days now. 🙂 I stare at it, curse a little, stare at it some more. The engine bay can hold a 5.5L V8 but somehow a 1.8L 4 fills the entire space. My hand is all cut up from loosening the air pipe to the turbocharger. I've probably done about 30 minutes of actual work

I was happy to find a bootleg manual on Etsy that was obviously meant to be navigated with software. It's over 11,000 pages long and takes a lot of searching but it's still very nice to have. I can only see 1 of the 3 bolts that hold the pump. Sigh... Despite the length, surprisingly annoying tasks like removing the intake pipe are just "disconnect air pipe from turbocharger".

That reminds me that I need to order 1/4" ratchet extensions in 30 different lengths.

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Can't believe she's driving already! Convertible? When I turned 17, my dad gave me a '66 Mercury Monterey that he got for free from some guy at work...
 
SmooveP said:
Can't believe she's driving already! Convertible? When I turned 17, my dad gave me a '66 Mercury Monterey that he got for free from some guy at work...
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Not quite yet! She doesn't even have a permit even though she's old enough. Kids...

It's a '15 that we picked up from my dad in FL late last summer and road tripped home.

My parents gave me a 1984 Chevy Celebrity when I graduated college.

slk250 1.jpg
 
mfennell said:
I've been pulling the power steering pump on my daughter's 2015 SLK250 for about 10 days now. 🙂 I stare at it, curse a little, stare at it some more. The engine bay can hold a 5.5L V8 but somehow a 1.8L 4 fills the entire space. My hand is all cut up from loosening the air pipe to the turbocharger. I've probably done about 30 minutes of actual work
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So.... Today I spent some time cleaning the hell out of everything, put some parts back on, then I started up the car and moved the steering wheel back and forth. To my great embarassement, it looks like a $5 o-ring responsible for the leak. Dumbass. I had convinced myself that it was OK.
 
mfennell said:
So.... Today I spent some time cleaning the hell out of everything, put some parts back on, then I started up the car and moved the steering wheel back and forth. To my great embarassement, it looks like a $5 o-ring responsible for the leak. Dumbass. I had convinced myself that it was OK.
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Well, this thing continues to piss me off on my daughter's SLK250. I replaced the o-ring and it still leaks. As soon as I start the car, it starts seeping. The manual helpfully suggests "replace o-ring" whenever you pull the line. I'm beginning to wonder if there's another o-ring that gets inserted into the pump first. The manual and all the various diagrams on parts resellers are not clear.

I don't see anything wrong with the fitting or the bore where it fits. I do have a new pump but I'm having a hard time seeing what would be different. Maybe I'll order the hose as a hail mary.

slk250_ps_leak.jpg
 
mfennell said:
Well, this thing continues to piss me off on my daughter's SLK250. I replaced the o-ring and it still leaks. As soon as I start the car, it starts seeping. The manual helpfully suggests "replace o-ring" whenever you pull the line. I'm beginning to wonder if there's another o-ring that gets inserted into the pump first. The manual and all the various diagrams on parts resellers are not clear.

I don't see anything wrong with the fitting or the bore where it fits. I do have a new pump but I'm having a hard time seeing what would be different. Maybe I'll order the hose as a hail mary.

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Is there a high pressure bypass ?
Just guessing...
 
Patrick said:
Is there a high pressure bypass ?
Just guessing...
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I have no idea. Are you thinking that maybe something failed?

I found someone on zuckerbook with the exact problem last spring but no follow-up and I have to be approved to post to the group, which is a 50/50 proposition in my experience. Fingers crossed.
 
mfennell said:
I have no idea. Are you thinking that maybe something failed?

I found someone on zuckerbook with the exact problem last spring but no follow-up and I have to be approved to post to the group, which is a 50/50 proposition in my experience. Fingers crossed.
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Seems strange to just blow by the rings, unless your idea of one more way up front missing?

Poking at ideas here.
 
mfennell said:
I have no idea. Are you thinking that maybe something failed?

I found someone on zuckerbook with the exact problem last spring but no follow-up and I have to be approved to post to the group, which is a 50/50 proposition in my experience. Fingers crossed.
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RIP Car Forums.
 
Patrick said:
Seems strange to just blow by the rings, unless your idea of one more way up front missing?

Poking at ideas here.
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I'm starting to think maybe a crack in the fitting. I don't see anything, of course, but it wouldn't take much.

The MB parts pictures are maddening for the PS system. There are two part numbers for - apparently - the same part. One is labeled "high-pressure line" and costs $300. The other is an "expansion hose" with a slightly different part number and is $200.
 
Got an old Autel TS508 TPMS tool, to program MX sensors and replace the factory ones. The vehicle will not recognize new tire position after rotation without a dealer reset! Now I can clone and recode the sensors for 5-tire rotations.
 
i always buy a brand name when i do wheel bearings (or anything else critical and potentially challenging to change) buy one with a good quality or end up doing the job twice in short order, i figure my time is worth way more than the price difference.


in this case moog or timken would be appropriate, i put SKF bearings on my truck last fall.
 
shrpshtr325 said:
i always buy a brand name when i do wheel bearings (or anything else critical and potentially challenging to change) buy one with a good quality or end up doing the job twice in short order, i figure my time is worth way more than the price difference.


in this case moog or timken would be appropriate, i put SKF bearings on my truck last fall.
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This, OEM is a consideration for these kinds of jobs...
 
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