Mercedes Balance Shaft Problem/Parts Walk Through

. As a Mercedes owner or if you are thinking about becoming one, we all dread the balance shaft issue that some of these vehicles have.

Cause:  A range of these vehicles had a batch of "soft" balance shaft sprockets installed from the factory.  Resulting in the premature wearing away of the sprocket.  This causes the mistiming of the camshafts and a check engine light with error codes of p0016, p0017.

This problem does not go away, instead it gets worse with engine degradation in performance, first noticeable at take off.  The problem continues to get worse with random engine misfires and loss of power at load.   The sprocket will wear away until no sprocket is seen at all.

Here are the engines that are affected.

Model 164.156/172/186/871/886

Model 171.454/456

Model 203.052/054/056/087/092

Model 204.054/056/081/987

Model 209.356/372/456/472

Model 211.056/072/087/090/256/287

Model 216.371/386

Model 219.372

Model 221.171/186

Model 230.471

Model 251.156/165

Equipped with M272 or M273 Engine

Check Engine Light On / Fault Codes Current and/or Stored in ME-SFI Control

Module / Oil Leaking at Camshaft Adjustment Solenoi

Watch the Video to go through all the parts that are affected etc

Useful link that has all part numbers etc:  http://www.motor-talk.de/forum/aktion/Attachment.html?attachmentId=681441

Mercedes Transmission Filter, Pan Gasket and fluid change DIY

Changing your Mercedes Transmission Filter, Fluid, Pan Gasket is necessary for prolonging the life of your transmission.

It is a relatively easy job to do and requires minimum amount of tools.

Left unchanged the fluid becomes burnt causing the transmission to not shift smoothly along with other damages to the transmission.

Power Steering leaks are messy, usually start off with just a few drops especially in colder climates.  If they are left on checked can cause severe damage to your power steering pump and power steering rack.

The video below shows you the steps and how to do this job safely and effectively.

Thanks for stopping by and watching the video

Mercedes Power Steering Reservoir Leak Fix DIY

Power Steering leaks are messy, usually start off with just a few drops especially in colder climates.  If they are left on checked can cause severe damage to your power steering pump and power steering rack.

The mess that it leaves in your garage and or driveway is dangerous as it can cause you to slip and fall and is also a fire hazard.

Fixing these leaks are easy, finding them may take some work as you don't know where the leak is originating from or if there are multiple leaks.

The video below shows how to locate and fix the leak

Thanks for stopping by and watching the video

Mercedes Diagnose & Replace Mass Air Flow Sensor

If you drive a Mercedes vehicle long enough or drive different Mercedes vehicles over time you will one day be plagued with a check engine light that is tripped because of the Mass Air Flow Sensor going bad.  This problem is easy to diagnose, easy to change.  Symptoms can vary from no noticeable difference in engine performance to an engine that is under powered especially under hard acceleration.  Other symptoms are: poor gas mileage, an engine that has an erratic rev at idle to an engine that stumbles instead of having a smooth idle. 

As always, your safety should be the number focus on any vehicle repair.  In this DIY job you will be coming into contact with oil, a hot engine and the cooling fan.

Safety Rules

1. Use gloves and goggles to protect your hands and eyes.
2. No loose clothing that can get caught in the cooling fan.
3. Do this Job when the engine has cooled to eliminate burning yourself. 

Tools Needed

1. Phillips Screw Driver.
2. OBD Scan tool (You can have an auto store scan it for you)
3. Metric Socket set 

Parts Needed

1. New Air-Mass-Flow Sensor with housing

Procedure and Video

1. Start by having the vehicle scanned for error codes via the OBD port
2. Open the hood and locate the Mass Air Flow Sensor
3. Disconnect the wire harness from the MAFS
4. Loosen the connecting the clamps
5. Remove MAFS and Replace it with new one
6. Watch the video for all of these steps plus more

Be sure to subscribe to my you-tube channel for more car repairs and also feel free to post comments and ask questions.  I'll try to respond as quickly as possible.

Copyright info:  All content including the video on YouTube are created and owned by myself.  Please feel free to link to this DIY page and reference my video on YouTube as well.

Mercedes DIY Thermostat Replacement

Replacing a thermostat on your Mercedes vehicle is a job that can be accomplished if you have patience, the right tools, and most of all a step by step video.  This job typically costs $450 - $700 if done by a mechanic (at the time that I wrote this blog).  If you are up for a job that is intermediary in skill set, this is the job for you.

As always, your safety should be the number focus on any vehicle repair especially when it involves working on an engine that is hot, involves moving parts (i.e. electric fan, pulleys, belts)

Safety Rules

1. Clean flat solid surface (Dirt floors, grass, sloped driveways don't qualify)
2. Use gloves and goggles to protect your hands and eyes
3. Work on the engine after it has cooled down.

Tools Needed

1. Star Wrench set
2. Socket Wrench and millimeter socket set
3. Breaker Bar
4. Container to capture coolant
5. Hose for coolant nipple on drain plug

Required

1. Coolant Flush after job is complete

Parts Needed

1. Thermostat

Procedure and Video

1. Engage Safety brake and Jack up vehicle - front driver side
2. Open hood and remove coolant filler cover from reservoir
3. Remove bottom engine cover 
4. Place hose on coolant bleed nipple placing the other end into storage container
5. Open bleed plug
6. Drain out contents until it is empty
7. Remove Pulley
8. Watch the entire process in my YouTube video below

Be sure to subscribe to my you-tube channel for more car repairs and also feel free to post comments and ask questions.  I'll try to respond as quickly as possible.

Copyright info:  All content including the video on YouTube are created and owned by myself.  Please feel free to link to this DIY page and reference my video on YouTube as well.

Mercedes Oil Job DIY

Performing timely oil changes on your Mercedes vehicle and doing it yourself will save you hundreds of dollars each time.  Knowing how to do it quickly and safely with the right oil is key.

As always, your safety should be the number focus on any vehicle repair.  In this DIY job you will be coming into contact with oil, a hot engine and the cooling fan.

Safety Rules

1. Use gloves and goggles to protect your hands and eyes from oil
2. No loose clothing that can get caught in the cooling fan.
3. Do this Job when the engine has cooled to eliminate burning yourself. 

Tools Needed

1. Oil Evacuator
2. Oil Filter Cover removal tool

Parts Needed

1. Oil (Synthetic Oil, check your manual or watch my video)
2. Oil Filter

Procedure and Video

1. Start by opening the hood and removing the front engine cover
2. Remove the oil cover and place it in a safe area
3. Remove the Oil dip stick.
4. Insert the evacuator hose down the oil dipstick tube 
5. Watch the video for all of these steps plus more

Be sure to subscribe to my you-tube channel for more car repairs and also feel free to post comments and ask questions.  I'll try to respond as quickly as possible.

Copyright info:  All content including the video on YouTube are created and owned by myself.  Please feel free to link to this DIY page and reference my video on YouTube as well.

Mercedes Brake Job DIY

Performing a brake job on your Mercedes vehicle can be one of the most rewarding and money saving Do It Yourself (DIY) jobs that you can perform on your vehicle.

As always, your safety should be the number focus on any vehicle repair especially when it involves jacking the vehicle up.

Safety Rules

1. Clean flat solid surface (Dirt floors, grass, sloped driveways don't qualify)
2. Use Jack Stands in addition to the main jack
3. Parking Brake must be engaged
4. Use gloves and goggles to protect your hands and eyes

Tools Needed

1. Jack stand and jack
2. Star Wrench set
3. Socket Wrench and millimeter socket set
4. C-Clamp or Brake press
5. Sandpaper

Parts Needed

1. Brake Pads

Procedure and Video

1. Start by engaging the parking-brake.  If you are replacing the rear brakes then you should place wheel stops to the front wheels (in front and behind these wheels) to prevent the vehicle from rolling.
2. Loosen the lug nuts slightly on the wheel that you intend to remove. 
3. Jack the vehicle up enough to remove the wheel.  Placing the jack stand to the frame of the vehicle.
4. Remove the wheel and secure the lug nuts.
5. the remainder of the job can be viewed on my video here:

Be sure to subscribe to my you-tube channel for more car repairs and also feel free to post comments and ask questions.  I'll try to respond as quickly as possible.

Copyright info:  All content including the video on YouTube are created and owned by myself.  Please feel free to link to this DIY page and reference my video on YouTube as well.