Engine rebuild with no former experience........

Day 4, I moved on to the transmission today. Drained the fluid.



Released the gear linkage.



Removed the front part of the cradle.



Kick-down wire removed.



Remainder of cradle removed.



Speedometer cable and PNDR switch harness released.



Prop-shaft coupling released.



For the prop-shaft spline coupling.



Finally the torque converter was drained.



That's all the prep work now almost complete.

A few more things.

Protection for the radiator support.



Make your bets now, will the engine come out with the bonnet on or not?





It's up as far as I dare.

Uhh, I would be wary! Better ask your wife to help you to take the bonnet off.
At least I would try to hold it from the ceiling. Otherwise, if you interfere with one of the supports while taking the engine out, bad things could happen to it.

Regards, Lutz

Good suggestion, I will take the air intake vents off so I can go a bit more vertical and also support the bonnet from the ceiling.

Taking the bonnet off with my wife would be a high risk, it is so easy to scratch or dent a wing etc. If she struggles with the weight.

Jim, do you have plenty of room in front? What’s your intended, swing engine and transmission side ways?
Rudiger

Jim, I really suggest to put off the bonnet.
It is easy to remove and you need the space.
And take a additional look to the transmission. I forgot one wiring harness connection at the transmission and damaged the connector.
Best regards Thomas

Hi Rudiger, once the engine is out I will push the car back out of the garage to give space to manoeuvre the engine.

The first task this morning was to remove the air intake vents so that the bonnet could be lifted higher. The main problem doing this is due at least 50% of the pegs used in the plastic rivets disappearing.



The car pushed out of the garage a bit to allow the engine hoist to be positioned.



The bonnet support felt very secure in this position, ready to lift.



It took nearly an hour to get the engine into this position, it kept jamming between the right exhaust manifold against the chassis rail and the bell housing on the steering box. In the end I had to remove the exhaust manifold on the right which took a at least 30 minutes due to the position of its fixing. You can also see from this picture it was wise to remove the fuel distributer etc.



From then on it was straightforward to raise the engine, level it and drop the car onto its wheels then push it back out of the way.



Engine dropped onto a trolley.



Next I dragged the car lift back into place.



I then assembled the engine stand and had a tidy up.





You can see here the problem area where the bell housing fouled against the steering box. I will trim some of this off to improve clearance.



I videoed the entire extraction but will need to edit/fast forward some sections as it's 90minutes long and rather boring.

Jim, why dont you remove the steering Box?
It is not that hard.

Hello Jim,

you did a great job! Can you estimate the high to the ceiling that is needed to remove the engine?

Best regards

Markus

I will remove the steering box, I plan to refurbish that too.

Hi Markus, around 2m 40cm, but less of you remove the bonnet.

thanks a lot, Jim, then I hope for you the screw of the pulley is really missing and not tored off...

best regards Markus

It was there 10 years ago when I last used it, now it's gone???

Back to work today after a walking holiday in the mountains.

Engine lifted again.



First task was to remove the trans oil cooler pipes.







Then the starter motor.





Spark plugs, not looking too good, especially No1 that has had the valve guide issue. They look like they have been running too rich but CO level is on target at 1%, so burning oil from somewhere.



Transmission dip stick, tube, vacuum line and shift rod removed.



Torque converter bolts removed via the starter motor aperture.



Transmission bolts removed and lifted back off, but the torque converter stayed in place.

The torque converter then just lifted off.



The trans had been leaking pink fluid from the bottom of the bell housing last year till I put in some snake oil which seems to have fixed the problem. I'll replace both the shaft and pump seal though.



I then locked up the crank shaft at the front to remove the flex plate.







Rear cover removed.



Crank seal plate removed.



Finally the harmonic balancer bolt on the front of the crank. I bolted this lever on to the rear of the crank and asked Kim to stand on it while I unbolted the front, it came of easily.





The first task tomorrow will be to fabricate a frame for this old TV to sit in to display the workshop manual in portrait mode.

Here is an issue I spotted tonight, there is a grove on the journal of the crank shaft where the oil seal sits. Its tricky to photograph, however there is a grove that can easily be felt with my nail (the black line).

Has anyone used a sleeve here before?



www.partsgeek.com/catalog/1980/mercedes/...t_repair_sleeve.html

www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/mercedes-ben...+repair+sleeve,10524

Jim, I did, on Unimog V10 128 Truck engine, 141 Scania, Chevy 72 400sb and on 69 426 Hemi. Crankshaft front. easy to use, works like new.
Just use some 10 weight engine oil on the inside.
Rudiger

Good Morning Jim,

don't do that (now). Just install the new seal ring with 1 or 2mm offset compared to the former seal lip position.
I know from other engines, that for maintenance complete seal assemblies are offered where the seal ring is pressed in on a different axial position by manufacturer. Just to avoid the interference with the old running mark.

Modern seals are made from PTFE with a total different lip design and not produce marks like that anymore.

Best regards Martin

Hi Martin,

is it possible to position the new seal just 1-2 mm off the former position? Doesn't the seal want to move back to its former position into the groove?

Regards,
Lutz