1998 Mercedes-Benz CL420 (C140)

[tobinen]

Flat battery woes and no access to the boot after removing the battery - d'oh! The boot barrel doesn't turn but I will try the spare key and some WD40. I found a YouTube video where there is a battery jump point under the passenger footwell (presumably left side on RHD), but I don't have any jump leads. What fun!

[tobinen]

NSF carpet pulled back and I removed the footplate. Nothing obvious here.



Behind the black box on the right is this: the red wire is fairly chunky but space is limited. My main concern is if I fry something.

[tobinen]

Thanks for that.

Happily it's all now resolved. I called my the garage and he lent me his battery pack with the fag lighter lead. It made some odd noises but the boot opened once the button was pressed. The charged battery was installed (fortunately the cables were not touching the chassis) and normal operation can resume.

Bizarrely the soft close on the doors is now working - no idea on that one. I am not expecting it to last for long.

[tobinen]

Excellent information, thanks Ben. One day I will try to tackle the leak

[tobinen]

I'd go with Ben's good advice. My RH extender works but the triangular escutcheon has come away from the arm. It's been glued twice but now requires replacement.

Sometimes the LH one extends with a mind of its own when I brake but hasn't done it for quite a while.

[tobinen]

If you go back a number of pages, I sourced Bosch aero blades but it took me a couple of attempts to work out the correct size. I think I ended up with two different lengths by 10mm (incorrectly but it works)

[tobinen]

found it on page 8, longer ago than I thought

tobinen said:

If anyone else has a 140 coupé, the wiper is not 700mm (28" in old money) for the left side, despite what I thought I'd seen on the Bosch site.

600mm is correct for the right side and looks to be correct for the left side, or at least will fit.

Edit: Finally found a complete Bosch catalogue. I need AR65N x 2 (650mm) - these are the retrofit Aerotwins

[tobinen]

Perhaps they are different lengths then.

https://www.opieoils.co.uk/f/100133/3991/1998/wipe...

My cog also failed but I sourced a new one via eBay (Hungary seller IIRC)

[tobinen]

The ordered parts all showed up this morning.

2 x front engine mounts
Transmission mount
Seat belt extending arm
Escutcheon
Boot star

I won't have time this weekend and the garage will do the mounts

[tobinen]

I made a start on the seatbelt extender repair but hit a puzzler.

The trim removal was straightforward with the help of this video



All was going well



Trim off



But the eschutcheon is too small through which to pass the buckle. I will have to remove the buckle stop on the belt but it won't pass through the plastic trim which covers the anchor point to the sill.



Also I cannot see how to replace the extendable arm so I think this will require more time to move the assembly from the quarter panel. It goes past the rear seat towards the fuel filler pipe.

More research required.

[tobinen]

Yes, I have to remove the loop as it's broken. I could try to cut it but that doesn't solve the problem of how to put on the new one.

No, I had no idea about the two-speed belts

[tobinen]

With some additional pointers and links from a chap over on the MBO forum, the belt assembly has to be removed.

https://www.benzworld.org/threads/mercedes-c140-co...

and

https://www.k6jrf.com/MB_sbe.html

I will attempt this next week once it's cooled down a bit.

[tobinen]

In fact it's all hefty Philips screws and 10mm nuts. MB didn't scrimp on these, and it shows.

[tobinen]

I have removed the belt but it's still a bit of a puzzle to me. I assume I have to find a way to pull the belt the wrong way off the reel but it looks nigh-on impossible. I bought a copy of WIS and I have not found anything to assist - yet.



Here's someone else's picture from a link above. The black pin is what holds it in the reel, I think.

[tobinen]

thanks Ben. I was considering that so it's now shelved

[tobinen]

A minor triumph today - the extending arm has been replaced. Very pleasingly simple though fairly pointess without the new guide. Ignition to P1, close door, arm extends, disconnect battery, firmly but steadily pull the arm and it comes out, push new one back in.



I then realised the old guide has the end of the old arm well glued-in (new one on the left). I don't think I can remove it. Prior repairs/bodges no doubt.



I have spent hours on WIS/ASRA this morning and I cannot find any operation to replace the guide. Why is it sold separately?

[tobinen]

I have, at last, done it. By using the MB instrument cluster hooks I managed to lift away the belt from the reel. Pushed through the plastic pin holding it and pulled it through. Clamped it while I threaded off the guide, and reversed the process. It's not very pleasant though and I will happily never do it again.





No picture during assembly as it's a 2-hands job. It's back in the car and the trim is nearly all in place. Next issue is to make sure the extender doesn't catch on the quarter trim.

[tobinen]

As I suspected I really need the escucheon trim that surrounds the exit hole. It's disintegrated with age and my ham-fistedness. It acts as a seating guide when it retracts. I've put the quarter trim back on but it blocks the extender and the guide has broken. It's NLS from MB in black so I will ask him to try all colours and paint it, if any of the others are available. There is one for sale on eBay US but the seller won't ship to the UK. There's always something!

[tobinen]

Good news. A140 692 02 59/8F95 (mushroom) is available from ze Fatherland, £5 and about a week wait. I can spray this hopefully. Now to search 9051 trim paint, if it exists.

This is the last colour in stock at MB.

[tobinen]

A victory with the seat belt extender. £12 of plastic primer and satin black rattle cans from ECP and it's not too bad. I tried to glue the piece to the left but it's not taking with my Loctite general glue.