The day finally arrived when my power steering pump was emitting a groaning sound every time I moved the steering wheel. The whine was constant even with no-load. Steering feedback was compromised as well, so a catastrophic failure was near. Big dilemma #1 became which shaft do I have, the tapered cone or the straight shaft? Dilemma #2 was, oh crap the mounting bolts that hold it in its cradle are behind the drive pulley.
A check of the BBB was not very informative: “remove pump from bracket and install new pump”. Thanks for nothing. I checked the Haynes manual for these cars and step 4 says “remove radiator”. Regrettably, that is the only way you can gain access to use a pulley puller.
Removed the radiator, took a chance and bought a Performance Tool WB7022 puller to get the pulley off. Close but no cigar. The jaws were perfect for GM products but not for Mercedes. So I fired up my die grinder and began to re-contour the rib on the jaw halves that engage the groove in the pulley.
Still not home yet. The retention collar that slides over the jaws to secure them would not slide into place because the jaws could not fully seat. I had to use hose clamps to hold the jaws partially down in the groove.
However, once I got good tool engagement, I turned the hex on the shaft about five flats and the pulley popped right off. This is typical for the taper shaft version. Success at last. AutoHauz AZ was the vendor for the pump rebuilt by C & M Hydraulics. Pump cost was $190 the core charge was another $200 refundable.
All good now in PagodaVille,
Larry in CA
