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W210 belt tensioner & pulley

17K views 28 replies 16 participants last post by  sokoloff 
#1 ·
W210 belt tensioner & pulley

Warning to all owners of the W210 ....320 V6 models, if Your car has the old belt tensioner A1122000370 part ,Please replaced ASAP the berings in the pulley will collaspe and cause a lot of Damage ( Fan belt ,Rad. and any other Front engine parts), this part is fitted to all earlier V6 's ...96-2002 ..E320..Clk..S320 ,Allparts should be replaced with the New Improve Part (A1122000970.....as soon as possible....CHECK YOURS NOW!!!!!!!)
 
#2 ·
W210 belt tensioner & pulley

Warning to all owners of the W210 ....320 V6 models, if Your car has the old belt tensioner A1122000370 part ,Please replaced ASAP the berings in the pulley will collaspe and cause a lot of Damage ( Fan belt ,Rad. and any other Front engine parts), this part is fitted to all earlier V6 's ...96-2002 ..E320..Clk..S320 ,Allparts should be replaced with the New Improve Part (A1122000970.....as soon as possible....CHECK YOURS NOW!!!!!!!)
I have a 2002 C320. Does this effect that car also?:eek:
 
#6 · (Edited)
Hi guys just replacing my belt Tensioner on my w210 e280 with the new improved oem tensioner.

Has anyone had trouble removing the pin that keeps it loaded up until the belt is put back in place. The new tensioner has a security torx bolt/nut on it (which i dont have the bit for)

anyone who can help me out with this or knows the size torx bit i need would be great


All good guys was just being to careful gave it a good pull and it came out
 
#12 ·
W210 Tensioner - Litens?

I have a '98 W210 and can hear a rattle / squeek from the front of the engine particularly at idle when hot. I am almost certain it is the tensioner and since mine is part # 1122000170 (very old version) I intend to upgrade to a 1122000970.

Since MB in New Zealand are quoting me US$ 493.00 !!! for the MB tensioner (part only) I intend to source an alternative.

My question is :- Does anyone have experience with the Litens 1122000970 tensioner? Is their quality OK?
 
#13 ·
I have a '98 W210 and can hear a rattle / squeek from the front of the engine particularly at idle when hot. I am almost certain it is the tensioner and since mine is part # 1122000170 (very old version) I intend to upgrade to a 1122000970.

Since MB in New Zealand are quoting me US$ 493.00 !!! for the MB tensioner (part only) I intend to source an alternative.

My question is :- Does anyone have experience with the Litens 1122000970 tensioner? Is their quality OK?
Welcome to the forum, pegasus.

That part lists for $248 for the USA market so you can compare with your price.

The quality will depend on the brand. In general, the Mercedes OE part (discount to about $170) and OEM parts (around $120) should be OK. Others are hot and miss, sometimes.

If you replace this tensioner, you may want to check the idler pulley as well. There is an entry in the sticky (on top of the forum thread list).
 
#16 ·
Useful info, Darth, but probably won't help Pegasus as it's been more than a year. I'm just curious whether the part itself had the MB star in the casting. It's pretty common for people to forge boxes, they do that all the time with Bosch stuff (like the MAFs).
 
#17 ·
I realize that it is an old thread and it won't help Pegasus, but it may be of interest to someone else as it still pops up on the internet.
Yes, it has the star on the casting next to the part number A 112 200 09 70.
On the other side of the cast nut it has Litens 113004-1 cast as well.
I would take a photo of it if I could figure out how to make it appear on this.
 
#19 · (Edited)
G'day Darth Daimler and Pegasus

Yes the Litens tensioner is ok in my opinion depending on where u got it from. I got mine off autohausaz.com like do the gods of this forum such as Gregs210 and perhaps musikmann as well. If u got it off ebay I wouldnt be too sure....I just wouldnt buy Merc parts of ebay unless they are physically off a car. If ur changing the tensioner, CHANGE THE IDLER PULLEY AS WELL. I changed my tensioner only and within a week my idler pulley failed leading to the belt shredding and a whole lot of mess in the engine bay.

Regards and happy motoring.
 
#20 ·
Sorry to bring up an old thread guys. I think that I am having the same problem as stated above. I am unsure if the problem is the Belt Tensioner or the Idler Pulley but there is a whining noise come from that area. I visually inspected the belt and it seems that the Tensioner is shaking. Also I am not sure if the Harmonic Balancer is one of the faulty ones, my car has a production of 07/2000. The belt Tensioner is the old one. Should the Belt Tensioner be a bit shaky? I have noticed this noise for a couple of days? Is it safe to drive it for a couple of days? Also where can I look for the part number of the Harmonic Balancer, I can't seem to find it. Thnx
 
#21 ·
Simply my perspective...

1. The idler pulley is a five-minute job on the M112 with the electric fan. It's under $20. Why even ask? Just change it if you're over 80K. When it fails there is no warning, just bang and you're stranded.

2. The old-design tensioner is a known problem area. It will look and test fine, and when it goes, it grenades. Pieces everywhere, belt smacking things and tearing them up...it's more expensive than the idler pulley, but more devastating when in fails. Also not a difficult DIY; if I owned a car with the old-style tensioner, it would be very high on the list of things to change ASAP.

3. The harmonic balancer number is stamped on the perimeter of it; it's black stamped into black, so you do have to look for it. Rub some chalk into it and it's easier to see. Search in the general forum, there is a long thread I started a long time ago that was a sticky for a couple of years. It has the part numbers and some pictures IIRC.

Looking at these things while the engine is running is not terribly helpful. With the engine cold (and OFF) remove the belt, it's quite simple. Spin, inspect and check for free play all of the rotating accessories. Pay special attention to the idler and tensioner. Replace anything that is suspect. (Even if the idler feels okay, remove it and look at the back around the bearing shoulder, if you don't have at least one stress crack I'll buy you a beer.) Pull the belly pan so you can see more of the HB, or start and stop the engine several times until you can see it from above.

Re: the HB, you could also call your stealer with your VIN and have them look it up. If you're in the series of suspect VINs, then go there and have them check it. They will do that for free, and if it is one of the bad ones (there are two bad P/Ns) they will replace it for free.

Good luck.
 
#23 ·
Just saw this posting....you guys ROCK !!! My 2000 S500 tensioner pulley just blew. Had to tow back home (only 8 miles). The cratered part number is 112-200-03-70...I saw that 112-200-09-70 was only available from on-line stores...now I see why.
Do I buy the $262 one or the $115 (Litens)
Could this have been causing my vehicle to have a slight vibration between 1500-2000 rpms (or that 40-60 mph) that many others have seen????? I'll let you know, after I replace it.
 
#24 ·
Litens is OE, gates is good as well, just avoid the URO-trash.

It's unlikely to have caused the vibration, but anything is possible.

Good luck.
 
#26 ·
I just replaced the tensioner and idler pulley on my 2000 e320 4matic. All advice given pertinent. Just as a precaution in case I needed to replace tensioner pully in future, I ground out that !@#$% "security bolt nipple ( in center of bolt" so I could use my torx tools. Most of us never heard of a "security" torx requiring matching tools. Job not too bad about 1-1/2 hoiurs. (for a 86 year old thats good! Regards, Abe G PSOriginal eom tensioner (50,000 miles) (1st model of 3) was in perfect shape, will use as spare.
 
#28 ·
No recall at all, and same parts in need of replacement.

Dealer is probably $600, perhaps more, but this is DIY-able. If you don't feel good about that, then find a good indie. Dealers will eat you alive on these older models.

That said, I would not try to self-diagnose if you don't really know what you're doing; it's possible you have another issue such as a bad water pump or a failing alternator. Best to know exactly what you are facing before you start replacing things.

Good luck.
 
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