Saturday I went to pick up my son from college in Missoula, and halfway back home the car threw the belt. No alternator, water pump, or power steering---awkward! There is almost no reserve capacity in this car, the dash lights started dimming after only a few minutes. Temp gauge never got very high. Lots of warning lights started coming on as the voltage dropped. The car started misfiring, and puking along barely above idle, but it was still pushing. Blizzard conditions, very hazardous driving. No hazard lights, they didn't work on low voltage. We were able to limp to the next exit and get off. Even parked safely under its own power.
We were at the last services exit before the mountain pass. We ended up staying the night at the motel, until friends could come get us the next day. The car's still there. The tensioner idler pulley had seized, and burned up the belt. Today I robbed that pulley off of Barney, another E320, and we're planning to go back tomorrow to put it (and a new belt) on the car and ferry it home. Bringing jumper cables along. Wish me luck! -- Jim _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
