Changing belts 1983 300D Turbo

Replacing the PS belt is at your option, it's not required if the belt isn't worn and/or cracked.

The PS pump has a belt tensioning bolt (at least mine does) so one loosens its mounting bolts and detentions the belt until it can be removed.

Others will have to guide you on the A/C mounts and belt tension.

aaron ha scritto:

You might want to check a service manual. If you can't find it, even an Haynes manual in a book shop in your area I'd suggest to look for it using figator.com or a similar method.

aaron wrote: > Here is where I am: I need to replace the a/c belt. Since the power

_____ I did this job recently on my 1985 W123.133 300D Turbodiesel. I had to replace the alternator belts. This means that both AC and power steering belts must come off. Using the photos in the Mercedes W123 Maintenance manual is was able to locate the correct bolts/nuts. However, some are indeed tough to see, and some are difficult to reach. I remember having to use a length of wood to move the AC compressor enough to extract the belt. Like Mr. Lambach said, there is no need to replace the power steering belt if it looks OK.

If you want a copy of the relevant sections of the PDF formatted manual, please contact me at < c o n t r e x AT s h a w DOT c a>.

-- Regards / JCH

I would not recommend getting belts from NAPA. At least at the NAPA stores locally here in California I have found from experience that they don't actually stock belts in metric sizes, but estimate and then sell Imperial unit belts that are "close" to the right size. I recently had to replace an AC belt that I bought at NAPA because it was just a centimeter or so too long and could not be adjusted tight enough.

You should use CONTI brand belts, which are the original equipment equivalent belt.

I bought the AC belt and spare I have on/in the car now at AutoHauz at:

AC belt is $6.57 Power Steering belt is $7.89 buy some other stuff you will always need like oil filters and when get your order to $50 shipping is free.

You can download a .pdf file of the pages from the Mercedes Bench manual for working on the belts here:

_____ I agree totally with this recommendation. I usually get mine from a local garage that specialises in Mercedes repairs. They are a lot more reasonable than the official Mercedes Dealership. The issue is always one of proper fit. Once you get the correct belts(s), there is no waste of time and effort, because you know that the belts will fit. I needed to replace the alternator belts a month ago. They come as a matched pair. Matching belts is very difficult to achieve with NA supplied items.

There is a bit of a story behind the replacement of alternator belts. I installed a rebuilt Bosch alternator unit into my W123 turbo diesel car (340,000 km). For some reason the pulley had "some" rust on it. I ignored the rust to my detriment. The belts made the tell tale "squeeling" on acceleration after about one week. I re tightened them. A week later the same problem occurred; belts too loose again! Why? Simple; the hard, abrasive rust was enough to grind away the much softer vee-belts in a hurry. So, i pulled the rebuilt alternator, and swapped the pulley from the original alternator to the rebuilt unit. After reinstalling the alternator and replacing the belts all was well again. The belts remained tight as they should.