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@LegitStreetCars I'm thinking the belt tensioner on the van is the issue. Maybe you need something that can apply more pressure to the belt. It's a fairly common issue on the gen 1 Ford raptor once a blower is installed. Livernois Motorsports might have a better tensioner for you.
Hey. Do you read these? *I had the same issue with the same supercharger on my Impala where it would dump the belt.* I used a high speed camera (which was pretty expensive 20 years ago) and found that when you let off the accel, you induce a "wave" in the belt that is JUST HIGH ENOUGH to jump off the the "most angled pulley" in the sequence. In your case the alternator. It's a simple fix. ish From the alt bracket, make a new bracket with a bearing'ed sleeve riding on a shaft. Put that sleeve RIGHT above the alt pulley. Clearance half the height of the belt. And clock it about 30 degrees towards the direction the belt comes from. Since it's ON the alt bracket, there should never be any torquing of the sleeve, making it hit the pulley, but check anyway. Everyone has high speed cameras on their phones now. If you can't picture it... the sleeve is right above the belt... when that wave comes for the pulley, the sleeve SMACKS IT THE FK DOWN. There really isn't any other way to take care of it, using a ribbed serpentine belt. That's why the cogged belts exist. It only gets worse the more hp you add. Because the transition from high hp to low, "stalls" the pulley on the SC. That's where the wave gets kicked up. If you need a diagram or want to chat about it, my info is in my about.
I can't watch right now, getting ready to start some wrenching of my own, but I will before the day is over. I remember you showing in a past video the process you use to clean the back side of intake valves, through the runner, while the intgake is off. I can't recall which video or ride that might have occoured on. Any chance you can point me to a video containing that? My intake is coming off and will be off for a few days. I'd like to consider using this time to do some deeper cleaning, to include the valves like I've seen you do.
Your belt issue on the van - On the back of your power steering pump there's a little l bracket that goes to the block. I believe. I had the exact same issue with my Sierra, found that whoever changed out the pump before didn't put that bracket back in and a little flex from the power steering pump caused the belt to fly off the alternator occasionally.
There’s reasons V12 Merc’s and McLaren’s are cheap on the used market, very cool cars but they’re unreliable AF and a nightmare to work on, props to you for keeping at it!
Previous CL video had someone in the comments that was onto something with regards to whats wrong with the CL65 Amg. The catalytic converter rattles loose inside the housings on these year models, and when you accelerate it blocks the flow of the exhaust because the inner catalytic converter slides back inside the exhaust under load. Creating back pressure your ecu can't compensate for, causing the the Check engine light under only under heavy acceleration.
I have a picture of one that was completely round and would roll back and forth and sometimes align and flow sometimes not. I wish I could load a picture of it.
It looks like you have a classic case of owning British and German cars. My cousin had a late '80s V12 Jag. Just be thankful you don't own one of those. You literally could not fix it with brand new OEM parts. I redid the whole ignition system on that car and 2 weeks later had misfires again, and it was bad wires we got at the dealer. I was able to mix and match the old wires to make it run right again, but a couple months later it was coming back. Turns out with all the crap they put in the valley with the plugs, wires and injectors trapped underneath, it won't let heat escape and everything cooks and is in constant need of replacement. That was just one example. The whole car was like that. Similar but much lower magnitude was my other buddy's late '90s 5-series. That thing rode and drove really nice but it was a constant maintenance nightmare, and he had to replace the engine in his brief time owning it. Another friend had a Saab turbo. That thing was always in the shop too. I think he went through 3 turbos in 100k. I swore off Euro cars in general because of those three cars. I think that was a good move in retrospect.
Alex, just unscrew the hood bump stops a half turn or so. That will give you the upward pressure needed when opening the hood. I made a video recently about that very issue.
It works for sure but on my s15 if I wind the bump stops up to where it will pop the hood open the body line is slightly above flush with the bonnet close. Actually now that I write this comment, I'm guessing that means my bonnet latch needs to be adjusted down?
I have a tip for ya, I used to take some things to get fixed and work done at a machine shop before I began my own. I would make a written contract with a pickup by date or money back on a scratch piece of paper which you have them sign while recording on the phone. That solves any possible headaches.
even if true, which it’s not, this is still a much greater life achievement than your paper hat career passing “food” through the window at the clown drive through.
Gday mate, when we supercharge vehicles in aus we change all the plastic pulleys out for metal ones, the extra tension on the belt can deform and break the plastic ones, as for it flying off it's usually harmonics on the longest stretch of the belt
Alex, the honesty in your videos (as a professional mechanic myself) is both frustrating and refreshing. Keep up the great videos and keep the faith. Your loyal viewers can't wait for the next video, whatever it may be. ✌️👍
Hey Alex on the van try a belt that is about a half an inch longer. Sometimes the tensioner doesn't swing far enough to get its full tension and it will sit there at the top of its stroke and bounce That may be why you are breaking them as well.
Bearing in the alternator alex. Seen this happen once. At a specific rpm the Bearing hits a vibrational frequency that almost locks it temporarily. Fast enough that it kicks the belt. Changed alternator and solved. Check for any Bearing play.
I once had a wierd issue where a 1.9 TDI squeaked on left turns. Also was the alternator bearing. Eventually it failed completely, causing the rotor to hit the stator and making the alternator fly apart into a million pieces.
Beat me to it! Alternators can be that really obnoxious hidden problem... like you said, it can hit an out-of balance resonance condition that can cause enough "bad vibes" to shake the belt off.
Try a high wall pulley on the alternator change it out. When under extreme rpm that belt extends for a brief second, creating a ripple (rope on the ground when yanked creates a wave that rides to the opposite end). Enough to slightly hop off the alt, could be the distance between the pro charger and alt where that wave makes it pop off.
About that your belt jumps off on the 15seat van . The more engine rpm the faster the belt runns around the bends with more g- forses . Holding this back is the spring in the tentioner . If the tentioner was changed and had a stronger spring . It stoped jumping off . And the alternator is the sharpest bend so that's probably jumpt off there . ????? I think
One of the most interesting car collections on RUclips (to me!) And the fact they've all been rebuilt/fixed on the channel brings a real connection to them 👍 Love your content mate 👌
Alex don't under estimate the positive influence your content provides. Sure, the knowledge and information you share is what initially brought me to your channel (the Explorer video). What seals the deal for me is the fun and joy you seem to have on your adventures. It's infectious. Your channel does spread happiness. You and Max do good work. Thank you!
I purchased the Ultimate Car Care box last week after watching LSC's last episode. I hardly ever leave reviews but figured that I had to after receiving the package. When it arrived (4 days after placing the order) I was amazed at how well it was packaged for shipment. Then I was further elated at the package that the products were packed in. I used to be in sales and this would make an excellent product to have drop shipped to a good customer. The quality of the items appear to be above and beyond what you can buy in stores. I live in the northern climate and haven't had a chance to use them, however the microfiber towels also work great for keeping a solid surface stove looking in brand new condition. My wife even commented that the foam cannon looks way better constructed than the Chinese ones you see at the parts/big box stores. Sorry for the long comment, but I felt that this is one of the best values-for-dollar that I have received recently. I WAS NOT PAID OR ASKED TO GIVE THIS ENDORSEMENT. Keep up the great work Alex and the rest of your team!!! I give this an A++++++ rating from Wisconsin. P.S. The Bears still suck. 😊
I love the little bit of insanity that comes with not being able to recreate an issue that was happening reliably. I completely agree with the not wanting to drive the van far until you're sure you've addressed the belt problem.
Alex, the belt could be coming off from the AC clutch failing. If it locks up at high RPM it could be causing a ripple in the belt at the alternator. This happened on my F150 - thought it was an alternator until I realized the AC wasn’t working in the spring.
Alex, idk if you read these. but i had a full circle moment this week. I watched you rebuild this entire car months ago. This week i watched the Car Trek series where Hoovie beats on this in Vegas & had the realization that this was the same CL..... Bless your heart for taking this on after what he did to it haha
Too bad the Ute and wagon never made it here since they killed off Pontiac. I wanted a ute really bad! My ex wife ended up with the 08 G8 GT in Ignition orange, one of less than 1000 made in that color and it was an 08 only color. I kept swapping wheels on it, had 4 different sets besides the stock 19" sport package wheels.
Hey Alex, on the van. Chevys cut alternator field excitation to help with mpg and to reduce failure from high rpm. It's possible since it goes from a load to no load could cause the alternator to fling forward from momentum kicking the belt off. Also it might have a sprang clutch which could be going bad. Hope this could be of help.
Love seeing the college, nearly at home. Being not only recognized, but given opportunities like this! What a small world we live in! Keep up the great work Alex. Maybe one day I’ll venture up toward Chicagoland area and get the opportunity to say hi. Only a 3 hour trip from here.
Leo from Race, Rebuild, Repeat has a Syclone and Typhoon. They are black. The Syclone is low mileage, not sure about the Typhoon. I believe they are for sale.
It’s incredible to watch you work and your dedication to doing every job the best it can be done. I’m a mechanic myself and I operate much like you do, cleaning parts and connections and always striving to make the appearance someone hasn’t worked on the car before. I can’t stand when other mechanics break clips and connectors and just leave them. I understand it’s not a preferred way to work in a flat rate world, but I have always had an extremely hard time finding a shop and boss that appreciates my type of work, they all want it done fast and could care less how hacked up the job is, just get it out the door. And yet I still understand time is money but I’ll always believe top notch work will bring people back. It’s just really nice in today’s world to see another mechanic with no compromises on quality and craftsmanship.
I’d still say no, keep the abc as Alex as already serviced almost the entire system it’s superior to the coils. It’s a cl65 amg after all, the absolute top dog Mercedes of the time
Thanks for the update Alex sucks that you’re having a rough go of it lately but things will get better man! You are an awesome dude and we all appreciate the help out of you. Get some rest and hopefully things smooth out from here
I think this is the first time I saw you hair 21:07 like this. Also, you have helped me work on my own car, a W205 Mercedes C50 Lorinser upgraded. Thanks again for doing the work, sharing the results, showing every point of the work including the torque. You are differently one of the best detailed Automotive RUclipsrs and the only one I can watch 1 hour or more doing work, speaking, enjoying and having fun doing what you are doing. It's almost like I'm watching a TV show and not just a RUclipsr.
I really love your channel. You do give aways to people that need them and I love your deal on the space van. What a cool idea to donate money to a school. Your a really good dude!
Alex here is a couple Pentosin alternates if you want to diagnose. Fuchs CHFIIS is cheaper, but seems to be the same thing at half the price or back when I had a Saab they said you could use GM Power Steering fluid as a replacement in an emergency. So if you wanted to diagnose you could use the GM stuff and then drain it.
I remember having a low voltage at WOT it was a faulty voltage regulator in the alternator. ❤ good luck. You might want to check out and check your grounds.
For the porsche you could do what Stay Tuned did on his LS porsche and use an electronic throttle body (ls3) and remote mount it. No worry about the throttle cable
You have so many cool vehicles and you show how much it takes to keep all of them going. Keep up the good work!! My favorite vehicle which I actually have one was the black CDI . It disappeared after the dyno video when the motor mount broke. I’ve always wondered what happened to that car.
had the exact same experience with a machine shop near me. sat for a year just for me to pick it up and bring to another shop they got it done in just a week
ALEX! 30:00 An answer for the Lightning engine van could be ambient temperature changes outside, making the rubber change in strength and grip, does it have a kevlar belt, if not, get one!
I hope you see this and give it a try! Basically I believe the belt is stretching at high rpm, despite the tensioner pully, and it's slipping off that small alternator fully with its sharp turn. So a strong Kevlar belt should solve it.
Alex, wow what a journey that you've had a lot of ups and down for a person of you're calibre. Enjoy your vacation / time away to regroup. I hope you come back swinging and pump out these projects with ease. Happens to the best of us. It's what makes us human. Enjoy the time off. Looking forward to your future videos! ❤
We test the hydraulic pumps at work. I feel your pain with the cost of the Pensosin CHF11S fluid. We bought 2 55 gal drums. THAT made the accountants wince!
Have a great holiday, sorry , vacation , I'm in Newbury in the uk and came across your channel while watching rebuild rescue I think it was . Anyway now I'm hooked and thoroughly enjoying watching the latest 8 or so videos. While your away I plane on watching the back catalogue. Great viewing, as I love problem solving , and you've definitely had some rip snorters .
The van, check and see if the belt comes off the alternator pulley due to fouling on the spacers for the supercharger bracket. If it snags for just a split second it is enough for the belt to "pile up" behind it and pop off the pulley. Cheers.
you can have the fuel line made at a shop that makes custom hoses...they can usually get the new fittings and recreate the factory hose...just bring or mail them the parts and busted hose and they can make it up ...
It’s a German car thing not a monk thing😂 same way with my bmw replaced damn near everything drive to work with it and it breaks down at 4am and have to call out😂
On my buddies 67 Cuda we mounted a bent piece of round stock on the alternator about 5/16"dia. to keep the belt from jumping off the pulley when he dumped the throttle clutching between gears. Long belts get a lot of momentum. Tack additive helps too, but it's messy so most don't use it even though it extends belt life because it helps prevent slipping on high HP engines. Belt jumping the pulley used to be a bigger issue, before they started making them out of materials that don't stretch.
You sir have the best job on the planet. Working on your cars everyday. Most people have jobs just so they can afford to work on their own cars in their free time.
31:33 you probably have to much torque pulling on the tensioner loosening it up enough to slip off. Perhaps you need a different type of tensioning setup.
I had a machine shop in Denver do a 351w based engine for my mustang. It was finally ready for pickup after 18 months lol. It did include assembly and blueprinting. But still…. I feel ya
Sounds crazy, but about the belt, I had a similar experience with replacing a John Deere lawn tractor drive belt, bought some off brand name belts that where less than half the price of a JD belt. Broke through the replacement belt after two mowings, bought another due to warranty, same story, finally bought the JD belt and been going on 2 years now no issues. It could simply be crap manufactured belts.
Ummm how’s nobody gonna talk about the door opening on its own during the zoom meeting at 21:53? Upon zooming in, there seemed to be a short, black mass exiting right after the door barely opened. Long time viewer here btw, love the content you make Alex, and because of you, I actually took my e46 325 to Fluid to diagnose and fix a misfire. Much love bro, keep the content coming!!!
On the express van, I ran into this problem before. You need to check all the pulleys with a straight edge, to each other. It’s a pain, but if one pulley is slightly at an angle, the belt comes off. See about getting a higher tension or adjustable tensioner. Last, see about getting one size shorter belt. Good luck
Stay for the whole length of the video as always, and have a laugh at the clips at the end. Keep it up Alex, I’ve learnt a lot about working on my own cars from yourself💙
High pressure Hoses tip. It can be worth it to find a local hydraulic hose manufacturer. They make custom hoses for things like trash compactors and forklifts. Most carry fitting sizes that’ll work on a car too.
I must say thanks a million. I divovered your channel because I was thinking about buying a CL or SL. After watching you I'm convinced I don't want any part of a Mercedes or BMW even as a gift. I'm so wishing you fix the CL for good.thanks again and good luck with the CL I'm looking forward to seeing it running okay.
I had a cl500 blow the fitting on the rear left side before it crossed along the rear subframe. Fixed it with a 20 quid hydraulic hose and an olive crimp fitting from my local hydraulic shop and filled the entire system with normal hydraulic oil. It worked an absolute treat
One the Porcha you could do two things. The first is maybe machine the lip on the intake down a tiny bit and the intake so the whole thing could move in maybe half an inch or so. You might need a ring clamp to hold it better. Then if that is not enough then heat and bend in the intake where it is hitting. It will likely have less restriction than that other air filter you are trying to use.
The car wizard charged $4000 for 4 shocks on a 90s bronco on his channel 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 and then put the $15 Monroe shocks on it 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 watch the video of car wizard on Hoovies 65-66 mustang 😂 he hand drilled a flywheel from a flathead V8 and put it on that built 289 and couldn't figure out why it had a bad vibration 🤣🤣🤣🤣
The bracket near the power steering pump like One of the people have said . Or just a suggestion Put a largerlip on your pulling to the Alternator same size diameter pulley just a larger lip on the face of it
Would be an interesting video buying another CL and do a coil over conversion, simplify the electronic system,and do a manual swap. It would increase reliability as resale value.
Don’t do it … it would reck the handling .. With the ABC system there are no sway bars and the ride of Coil Overs is terrible compared with ABC. Don’t buy a ABC if you’re not prepared to fix it when it goes wrong. Alex your doing great, keep going your almost there and you will end up with a fabulous car when it’s completed.
@@RogerM88 on this we must agree to disagree. I think he would be taking a Great car and making it Mediocre. The ride and handling would suffer and the resale would tank. Why would anyone do that to an S Class Mercedes (CL) with all its sophistication and elegance when they could by some other car originally equipped with springs if that’s what they want?
@@JACB006 You're assuming these cars will be repaired through the decades to come, especially with complex hydraulics. But in reality many will end up neglect, so those list of mod could actually keep many on the roads.
There is an earls shop in Hawthorn Ca. They will make you custom braided hoses to match your rubber hose. You could avoid adapters on your eclipse easily by sending them your old hose to copy.
RE the hydraulic hose in the CL: these usually have a proportioning system, either a pressure valve or a pressure control system. The old SLS used a piston / ball bearing to redirect the pump pressure back to the reservoir when the system was pressurised. When it wore, it would pass pump pressure to the lines and struts. That's what blows the struts and the lines. I did this on a w123 years ago. New line, blew straight off, just like yours, just after a junction, at the crimp. Did a service kit on the control valve, worked perfectly after that. Not sure if you have a pressure gauge that will fit at the end of a line to check pressures, but it might reveal where the excess pressure is coming from.
I thought the exact same thing. Alex is a very nice person. I would of let them know very quickly who I was and if they still jerked me around in the end I would of named exactly who they were, baring and legality issues. I've had the same experience with a machine shop before on a Vette engine and was strung along for months to get something done. They finally finished it, but I was the one calling every week asking. Many other professions seem to be that way to anymore sadly, where they get popular, then overly busy, can't juggle/do scheduling OR they are just downright lazy and end up stringing people along with the hope they will get to their job. Those businesses need to be called out and either change their ways or die.
Hey Alex you and the fam deserve a vacation for sure but before you leave you should get a deal with one of the vendors like SUMMIT or Deltran at SEMA this year and maybe I might see ya there!!😎👍🏻🇺🇸😇🙏🦅
Alex you are a master business man, he never made you feel guilty about selling him that van and charging him for it, you survived the " every body signed the clay make up" I'm proud of you
It's amazing how problems and failure get more clicks than success usually does. But I like seeing it work out in the end, since being a mechanic makes that part VERY important.
The Merc def needs cool air routes to the intake. Imagine how much more power it will make with cool dense air and tuned to it. Gale Banks would have a fit about this lol
Great content, as usual. So you don't feel like the only one picked upon by the midnight auto gremlin , I have a mustang with aftermarket air suspension that was operating fine when I parked it. Two months later, when my children visited, there was no lift when started. Blocks under tires to get clearance for jacks, got tire off , rub on bag that decided to let go . One of those, I'll show you to ignore me moments. My new mantra is "What would Alex do?" New bag and get er done!
15% Off The ENTIRE Website! www.legitstreetcars.com/ Discount Auto Applied!
Avalon King Ceramic Coating Kit deal! avl.kg/legitas9reap Use Code REAPER at Checkout!
@LegitStreetCars I'm thinking the belt tensioner on the van is the issue. Maybe you need something that can apply more pressure to the belt. It's a fairly common issue on the gen 1 Ford raptor once a blower is installed. Livernois Motorsports might have a better tensioner for you.
Your water pump is the problem
Hey. Do you read these?
*I had the same issue with the same supercharger on my Impala where it would dump the belt.*
I used a high speed camera (which was pretty expensive 20 years ago) and found that when you let off the accel, you induce a "wave" in the belt that is JUST HIGH ENOUGH to jump off the the "most angled pulley" in the sequence.
In your case the alternator.
It's a simple fix.
ish
From the alt bracket, make a new bracket with a bearing'ed sleeve riding on a shaft.
Put that sleeve RIGHT above the alt pulley. Clearance half the height of the belt.
And clock it about 30 degrees towards the direction the belt comes from.
Since it's ON the alt bracket, there should never be any torquing of the sleeve, making it hit the pulley, but check anyway.
Everyone has high speed cameras on their phones now.
If you can't picture it... the sleeve is right above the belt... when that wave comes for the pulley, the sleeve SMACKS IT THE FK DOWN.
There really isn't any other way to take care of it, using a ribbed serpentine belt. That's why the cogged belts exist. It only gets worse the more hp you add. Because the transition from high hp to low, "stalls" the pulley on the SC. That's where the wave gets kicked up.
If you need a diagram or want to chat about it, my info is in my about.
I can't watch right now, getting ready to start some wrenching of my own, but I will before the day is over. I remember you showing in a past video the process you use to clean the back side of intake valves, through the runner, while the intgake is off. I can't recall which video or ride that might have occoured on. Any chance you can point me to a video containing that?
My intake is coming off and will be off for a few days. I'd like to consider using this time to do some deeper cleaning, to include the valves like I've seen you do.
True Chicagoan ain't got non
Your belt issue on the van - On the back of your power steering pump there's a little l bracket that goes to the block. I believe. I had the exact same issue with my Sierra, found that whoever changed out the pump before didn't put that bracket back in and a little flex from the power steering pump caused the belt to fly off the alternator occasionally.
Bump so he sees
Bump
Bump
Bump!
Bump!!
There’s reasons V12 Merc’s and McLaren’s are cheap on the used market, very cool cars but they’re unreliable AF and a nightmare to work on, props to you for keeping at it!
Previous CL video had someone in the comments that was onto something with regards to whats wrong with the CL65 Amg. The catalytic converter rattles loose inside the housings on these year models, and when you accelerate it blocks the flow of the exhaust because the inner catalytic converter slides back inside the exhaust under load. Creating back pressure your ecu can't compensate for, causing the the Check engine light under only under heavy acceleration.
Yeah I also saw that comment and made a lot of sense!
I saw that too. C'mon Alex!
Well let’s bump this up this time. Team work lads.
@legitstreetcars
I have a picture of one that was completely round and would roll back and forth and sometimes align and flow sometimes not. I wish I could load a picture of it.
It looks like you have a classic case of owning British and German cars. My cousin had a late '80s V12 Jag. Just be thankful you don't own one of those. You literally could not fix it with brand new OEM parts. I redid the whole ignition system on that car and 2 weeks later had misfires again, and it was bad wires we got at the dealer. I was able to mix and match the old wires to make it run right again, but a couple months later it was coming back. Turns out with all the crap they put in the valley with the plugs, wires and injectors trapped underneath, it won't let heat escape and everything cooks and is in constant need of replacement. That was just one example. The whole car was like that. Similar but much lower magnitude was my other buddy's late '90s 5-series. That thing rode and drove really nice but it was a constant maintenance nightmare, and he had to replace the engine in his brief time owning it. Another friend had a Saab turbo. That thing was always in the shop too. I think he went through 3 turbos in 100k. I swore off Euro cars in general because of those three cars. I think that was a good move in retrospect.
Alex, just unscrew the hood bump stops a half turn or so. That will give you the upward pressure needed when opening the hood. I made a video recently about that very issue.
I was thinking exactly the same thing
And if you hit all the hinges, including the lock with lithium grease, they won't drag from friction, and you'll need less pop.
@@achucifer60% of the time, starts every time.
It works for sure but on my s15 if I wind the bump stops up to where it will pop the hood open the body line is slightly above flush with the bonnet close.
Actually now that I write this comment, I'm guessing that means my bonnet latch needs to be adjusted down?
I was gonna write exactly that. Easy fix
I have a tip for ya, I used to take some things to get fixed and work done at a machine shop before I began my own. I would make a written contract with a pickup by date or money back on a scratch piece of paper which you have them sign while recording on the phone. That solves any possible headaches.
You should drop the name of your shop. It seems like you're an honest guy that can get things done in a timely manner.
You are 1,000 times the mechanic I’ll ever be… no way I’ll ever buy a CL after the copious amount of content that car has created for the channel 😂
Buy a 500 or 55, pull the ABC, and do coilovers.
@@YTSTK89 No! I did this with mine and it's awful. They're still horrendously complex and expensive to run and maintain.
Alex was just a bus mechanic for the city, before that when he was at Mercedes he was a lube tech
Seeing a Mercedes tech struggling to keep these complex cars running is a clear warning to anyone thinking they can own one of these on a budget.
even if true, which it’s not, this is still a much greater life achievement than your paper hat career passing “food” through the window at the clown drive through.
Gday mate, when we supercharge vehicles in aus we change all the plastic pulleys out for metal ones, the extra tension on the belt can deform and break the plastic ones, as for it flying off it's usually harmonics on the longest stretch of the belt
Alex, the honesty in your videos (as a professional mechanic myself) is both frustrating and refreshing. Keep up the great videos and keep the faith. Your loyal viewers can't wait for the next video, whatever it may be. ✌️👍
Hey Alex on the van try a belt that is about a half an inch longer. Sometimes the tensioner doesn't swing far enough to get its full tension and it will sit there at the top of its stroke and bounce That may be why you are breaking them as well.
Bearing in the alternator alex. Seen this happen once. At a specific rpm the Bearing hits a vibrational frequency that almost locks it temporarily. Fast enough that it kicks the belt. Changed alternator and solved. Check for any Bearing play.
I once had a wierd issue where a 1.9 TDI squeaked on left turns. Also was the alternator bearing. Eventually it failed completely, causing the rotor to hit the stator and making the alternator fly apart into a million pieces.
Beat me to it! Alternators can be that really obnoxious hidden problem... like you said, it can hit an out-of balance resonance condition that can cause enough "bad vibes" to shake the belt off.
Try a high wall pulley on the alternator change it out. When under extreme rpm that belt extends for a brief second, creating a ripple (rope on the ground when yanked creates a wave that rides to the opposite end). Enough to slightly hop off the alt, could be the distance between the pro charger and alt where that wave makes it pop off.
You have tremendous talent, energy and good spirit.
Translation is you are navy seal of car repair.
Respect from an automotive engineer.
About that your belt jumps off on the 15seat van . The more engine rpm the faster the belt runns around the bends with more g- forses . Holding this back is the spring in the tentioner .
If the tentioner was changed and had a stronger spring . It stoped jumping off .
And the alternator is the sharpest bend so that's probably jumpt off there . ?????
I think
What car would you like to see finished first?
Ford lightning
Cobra
Delorean
Cobra then lightning
Cobra
One of the most interesting car collections on RUclips (to me!)
And the fact they've all been rebuilt/fixed on the channel brings a real connection to them 👍
Love your content mate 👌
I would love a McLaren, but constant problems is why I avoided them. Great for a channel about cars of course…
You sir are a beast with phones and similar tech!
Me too, or the price... Yeah...
Yeah same man, I would own a McLaren if they were more reliable... and thats definitely the only reason I don't own a McLaren, 100%
McLarens are great but you have to drive them. Once they sit problems arise
If parts weren't beyond ridiculous, like 10k for headlights, 20k for body panels, 100k for engines, even the reliability wouldn't be such an issue.
Wonderful to see John get his van back. It's a cool looking van even today, and it has a great stance too
Alex don't under estimate the positive influence your content provides. Sure, the knowledge and information you share is what initially brought me to your channel (the Explorer video). What seals the deal for me is the fun and joy you seem to have on your adventures. It's infectious. Your channel does spread happiness. You and Max do good work. Thank you!
1000000% TRUE !!!
I purchased the Ultimate Car Care box last week after watching LSC's last episode.
I hardly ever leave reviews but figured that I had to after receiving the package.
When it arrived (4 days after placing the order) I was amazed at how well it was packaged for shipment. Then I was further elated at the package that the products were packed in. I used to be in sales and this would make an excellent product to have drop shipped to a good customer. The quality of the items appear to be above and
beyond what you can buy in stores. I live in the northern climate and haven't had a chance to use them, however the microfiber towels also work great for keeping a solid surface stove looking in brand new condition. My wife even commented that the foam cannon looks way better constructed than the Chinese ones you see at the parts/big box stores.
Sorry for the long comment, but I felt that this is one of the best values-for-dollar that I have received recently.
I WAS NOT PAID OR ASKED TO GIVE THIS ENDORSEMENT.
Keep up the great work Alex and the rest of your team!!!
I give this an A++++++ rating from Wisconsin.
P.S. The Bears still suck. 😊
I love the little bit of insanity that comes with not being able to recreate an issue that was happening reliably. I completely agree with the not wanting to drive the van far until you're sure you've addressed the belt problem.
Alex, the belt could be coming off from the AC clutch failing. If it locks up at high RPM it could be causing a ripple in the belt at the alternator.
This happened on my F150 - thought it was an alternator until I realized the AC wasn’t working in the spring.
It’s nice seeing you working on your cars in the garage, just like the old days when you started your channel.
Don't stress yourself out dude we are just loving watching you do anything. There's no pressure.
Getting the Space Van back to the CEO was one of the greatest moments in automobile history. Well done.
I had the same issue with my whipple LS3 and switched all pulleys over to billet pulleys and now it’s been 3800 miles with zero belt issues.
Man, that V12 AMG is relentless lol. It's the gift that just keeps giving!
Alex, idk if you read these. but i had a full circle moment this week. I watched you rebuild this entire car months ago. This week i watched the Car Trek series where Hoovie beats on this in Vegas & had the realization that this was the same CL..... Bless your heart for taking this on after what he did to it haha
Still brings a bloody big smile to my face when I'm reminded of how much love our Holden's get in the USA.
The falcons also get a ton of attention here with the insane barra motor u guys got
You Aussies have some GREAT cars!!! Of course I was introduced to Australian cars from Mad Max as a child. The Black on Black is STILL my dream car!!!
Too bad the Ute and wagon never made it here since they killed off Pontiac. I wanted a ute really bad! My ex wife ended up with the 08 G8 GT in Ignition orange, one of less than 1000 made in that color and it was an 08 only color. I kept swapping wheels on it, had 4 different sets besides the stock 19" sport package wheels.
@Icejay932 yeah the Barra is a weapon when built for boost.
The Miami V8 in the later Falcons is also easy to modify to make plenty of power and no turbo lag...
Hey Alex, on the van. Chevys cut alternator field excitation to help with mpg and to reduce failure from high rpm. It's possible since it goes from a load to no load could cause the alternator to fling forward from momentum kicking the belt off. Also it might have a sprang clutch which could be going bad. Hope this could be of help.
So fun seeing that van on vin wiki years ago and then Alex getting it and now back to the CEO and it going back.
Love seeing the college, nearly at home. Being not only recognized, but given opportunities like this! What a small world we live in! Keep up the great work Alex. Maybe one day I’ll venture up toward Chicagoland area and get the opportunity to say hi. Only a 3 hour trip from here.
Leo from Race, Rebuild, Repeat has a Syclone and Typhoon. They are black. The Syclone is low mileage, not sure about the Typhoon. I believe they are for sale.
It’s incredible to watch you work and your dedication to doing every job the best it can be done. I’m a mechanic myself and I operate much like you do, cleaning parts and connections and always striving to make the appearance someone hasn’t worked on the car before. I can’t stand when other mechanics break clips and connectors and just leave them. I understand it’s not a preferred way to work in a flat rate world, but I have always had an extremely hard time finding a shop and boss that appreciates my type of work, they all want it done fast and could care less how hacked up the job is, just get it out the door. And yet I still understand time is money but I’ll always believe top notch work will bring people back. It’s just really nice in today’s world to see another mechanic with no compromises on quality and craftsmanship.
Back at the home garage!
Just put some coilovers in the CL, and call it good already.
I’d still say no, keep the abc as Alex as already serviced almost the entire system it’s superior to the coils. It’s a cl65 amg after all, the absolute top dog Mercedes of the time
Alex, thanks for the updates on the fleet!! Everyone needs to get out of town. Relax and unwind!!
Thanks for the update Alex sucks that you’re having a rough go of it lately but things will get better man! You are an awesome dude and we all appreciate the help out of you. Get some rest and hopefully things smooth out from here
I think this is the first time I saw you hair 21:07 like this. Also, you have helped me work on my own car, a W205 Mercedes C50 Lorinser upgraded. Thanks again for doing the work, sharing the results, showing every point of the work including the torque. You are differently one of the best detailed Automotive RUclipsrs and the only one I can watch 1 hour or more doing work, speaking, enjoying and having fun doing what you are doing. It's almost like I'm watching a TV show and not just a RUclipsr.
I really love your channel. You do give aways to people that need them and I love your deal on the space van. What a cool idea to donate money to a school. Your a really good dude!
Wrenching with my Dad is one of my most favourite memories of him. So good on you! He will remember those times with you!!
Alex here is a couple Pentosin alternates if you want to diagnose. Fuchs CHFIIS is cheaper, but seems to be the same thing at half the price or back when I had a Saab they said you could use GM Power Steering fluid as a replacement in an emergency. So if you wanted to diagnose you could use the GM stuff and then drain it.
I used the wrong fluid and it killed my rack. Never again.
I remember having a low voltage at WOT it was a faulty voltage regulator in the alternator. ❤ good luck. You might want to check out and check your grounds.
For the porsche you could do what Stay Tuned did on his LS porsche and use an electronic throttle body (ls3) and remote mount it. No worry about the throttle cable
@Justntoys I made the same comment in his Porsche video but clearly Alex hasn't read the comment even though the video was freshly released 🤷♂️
You have so many cool vehicles and you show how much it takes to keep all of them going. Keep up the good work!! My favorite vehicle which I actually have one was the black CDI . It disappeared after the dyno video when the motor mount broke. I’ve always wondered what happened to that car.
The final countdown moment while working on the CL65 i love it 😂👊
Thanks!
had the exact same experience with a machine shop near me. sat for a year just for me to pick it up and bring to another shop they got it done in just a week
Good to see your taking a vacation. I just got back from Hawaii for the last two weeks. Body feels refreshed!
ALEX! 30:00 An answer for the Lightning engine van could be ambient temperature changes outside, making the rubber change in strength and grip, does it have a kevlar belt, if not, get one!
I hope you see this and give it a try! Basically I believe the belt is stretching at high rpm, despite the tensioner pully, and it's slipping off that small alternator fully with its sharp turn. So a strong Kevlar belt should solve it.
How's ambient temp gonna make any difference when it's under an enclosed hood with all that engine heat that it's designed to operate with?
@@timwillis806well, it did it on my car, and that's what the problem was, so... he asked for idea's!
I was gonna say temperature as well . Remember, he's in Chicago and it's winter
That's exactly what I was thinking. It was warmer when it was flying off. Also, is it flying off under load or deceleration?
Alex, wow what a journey that you've had a lot of ups and down for a person of you're calibre. Enjoy your vacation / time away to regroup. I hope you come back swinging and pump out these projects with ease. Happens to the best of us. It's what makes us human. Enjoy the time off. Looking forward to your future videos! ❤
We test the hydraulic pumps at work. I feel your pain with the cost of the Pensosin CHF11S fluid. We bought 2 55 gal drums. THAT made the accountants wince!
nice
Have a great holiday, sorry , vacation , I'm in Newbury in the uk and came across your channel while watching rebuild rescue I think it was . Anyway now I'm hooked and thoroughly enjoying watching the latest 8 or so videos. While your away I plane on watching the back catalogue. Great viewing, as I love problem solving , and you've definitely had some rip snorters .
Have you checked crankshaft end play? I had a Ford with a belt squeal, the crank would move forward when you revved it up. Had a worn thrust bearing.
for the van many the altarntor Polly or the angle of it.
This is the best hangover medicine a video from legit street cars
The van, check and see if the belt comes off the alternator pulley due to fouling on the spacers for the supercharger bracket. If it snags for just a split second it is enough for the belt to "pile up" behind it and pop off the pulley. Cheers.
I’ve got a couple of cans of the CHF if you want them, brand new, free if you want them, I don’t have any use for them!
you can have the fuel line made at a shop that makes custom hoses...they can usually get the new fittings and recreate the factory hose...just bring or mail them the parts and busted hose and they can make it up ...
🚥Alex bro you have the patience of a tibetan monk with that CL65 …better man than me Hoovie owes you a steak 🥩 dinner 🍽 😂😂😂😂
My wife used to give me streak dinners. Cant even get her pants off these days.
JUST DELETE FUCKING ABC
BULLSHIT LIKE EVBODY
ELSE
STOP TRYIN 2 B MR BIGSHOT
It’s a German car thing not a monk thing😂 same way with my bmw replaced damn near everything drive to work with it and it breaks down at 4am and have to call out😂
@@pauldwyer6939😂😂😂😂 I own two bmws with N63 motors trust I know the pain
I still prefer streak dinners.
On my buddies 67 Cuda we mounted a bent piece of round stock on the alternator about 5/16"dia. to keep the belt from jumping off the pulley when he dumped the throttle clutching between gears. Long belts get a lot of momentum. Tack additive helps too, but it's messy so most don't use it even though it extends belt life because it helps prevent slipping on high HP engines. Belt jumping the pulley used to be a bigger issue, before they started making them out of materials that don't stretch.
Use the threaded hole on the alternator to mount a piece of bent round stock.
You sir have the best job on the planet. Working on your cars everyday. Most people have jobs just so they can afford to work on their own cars in their free time.
Get a pully with a little more shoulder for the Alternator.
Keep your head up
Looking forward to the content in the future! Proud of you dude
My wife and I would take weekend escapes to Wisconsin and Don Q Inn. All the rooms have themes. Always lots to do in that part of the state.
How glad I’m that I sold my cl 65 it costed me 57,000 dollar to keep it on the road
31:33 you probably have to much torque pulling on the tensioner loosening it up enough to slip off. Perhaps you need a different type of tensioning setup.
I had a machine shop in Denver do a 351w based engine for my mustang. It was finally ready for pickup after 18 months lol. It did include assembly and blueprinting. But still…. I feel ya
Sounds crazy, but about the belt, I had a similar experience with replacing a John Deere lawn tractor drive belt, bought some off brand name belts that where less than half the price of a JD belt. Broke through the replacement belt after two mowings, bought another due to warranty, same story, finally bought the JD belt and been going on 2 years now no issues. It could simply be crap manufactured belts.
Ruby is what brought me to your channel...youtube kept pushing the first video I bought a 3k vette
Ummm how’s nobody gonna talk about the door opening on its own during the zoom meeting at 21:53? Upon zooming in, there seemed to be a short, black mass exiting right after the door barely opened. Long time viewer here btw, love the content you make Alex, and because of you, I actually took my e46 325 to Fluid to diagnose and fix a misfire. Much love bro, keep the content coming!!!
His 🐕 dog
Love how every GM3800 through time always starts like that, from an 80s turbo to an 00s FWD. A lil stumble and then fires up every single time
I had an '89 Delta 88 with the 3800 and that thing started instantly, even in the cold.
On the express van, I ran into this problem before. You need to check all the pulleys with a straight edge, to each other. It’s a pain, but if one pulley is slightly at an angle, the belt comes off. See about getting a higher tension or adjustable tensioner. Last, see about getting one size shorter belt. Good luck
Stay for the whole length of the video as always, and have a laugh at the clips at the end.
Keep it up Alex, I’ve learnt a lot about working on my own cars from yourself💙
Wow you have a lot of cars now!😮 I'm sure you'll have all those problems sorted before long.
Always important to have a proper break, forget about work & business, and enjoy being with your family! Have a great holiday.
High pressure Hoses tip. It can be worth it to find a local hydraulic hose manufacturer. They make custom hoses for things like trash compactors and forklifts. Most carry fitting sizes that’ll work on a car too.
That damn $1 o-ring!😂
I would kick off the belt with nitrous at high rpm on an LS, I ended up going with a manual tensioner instead. Katech has a nice one billet tensioner.
Relateable. Sometimes I wonder: do I own my cars - or do they own me?
I must say thanks a million. I divovered your channel because I was thinking about buying a CL or SL. After watching you I'm convinced I don't want any part of a Mercedes or BMW even as a gift. I'm so wishing you fix the CL for good.thanks again and good luck with the CL I'm looking forward to seeing it running okay.
I wish you lived near me, I have a can of CHF11S sitting in my garage. decided to buy it for a car that didn't use it. I paid under 20 for it
I had a cl500 blow the fitting on the rear left side before it crossed along the rear subframe. Fixed it with a 20 quid hydraulic hose and an olive crimp fitting from my local hydraulic shop and filled the entire system with normal hydraulic oil.
It worked an absolute treat
We're all "hangry" for some more Ford Lightning Engine rebuild content.
One the Porcha you could do two things. The first is maybe machine the lip on the intake down a tiny bit and the intake so the whole thing could move in maybe half an inch or so. You might need a ring clamp to hold it better. Then if that is not enough then heat and bend in the intake where it is hitting. It will likely have less restriction than that other air filter you are trying to use.
The Car Wizard makes money off Hoovies' Hoopties for a reason
The car wizard charged $4000 for 4 shocks on a 90s bronco on his channel 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 and then put the $15 Monroe shocks on it 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 watch the video of car wizard on Hoovies 65-66 mustang 😂 he hand drilled a flywheel from a flathead V8 and put it on that built 289 and couldn't figure out why it had a bad vibration 🤣🤣🤣🤣
That supposed wizard is a rip off merchant... you'd be bankrupt having him look after your cars
The bracket near the power steering pump like One of the people have said . Or just a suggestion Put a largerlip on your pulling to the Alternator same size diameter pulley just a larger lip on the face of it
Would be an interesting video buying another CL and do a coil over conversion, simplify the electronic system,and do a manual swap. It would increase reliability as resale value.
Don’t do it … it would reck the handling .. With the ABC system there are no sway bars and the ride of Coil Overs is terrible compared with ABC. Don’t buy a ABC if you’re not prepared to fix it when it goes wrong. Alex your doing great, keep going your almost there and you will end up with a fabulous car when it’s completed.
@@JACB006 That's why he should buy a second CL to do the mods, as adding sway bars.
@@RogerM88 on this we must agree to disagree. I think he would be taking a Great car and making it Mediocre. The ride and handling would suffer and the resale would tank. Why would anyone do that to an S Class Mercedes (CL) with all its sophistication and elegance when they could by some other car originally equipped with springs if that’s what they want?
@@JACB006 You're assuming these cars will be repaired through the decades to come, especially with complex hydraulics. But in reality many will end up neglect, so those list of mod could actually keep many on the roads.
2:07 "Engine off and no cargo" ;)
From one million to 10,000. Huge price drop!
There is an earls shop in Hawthorn Ca. They will make you custom braided hoses to match your rubber hose. You could avoid adapters on your eclipse easily by sending them your old hose to copy.
Seriously it’s more satisfying to work on 80s and 90s cars less complex, less prone to failure and we all under appreciated this error..
RE the hydraulic hose in the CL: these usually have a proportioning system, either a pressure valve or a pressure control system. The old SLS used a piston / ball bearing to redirect the pump pressure back to the reservoir when the system was pressurised. When it wore, it would pass pump pressure to the lines and struts. That's what blows the struts and the lines. I did this on a w123 years ago. New line, blew straight off, just like yours, just after a junction, at the crimp. Did a service kit on the control valve, worked perfectly after that. Not sure if you have a pressure gauge that will fit at the end of a line to check pressures, but it might reveal where the excess pressure is coming from.
Over a million subscribers on RUclips and well connected in the car community, you would think the machine shop would make Alex’s engine top priority.
I thought the exact same thing. Alex is a very nice person. I would of let them know very quickly who I was and if they still jerked me around in the end I would of named exactly who they were, baring and legality issues. I've had the same experience with a machine shop before on a Vette engine and was strung along for months to get something done. They finally finished it, but I was the one calling every week asking. Many other professions seem to be that way to anymore sadly, where they get popular, then overly busy, can't juggle/do scheduling OR they are just downright lazy and end up stringing people along with the hope they will get to their job. Those businesses need to be called out and either change their ways or die.
Hey Alex you and the fam deserve a vacation for sure but before you leave you should get a deal with one of the vendors like SUMMIT or Deltran at SEMA this year and maybe I might see ya there!!😎👍🏻🇺🇸😇🙏🦅
Alex you are a master business man, he never made you feel guilty about selling him that van and charging him for it, you survived the " every body signed the clay make up"
I'm proud of you
It's amazing how problems and failure get more clicks than success usually does.
But I like seeing it work out in the end, since being a mechanic makes that part VERY important.
The Merc def needs cool air routes to the intake. Imagine how much more power it will make with cool dense air and tuned to it. Gale Banks would have a fit about this lol
Great content, as usual. So you don't feel like the only one picked upon by the midnight auto gremlin , I have a mustang with aftermarket air suspension that was operating fine when I parked it. Two months later, when my children visited, there was no lift when started. Blocks under tires to get clearance for jacks, got tire off , rub on bag that decided to let go . One of those, I'll show you to ignore me moments. My new mantra is "What would Alex do?" New bag and get er done!
Dude I would've at least charged an even 5k for parts and labor for the Silver Suppository,good on ya though kids will learn a lot.