How to Change the Water Pump in a Mercedes C280

1. Make sure you have the proper water pump for your car. The best way to ensure this is by using the chassis number of the car when you buy the water pump from the parts distributor. A water pump for a C280 usually runs around $250. Before trying to loosen the water pump bolts, it is also a good idea to spray some type of lubricant on the bolts to make them easier to remove.
2. Jack the car up and place it securely on jack stands. Drain the radiator with the drain valve at the bottom of the radiator.
3. Open the hood and remove the fan shroud, fan belt, power steering pump and hoses that block the water pump bolts. Leave the power steering pump attached to the hoses and push it out of the way.
4. Remove the pulley on the power steering pump. Use a strap wrench to hold the pulley while you unbolt the pulley bolt with a socket and wrench. Remove the pulley on the water pump with the same method.
5. Undo the rigid pipe in the side of the water pump that goes to the front of the engine. Undo this at the front of the motor and leave on the pump, or remove at both ends and set aside.
6. Remove the plastic leak tube, if one is present, on the bottom of the pump.
7. Remove the four 6-mm Allen head bolts that hold the water pump on. To get to the front ones, use a ball-head attachment for the Allen wrench that allows the end to pivot around. Be very careful not to strip the bolts when removing them.
8. Install a new pump with a new O-ring. Reinstall everything in the reverse order of removal.
9. Place the car on level ground and fill the radiator with the motor running.

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How to Test an ABS Speed Sensor

1. Elevate the rear of the vehicle in a secure position with a car jack, and place it on jack stands. Place wheel blocks around the front tires. Remove the rear tires to test the ABS speed sensors.
2. Locate where the engine's electrical wiring harness meets the sensor's electrical wiring harness. This is generally in proximity and secured around the strut housing in the wheel well in the front and the shocks in the rear.
3. Remove the sensor from its position using a quarter-inch ratchet with an 8- to 10-mm socket, which is generally located by the heat shield on the caliper.
4. Examine the end of the sensor. If it looks like a big fur ball at the end, then too much contamination is disrupting the sensor.
5. Spray the sensor with brake cleaner and wipe with the rag to remove contamination. Contamination on the sensor can send erroneous signals to the computer.
6. Disconnect the engine harness from the sensor harness. Set the voltage meter to 'Ohms,' and connect the positive and negative terminals of the voltage meter to the input and output on the sensor. If the voltage meter registers as infinity, then the sensor has failed and needs to be replaced.
7. Switch the meter back to 'Volts,' if you do not see an infinity in the ohms setting. If the voltage meter reads above 5 volts, it is starting to fail and can cause intermittent problems. If the voltage meter reads below 5 volts, check the knock sensor for corrosion and check the electrical connections leading to the knock sensor.

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How to Reset My E38 Instrument Cluster

1. Turn the ignition off, if it is on. Leave the key in the ignition.
2. Locate the trip odometer button on the lower left side of the instrument cluster.
3. Press and hold the trip odometer button while turning the key in the ignition to the first position.
4. Watch the words that display on the instrument cluster until you see 'Reset' on the display screen, and then release the button. (If 'Reset' doesn't appear, you cannot do a reset because you have not met the minimum consumption limit.)
5. Tap the button once more to complete the display reset.

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How to Change the Transmission Fluid on a 1999 Audi A4

1. Place the front of the Audi on jacks so you can reach below the vehicle more easily. Slide underneath and locate the gear box, which is a round metal object in the center of the car, slightly to the driver-side. Place a pan large enough to hold three quarts of fluid underneath.
2. Remove the fill bolt, which is near the rear of the gear box, with the 17mm Allen or socket wrench. Remove the drain bolt in the front of the gear box with the same tool. Wait about 15 minutes until the transmission fluid is finished draining. Wash off the drain and fill bolts while waiting.
3. Replace the drain bolt with the socket or Allen wrench. Use the fill bottle to pump three quarts of transmission fluid into the fill hole until the fluid is level with the bottom of the plug. When the gear box is full, transmission fluid will begin to drip from the fill hole.
4. Replace the fill plug with the Allen or socket wrench. Lower the car from the jacks.

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How to Change the Air Filter on a BMW 330I

1. Open the hood and take a look inside the engine. The air filter on the 330I is found in the front left side of the engine compartment. It can be mounted vertically or horizontally in the 3 series, and will be in a black housing.
2. Pull on the top of the cover and the filter will come out of the housing.
3. Remove leaves, twigs or other debris in the housing.
4. Unwrap your new filter and slide it back in. Snap the top cover back on.

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How to Fix a Mercedes Benz 190E Sunroof

1. Locate the fuse box on the lower dash, on the left hand side of the steering wheel and open the cover. Examine the fuse diagram on the inside of the fuse cover lid to pinpoint the exact location of the sunroof fuse. It varies with different year 190Es. Pull the corresponding 15 amp fuse with needle-nose pliers and replace it with a new one. Test the sun roof.
2. Open the hood and remove the negative battery cable with an adjustable wrench.
3. Pry the trim piece from around the sunroof button off with a flat-head screwdriver.
4. Unplug the old sunroof switch from the plastic wiring harness. Remove the old switch from the small clip holding it in place. Hold the new switch in place and clip it into position.
5. Plug the new sunroof switch into the plastic wiring harness and re-install the plastic trim piece around the switch by snapping it back into place by hand.
6. Use a screwdriver and an old toothbrush to clear any debris from the sunroof track. Examine the track carefully to make sure it's not dented. If it is, pry it back into place with the needle-nose pliers. Lubricate the track with a spray lubricant such as WD-40.

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How to Fix the Brakes on a 2004 Mercedes S430

1. Place the tire wrench over the end of the lug nuts and break them loose on all of the wheels. You should only need to give the wrench 1/8 to 1/4 turn to break the lug nuts free. Do not unseat the wheel from the wheel hub as this could damage the wheel studs and the wheel as well as the brake system.
2. Put the floor jack under the front jack point and lift up on it. The jack point is an extension of the frame. Place jack stands under the front pinch welds located underneath the driver and passenger side door. Lower the S430 onto the jack stands.
3. Repeat step 2 with the rear of the Mercedes. Make sure you use the rear jack point and rear pinch welds to support the vehicle.
4. Finish removing the lug nuts and pull the wheel off the hub.
5. Visually inspect the brake lining. The brake lining is the brake pad that sits inside the caliper that covers the brake rotor disc. The lining should be more than 1/8 inch thick. If it is not, then you must replace the lining. You will also want to visually inspect the brake rotor surface. If the rotor surface is scored or pitted, replace the rotor.
6. Remove the top and bottom caliper mounting bolts and pull the caliper off the rotor assembly.
7. Secure the caliper to the Mercedes' coil spring assembly directly above the brake assembly with zip-ties. Make sure that you do not tangle or damage the rubber brake hose attached to the brake caliper assembly.
8. Remove the old brake linings from the caliper assembly by gently tapping them from behind with a rubber mallet.
9. Place the face of one of the brake pads over the caliper piston. Place a c-clamp over the top of the brake lining and the caliper assembly. Force the piston back into the caliper by tightening the old brake lining against the caliper piston. Do not twist the boot in this process. The piston boot should fold back into the caliper assembly 'accordion style'.
10. Insert the new brake pads into the caliper assembly. They will only fit one way.
11. Slide the rotor off the hub assembly. It should slide right off, but you may have to persuade it with a rubber mallet.
12. Slide a new rotor onto the hub assembly, cut the zip-ties with a wire cutter, and slide the caliper assembly over the rotor.
13. Place a small dab of thread locker onto the threads of the caliper bolts and tighten the caliper mounting bolts down clockwise. Once you feel resistance, give the caliper bolts an additional 1/4 turn.
14. Re-mount the Mercedes' wheel and tighten the lug nuts down.
15. Repeat steps 4 to 13 for all of the S430's wheels.
16. Lower the Mercedes to the ground and set the torque wrench to 100 foot-lbs. Turn each lug nut until the torque wrench clicks, indicating that the proper torque value has been reached.

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How to Remove the Front Bumper of an Audi TT

1. Park the Audi TT on a level surface and set the parking brake. Place a wood block behind the rear tire to prevent the vehicle from rolling.
2. Lift up the front end of the vehicle with a floor jack and place two jack stands, one next to each front tire under the front axle. Lower the vehicle so it is resting on the jack stands.
3. Disconnect the cover on the top of the water bottle near the front of the engine compartment by hand. Detach the battery cover on the driver's side of the engine compartment near the front, removing the plastic pegs with a flat-head screwdriver.
4. Take the plastic cover off the front of the vehicle by hand and locate the six Torx bolts on the front bumper. Disconnect the Torx bolts with a Torx bit and socket wrench.
5. Unfasten the two screws underneath the front bumper with a Phillips screwdriver. Detach the two bolts---one on each side---in front of the tires in the wheel wells with a socket wrench.
6. Pull the bumper down carefully and locate the Torx screws inside the ends of the bumper. Remove the Torx screws with a Torx screwdriver and lift the front bumper off the Audi TT, setting it aside.

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How to Install a Battery on a 1990 BMW 735

1. Open one of the rear doors to access the rear seat area.
2. Push forward on the rear seat, and lift it up. This unhooks it from the floor.
3. Tilt the seat up as far as it will go to expose the battery compartment.
4. Loosen the bolt on the negative battery terminal. Lift the cable away from the terminal.
5. Loosen and remove the connector on the positive battery terminal. Move the positive cable away from the battery.
6. Lift the old battery out of the compartment.
7. Place the new battery into the compartment. Position it the way the old battery was positioned.
8. Connect the positive cable to the positive battery terminal. Tighten the bolt on the connector with the wrench.
9. Connect and secure the negative cable on the negative battery terminal.
10. Tilt the rear seat back into its original position, and close the rear door.

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Where Is the Audi A Transmission Module Located?

1. Slide the front passenger seat all the way back, exposing the entire front passenger well. Remove the screw that holds the front passenger kick panel in place and pull the kick panel out.
2. Remove the carpeting directly in front of the front passenger seat by grabbing the door trim strip and pulling (the side of the door trim strip is exposed after removing the front passenger kick panel). Once you have removed the carpeting in the front passenger foot well, you should see the TCM directly in front of the front passenger seat.
3. Locate the two screws that hold the TCM in place. The bottom screw is located underneath a small panel beneath the TCM. Use a flat-head screwdriver to pop the small panel off and then remove the bottom screw. The top screw is located directly above the TCM (there is nothing covering it). Use a screwdriver to remove the top screw and then pull the TCM out.

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