Mercedes W163 '02 - '05 Washer Fluid Reservoir Tank Replacement
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- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
- This video is a step-by-step DIY for replacing the washer fluid reservoir on the ML-Class. Check the Pinned Comment for Timestamps so you can skip around as needed. The tank is a hassle to replace, but you can review all the steps in this video and be prepared to do the job yourself.
Thanks for watching! I hope this video was helpful.
Good luck with your repair!
Timestamps and Info:
00:46 Remove Headlight trim
01:26 Remove Headlight
02:58 Remove Cross beam
04:42 Disconnect negative terminal on battery
04:52 Remove fuse box covers (2 covers)
06:31 Lift fuse board to remove 2 fasteners underneath
08:43 Disconnect Washer Pump electrical
09:45 Disconnect Level Sensor electrical
09:58 Disconnect Washer hoses
10:43 Remove Reservoir fastener
10:48 Release Reservoir from mounting clip
12:16 Remove the Reservoir
14:02 Removing Level Sensor from old reservoir
14:41 Parts numbers for Grommets, Tank, and Plugs (also shown below)
15:33 Remove fuse box clips
15:42 Install the Reservoir
16:54 Reinstall Reservoir fastener
16:58 Reinstall Washer pumps
17:08 Connect Pump hoses
17:24 Connect Pump electrical
18:05 Connect Level sensor electrical
18:13 Connect harness clips
18:23 Reinstall Cross Beam
18:47 Reinstall Passenger side headlight
19:08 Reinstall Headlight trim
19:34 Reinstall Driver's side headlight
20:44 Check for leaks
21:01 Reinstall fasteners in fuse box
22:30 Reinstall fuse box covers
23:55 Reconnect negative terminal of battery
Part numbers:
Reservoir: A1638690820
Front and rear pump grommets: 0099970981
Plugs: 2109870045 and 1109870944
Good luck with your repair!
do not need to remove the fuse hox e t.c instead I remove to top radiator hose to get good access to remove and install the reservoir
Extremely helpful video. I think you saved me at least three days of messing around trying to figure out how to get that out.
Haha, I know what you mean! This washer reservoir is a real pain to remove. Thanks for watching : )
One of the best, if not THE best videos I've watched on Mercedes repair. Great detail end explanation. Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you, and please keep up the good work...
Wow, thanks! I'm glad the video was helpful! : )
Here here!!
Thank you so much for convincing me not to replace this. That is soooooo much more work than anticipated.
Yes, unfortunately - this could have been much easier if MB had just left the smaller size in place! Thanks for watching : )
Perfectly filmed and detailed instructions .... VERY well done thank you for sharing
Thank you!
I agree that this is one of the best How to Videos for the ML Class. Your descriptions and Cautions are on the money. Mercedes engineers are great in F1 but they botched this up. You have saved the day however!. THANKS!
Thanks! Yes, MB engineers were not thinking ahead on this one! Good luck : )
BEST demonstration that I have seen! Thank you for your hard work in putting that together!
I was ready to give up until I viewed your video. Purchased a fluid reservoir from a junk yard for $12.95 (used) for my 2003 Ml 320.
Works like new. Thanks for your video.
Well done! What a great deal you found too! I'm so glad the video helped, and thanks for your comment : )
You are a complete rock star. My daughter inherited my 99 and the reservoir of course was brittle and cracked. I could not figure out how to get the new one into location and after watching your video.. boom it's done. Thank you and God bless!
Wow, that's great - nice job on your DIY!
Thanks for watching : )
Your videos are absolutely fantastic. Very clear description of tasks, required parts and tools. The arrows that you use to point to bolts, fasteners are also a tremendous help. Thank you so much for doing this, it is incredibly helpful.
Wow, thanks - and thanks for watching! : )
Good camera stability, nice circling of the fasteners in question, very clear on things that could break and descriptive on exactly what needs to be done to get parts out. Very good instructional video. I wish everyone could be this good.
Thank you, and thanks for watching! : )
Thanks for the Video. What an effort to change the reservoir…. Crazy
I totally agree! Thanks for watching : )
Omg. You weren't joking!! This explains why the ML55 I just bought came with a busted tank. They weren't gonna go to all of the effort, haha. Thanks for another great video! I'll come back to this when I take on the job
Haha, yes, this repair is crazy - I have no clue what MB was thinking when they did this! Thanks for watching, and good luck! : )
When you come to Western Australia for holiday, dont worry about the tools as i have them already. Amazing video tho!
Haha!! Thanks, and thanks for watching! : )
Thanks for your work. I struggled with the washer bottle change over for hours until I saw this. On bolting the fuse housing gave me enough wiggle room to get it in with no problems at all. Well done 👍🏻
It is just ridiculous how difficult MB made it to remove that reservoir! I'm glad the video helped, and hopefully it is last time you have to do it : ) Thanks for watching!
GREAT video! Walked me through getting the new reservoir in and it was a breeze, albeit ridiculous how much is in the way :D loved all the finer detail pointers as well. Thank you!
Wow, great job on your DIY! Yes, it really is ridiculous how much is in the way for such a simple component, but Mercedes does strange stuff like that sometimes, haha! Thanks for watching : )
Great video... thanks for all the careful instructions
Thank you, and thanks for watching! : )
Beautiful presentation!
Thanks for the videos.
Hi, watching your great video again! My tank became very brittle, so had no choice but change out for a new one. I followed your instructions, also loosened the bolts at the electrical fuse box. After all it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Taking out the old tank, I didn't have to remove anything, since I wasn't concerned about damaging the tank. Thanks a lot!!!
Wow, that's great! Nice job on your DIY : ) Thanks for watching!
Hi, thank you so much for this video! Worked perfectly!
That's great - well done on your DIY! Thanks for your comment, and thanks for watching! : )
Excellent tutorial, I'm half way through dismantling. You are right about that corner lol.
I'm sorry I missed your comment -- yes, I don't know why Mercedes did this with the corner! You have to be very careful indeed. Good luck, and thanks for your comment!
Proper demonstration thanks n blessed time
Brilliant presentation and video best I've seen on the web.
Great video for replacing the window washer tank. So appreciate the detail instructions. Thanks a lot👍 11:06
Thank you, and thanks for watching! : )
What a wonderful video - thanks for showing the installation as well. Normally just saying to do it all in reverse and leaving us hanging... the reverse never works out well. Awesome vid
Thanks! Yes, I know what you mean - "doing it in reverse" doesn't always work out, so I always try to show all the steps in my videos. Thanks for watching! : )
This is one of the best DIY videos I have ever seen, love the details in it.
I noticed that my ml270 2002 had 2 mornings in a row a small pond bellow the car...I traveled to work, checked it during the day...no leak, next morning...pond appeared again.
All I know that it will just get worse and honestly after seeing this cursed disassembly(no offence, this one goes to mercedes designers), I ll just sell the car for spare parts...I changed so much things and drowned so much money in it, that at this point that car is just laughing at me. Every month just more ridiculous things broke down 😢
Thanks for your comment! Yes, this job is a hassle, like too many jobs on our ML's where MB designers didn't seem to think ahead about serviceability. I'm sorry that your ML270 is giving you trouble. Hopefully you'll get a little more life before selling it! Good luck : )
Да уж. О ремонтопригодности не задумались инженеры МБ.
Но тем не менее эта машина не перестаёт быть Мерседесом. И при всех неприятностях тем не менее доставляет удовольствие при езде.
Excellent demonstration, very helpful 👍
Very good video. No muss no fuss, just the procedure and ALL of it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
One question. It appears in the after market there are tanks with 3-Holes and Tanks with 4-Holes. Comments?
Yes - some W163 models have headlight washers, so the "extra" hole is for the "extra" pump to the headlights.
For models without headlight washers, there are two holes for the pumps (one pump for the windshield, one pump for the back window). I hope that helps! Thanks for watching : )
Amazing presentation Lady !!!
Thank you -- good luck!
You are a super star love to watch your videos as very detailed this one amazed me on how mutch you had to do just to replace a water container which I have to do thanks❤
Yes, it is just wild how much stuff Mercedes put in the way for this washer fluid reservoir! They should have just kept the smaller size, LOL. Thanks for watching, and good luck!
MB keeps many screw companies in business, for sure
Thanks. Going to replace my leaky reservoir for the 3rd time now. Seems to leak at about 5 years. They could have used the same plastic as the coolant reservoir!
Yes, I agree!
Thank you so much!!!
Best regards from Germany
Thanks for watching! : )
Excellent vid. Thank-you!👍😄
Thank you, and thanks for watching! : )
Thanks so mucho for this video so worked for others
Thanks for watching! : )
I can almost hear the conversation between Marketing and Engineering on this one.
We must have an 8L tank!
No, it won't fit.
Do it or you're all fired!
Ah, the Mechanical Engineers said we can do 7.6L but Production is throwing a fit about assembly and repair!
Haha, they lose. DO IT!
What would be ideal is if some BRILLIANT aftermarket supplier would create a "retro-fit" smaller Washer Fluid tank that would fit easily & remove easily - yes it would need to be a smaller capacity than 7.6 litres but that'd be ok to eliminate this hassle.
On this point, the early MLs were better !
Agreed! Thanks for watching and for adding your tips : )
Great video
Thanks, and thanks for watching! : )
Excellent video. Should not be this difficult, but how else are engineers gonna get their jollies? Probably use videos like this at their conferences to get laughs, the slugs. One piece of tech advise to all car owners, Never use tap water in windshield washer systems, the minerals build up in pumps and nozzles clogging them up. You say you don't use tap water? If you go to a fast lube oil change place, you have tap water in your reservoir.
A solution of Dawn and water cycled through the system will eventually clear it out. If you use the blue stuff, don't dilute it, if you use MB solution, get a gallon of "Distilled Water" from Walmart or Costco and use that.
Also use Dielectric grease on electrical connectors and around the fittings on the ABS lines to help prevent corrosion.
Kudos to you L35, was hard enough doing the job, adding the video aspect tripled your efforts. Does not go un-noticed.
Thanks, and thanks for adding your tips! Yes, I still don't understand why MB did this, especially since the early W163's had the simple reservoir. My best guess is that some jurisdiction required a minimum capacity, so this was the solution - but that's just a wild guess! MB has also picked some terrible quality plastics over the years, plastics which (like these) just disintegrate or turn into brittle messes, especially the electrical connections! Hopefully they've learned and won't put us through this silliness in the future ... or at least we can dream! : )
Thanks for watching!
@@L35inColorado Yes, there are several formulas for plastic, some of the more resilient ones have been around since the 50s, but as we know how car manufactures like to cut costs, they keep moving to the cheaper formulas that the sun can take out in five years, sometimes less. As to the capacity, your guess is as good as any, lol. I fear as long as politicians dictate the market, it will only keep getting worse.
You are awesome thank you!!!
You're welcome, thanks for your comment and good luck!
Use Henry rubberized roof cement, cheap, fast, and reliable fixed. The same price of a 3M tube can buy a ONE gallon can of rubberized roof cement from Home Depot or eBay.
Great idea -- I'll have to keep that in mind! Thanks for sharing : )
Michael, is that you? Didn’t know you were an awesome mechanic! Great video
Thank you so much
Thanks for watching! : )
great vid
awesome job! subscribed!
Thank you!
thanks was quite helpful
great video, thanks for sharing!!! where was your leak? somehow I couldn't make it out in the video
Thanks! This tank was leaking at the washer pump grommets -- that's why there was blue RTV everywhere (10:49). I had the replaced the grommets, but that didn't work, so I rubbed RTV all over as a stop-gap measure while trying to find another tank. There must have been some tiny cracks around the pump openings which caused a constant leak: these tanks are just made of the wrong plastic for the job! Mercedes should have used the plastic that Toyota uses, and this wouldn't have happened, haha. Thanks for watching, and good luck! : )
@@L35inColorado I see, with my ML350 was also the grommet ripped apart, at the washer pump. So changed it, and still had the leak. Then took out pump, and tested it. Motor working well, but when I added water, some debris came out. Went to the dealership bought new pump. Then my problem was solved! Didn't have to take out the tank!! Seems like a hassle with tank and time consuming.
@@hubertl4352 Wow, that's a great tip -- thanks for sharing that!
very Nice!!!
sadly Mercedes seems to have used plastic material that is inadequate. i was unable to find an unbroken reservoir in any of the scrapyards i searched. mine is so brittle it crumbles at the touch.
Yes, I know what you mean - as every year passes, these reservoirs become more difficult to find intact at the scrapyards. If you decide to buy a new one, buy the "old" version (the smaller size), if you can, because they are so much easier to install! Good luck - and thanks for watching! : )
PS there is now - in Fall 2024 - an aftermarket "Bapmic" (probably China) 7.6:l exact reproduction washer tank sold for $47.
This is new development & makes this job less costly.
Back when mine began cracking 5 years ago they were an "MB only part" and $130 !.
At least that's a better deal.
I’ll probably do it without taking out the fuse box. I’d suggest using a water pipe black insulation foam for that sharp corner
Good luck - thanks for watching! : )
Wow! where were you all my life? Borovooo.
Great video, thank you very much. I had so bad reservoir that i simply destroyed it and dragged out in pieces :D Don't you know part number for the lid? I've lost mine.
I don't have the part number for the lid, but you can see it here:
www.ebay.com/itm/For-Mercedes-w163-Windshield-Washer-Reservoir-Cap-fluid-tank-bottle-GENUINE-/360932371418
Good luck!
So... My top frame isn't lining up and im a little stressed out. Not sure what to do at this point but i am taking a break to regroup
If you're still working this, be sure that the radiator is aligned with the holes in the frame piece - you might have to move the radiator slightly back/forth. Watch the little plastic feature on the radiator (driver's side) where the hose connects to be sure that it is not interfering. I hope that helps - good luck! : )
Awesome
All that work for the fluid reservoir. Mine can stay broken
Ha, ha - I know what you mean! : )
Wow what does Mercedes charge for the bottle replacement?
Oh man, I don't even want to guess -- probably an hour of labor (which is about $150 in the USA) plus the part...maybe $200 or $225? That's just a guess!
I am looking for the older version of the winshield water tank (show at time 0:18 of your video) for my 2001 ML320. Do you (or you know any website) have one for sale?
No - I have only ever seen them available at junkyards.
@@L35inColorado Thank you for the reply and the great video you are sharing.
Where can I get that little clip for holding in the headlight molding/trim? Thanks!
You might try asking your dealer for a part number, and then looking online (I don't know the part number). I'm fortunate here in CO and have excellent local junkyards, so for trim pieces like that, I usually just wait until an ML shows up at the yard. Ebay might be a good place to look, too. Good luck!
It's definitely not that hard to remove on the 2000 ml320. Just unhook all the connections remove nut holdin reservoir to frame and then just pull up and wiggle. Comes out every time.
Yes, I know - the early design is far superior to the later (larger) design. Thanks for watching! : )
@@L35inColorado enjoying your channel. My 2000 ml320 has 185,250 just did the conductor plate on mines and still runs like a champ. I have two Merc's but the Ml320 is the one I would chose every time if I had to drive cross country. Never had a major problem with the ml it's a tank.
You don't need to remove the front top support I got mine out no problem it's right but not too hard but if you can't loosen up the fuse box it's easy I hard to replace my esp4 ABS module tank went back in easy
Thanks for the comment -- yes, on the '98 - '01's with the smaller tank, I can do that. But with the larger tanks installed on the '02 - '05's -- man, its just too tight for me to remove them without lifting that cross member! I have done it before without removing the fasteners in the fuse box, and its possible, but tight and high-risk for punching a hole in the tank. Thanks for your comment! I'm glad you've found a way that works for you and thanks for sharing it!
@@L35inColorado I've the 2003 55 AMG I've the big tank I just loosened up the fuse box it was tight but it came out
Bendede aynı araçtan var takip ediyorum sizi ama dilinizi anlayamıyorum türkçe alt yazı olsa çok daha iyi olur sizin için zor olmazsa teşekkür ederim saygılar
Too much work… I just removed the first screw on the left side and then I pulled the whole box out of the piece very easily, all in all it took five minutes
Yes but what year was / is your w163'/ ML ?
Early MLs like 98-00 have smaller tank - more room to remove it.
Later ones like my 02 - same year show here - do not.
Ergo this lengthy disassembly.
What year is yours ?
@@psalm2forliberty577 Hello, I have been forgot about this comment and video. My ML320 is 1999
@@stevan4350
I thought so !
How's your 1999 ML holding up ?
My 2002 ML500 has 184,000, no rust & runs very nice.
The 2002 - 2005 were "Facelift" models with like 1000+ "improvements" over the first series ML.
Obviously, enlarging the Washer reservoir (to prevent easy servicing) to this size was NOT one of them !
where at in colorado are you? do yo u want to work on my ML350? :)
Haha, I'm east of the Denver Metro, and I always have my hands full! If you're in Colorado too, its time to get ready for the snow! Take care : )
@@L35inColorado nice. I am in Castle Rock. Yeah i got ml350 that needs engine mounts replaced and some gasket covers. Let me know if u have time to work on them. i will pay 😎
Wow Mercedes fucked that up.
Yes, it is pretty ridiculous! And what's worse is that MB charges about $120 for that plastic reservoir which cracks and leaks at its seams after a few years. I grab them at the junkyard when I see them because they are only about $10 there.
Michael Jackson is that you?