forfour.co.uk
Forum => General Smart Chat => Topic started by: Cool1.3 on March 12, 2021, 10:58:37 AM
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Hey,
I've had my forfour for a couple of weeks now, and I'm getting a good idea of what needs doing.
I liked Mr Singh's post so I thought I'd follow the same format.
Hopefully my work will help someone else down the line and maybe I can also get a few bits of information from everyone as I go along.
Service (last one was 12k ago, and it was just an oil change)
-Sparkplugs
-Clean ignition coils
-Air filter
-Cabin filter
-Oil change (+filter)
-Gearbox oil
-Clean and grease gearbox linkage (probably the lazy way)
-Replace brake discs and pads (the only MOT advisory)
Interior
-Aux cable
-Replace Interior light
-Lounge mod
-Figure out why the fuel gauge flashes (checked the resistors in the dash and they are fine)
-Find the cricket living in the back seat
Exterior
-Restore headlights
-Try to restore rear Plexiglas windows (same principle as headlights?)
Other issues
Figure out why the car jerks and revs wiggle about after changing gear, probably engine or gear box mounts...
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-Replace Interior light
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-Figure out why the fuel gauge flashes (checked the resistors in the dash and they are fine)
On the point about changing the interior light, Search and read the posts about this carefully as this is one of those really apparently mundane jobs which can in fact cause permanent damage to the fusebox if done wrong!
Regarding the flashing fuel gauge, every single post I've ever seen on this issue found it was the resistors in the end, bear in mind that these issues can be intermittent and you might have simply tested it on a 'good day'.. if in doubt, re-solder the joints anyway and it might just go away... if not, then a) you've prevented that problem in the future, and b) you can be sure the problem is indeed somewhere else without having to take apart the fuel tank first.
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Also, regarding the air filter - take a look at smartmods.. they sell a pipercross lifetime filter which will save money in the long term and even make your engine sound a little bit better :)
https://www.smartmods.co.uk/shop/product/piper-cross-450-452-filter/
I bought one a year or two ago and it was a really nice little mod, good quality kit. Worth the money I spent on it, all day long.
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I rate the air filter as well. It helped make a subtle difference to my 1.3 S-A. :P
-Try to restore rear Plexiglas windows (same principle as headlights?)
Yes, I'd think so. I need to do that to mine (or cover them).
-Find the cricket living in the back seat
The what and the what now? A creak?
-Figure out why the fuel gauge flashes (checked the resistors in the dash and they are fine)
This is one where even if they look and rate good, I'd probably resolder them for peace of mind. Beyond that, guess it'd be a case of checking the sender unit and making sure that is all clean and moving freely.
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Hey,
On the air filter.
I'm afraid it is too late, I already bought a normal one. :(
But will definitely look into the pipercross lifetime filter for the next time
The cricket
The cricket is a creak coming from the back of the car, I need to find the culprit before I can do something about it.
The fuel gauge
I will take a look at the cluster again and re-solder, I thought that if it read 160-166 Ohms it was ok. And I was a bit apprehensive about re-soldering something that appeared to be working correctly.
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Even a good quality standard fit does help keep it going. As for the creak, memory serves that happens when the back bench isn't properly secured down at the back (it can flip forwards to make the back of the car quite commodious). As for the fuel gauge, as El Tel says for you its likely a preventative measure. For my car, its a definite need. Its been busted for several months now :P
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.....-Replace interior light....
As for the interior lights....(front) I can't see why people want to change it as the
amount of light it 'chucks' out (it is a halogen bulb, not like a normal bulb) is more
than adequate and the novel functionality (twist n turn for different light patterns)
would be lost if anything else was somehow managed to fit into it.
LED's now are so common place and to be honest, how often do you ever have the
need for that much of an intense light ? It might be wise just to pull the unit
out and give it a good clean as they normally are quite bright, though I've seen
a few that were a bit discoloured/dirty.
(and the rear)...careful..as the unit has a dual acting /'rocking' function that
switches the power, so a normal LED wont work on one setting...and I've yet
to find a 'bi-polar' (works whichever way the power is) festoon LED of the
same size that will fit straight in.
But apart from that...yes I do know and have seen 3 ForFours that have had
there fusebox 'fried' when their owner changed the interior bulbs to LED's
without first disconnecting the battery !
Why the battery, well it's far 'safer' than doing it with the doors closed as
it is so easy/simple to forget why you have it closed and just open it for
possibly more room or the freedom to move about for whatever reason.
Having LED's is a personal choice...
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But apart from that...yes I do know and have seen 3 ForFours that have had
there fusebox 'fried' when their owner changed the interior bulbs to LED's
without first disconnecting the battery !
Why the battery, well it's far 'safer' than doing it with the doors closed as
it is so easy/simple to forget why you have it closed and just open it for
possibly more room or the freedom to move about for whatever reason.
Having LED's is a personal choice...
I was one of those 3 unfortunate forfour owners who's fuse box got ' fried ' , all the advice given re LED's is worth taking note of , I wish I'd have known of the pitfalls before trying them ( and it was only out of curiosity ) , it's not only forfours that don't play well with LED'S they can ( and do ) cause problems on some other makes .
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regarding the flashing fuel gauge, all you have to do is heat the existing solder. iv done this 3 times, twice on my SB3 and once on my red 1.1.
revs jerking, its possible that you are releasing the clutch too fast.
if you are in doubt about anything, you are more than welcome to come pay me a visit, im only 90 minuets up the M1
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A bit of progress this last week
Aux cable fitted (£8), bought the wrong cable, was confused for a bit and then bought the right cable.
In case it helps anyone, the right cable is CT29MM01 and has a blue connector (picture below). I bought a yellow one because it matched the pin out for the radio.
Replaced the blown interior light with a halogen one, following Problemchild's guide. Decided not to go for LED after reading the horror stories.
Re-soldered the gauge cluster, waiting to fill up to see if it worked.
Now I'm just waiting for the gearbox oil and hopefully I can do the service next weekened
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The AUX cable does change depending on which head unit you have fitted I thought?
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A bit of progress this last week......
Well done that man.....
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Now I'm just waiting for the gearbox oil and hopefully I can do the service next weekened
where did you get the gear oil from. mercedes still stock it and its about £27 for 2 litres.
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where did you get the gear oil from. mercedes still stock it and its about £27 for 2 litres.
I got it from demon tweeks £7.14 per litre. I got Castrol Manual EP 80W Gear Oil, checked against the MB list below.
https://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/bevolisten/235.1_en.html
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Regarding the flashing fuel gauge, every single post I've ever seen on this issue found it was the resistors in the end, bear in mind that these issues can be intermittent and you might have simply tested it on a 'good day'.. if in doubt, re-solder the joints anyway and it might just go away... if not, then a) you've prevented that problem in the future, and b) you can be sure the problem is indeed somewhere else without having to take apart the fuel tank first.
This was 100% spot on !!
You guys just saved me from going through the ordeal of taking out the fuel pump !
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That's great news! Congrats and well done!
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I got Castrol Manual EP 80W Gear Oil, checked against the MB list below.
im pretty sure its 75W90 GL4 that goes in the gearbox of the forfour. get the wrong oil and you could run into issues.
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Cool1.3...I hate to have to tell you, but the correct specification for the
gearbox oil for a Smart 454 is MB235.72...and that is 75W-90 :'(
As per the info that I put up on the Forum here:-
https://www.forfour.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1716.0
The 'similar' link obtained from the MB website you visited is:-
https://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/bevolisten/235.72_en.html
Ok..there have been some changes since I posted the info, but it
still is MB235.72 and 75W-90
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another reason to buy from the dealer if you dont know or are unsure of what fluids you need.
plus it saves the hassle of either sending what you have bought back, which will more than likely be at your expense, or cancelling the order and then having to reorder the correct stuff. had you have gone to with your local motor factors or the dealer, you would have gotten the right stuff.
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:-\
Should have checked the thread this week, I literally changed the gearbox oil last night...
I guess I just gave the gearbox a good rinse with new oil :'( Let the shopping re-start.
I was quite sure I had the right gear oil from reading this post (MB235.1 of which 90% are 80W)
https://www.forfour.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4016.0
In other news, the service is done so the list has shrunk (a bit less than I thought)
Service (last one was 12k ago, and it was just an oil change)
-Gearbox oil
-Replace brake discs and pads (the only MOT advisory)
-Sparkplugs
-Clean ignition coils
-Air filter
-Cabin filter
-Oil change (+filter)
-Clean and grease gearbox linkage (probably the lazy way)
Interior
-Find the cricket living in the back seat
-Lounge mod
-Aux cable
-Replace Interior light
-Figure out why the fuel gauge flashes (checked the resistors in the dash and they are fine)
Exterior
-Restore headlights
-Try to restore rear Plexiglas windows (same principle as headlights?)
Other issues
Figure out why the car jerks and revs wiggle about after changing gear, probably engine or gear box mounts...
PS
Here is a nice picture fo the cabin air filter, to inspire everyone to check theirs
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...Figure out why the car jerks and revs wiggle about after changing gear, probably engine or gear box mounts...
Cleaned the TVA ? or the MAF.....if so, did you replug the harness to the TVA.
If you cleaned the TVA and/or the MAF...replace the MAF.
Engine mounts should be fine....as they hardly ever 'go'....ok, an odd one maybe
but you'd need to put a trolley jack under one side at a time (in a safe and
non-damaging position under the engine and then carefully jack it up to see
if the rubber is worn/cracked/whatever)...the bottom mount/engine stabiiser
does wear out...but careful...the bolts go into aluminium...and can be easily
stripped if tightened too much...so go carefully.
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flippin' 'eck, that filter was filthy
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I was quite sure I had the right gear oil from reading this post (MB235.1 of which 90% are 80W)
https://www.forfour.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4016.0
another reason to check with the dealer which oil it should take OR just buy it from the dealer. if they supply the oil and something goes ping, you can blame them. you can do that with online sellers.
according to shell lubematch you should use 75w90 gear oil, but you can (at a push) use 80w90 gear oil but given that our cars were filled with 75w90 gear oil, with little to no issues, id stick with that.
80w90 is more for heavy duty gearboxes (HGVs and vans) and isnt to MB standard where as 75w90 is more for passenger cars and does conform to MB 236.26
heres the link so you can check for yourself with you registration
https://www.shell.com/motorist/find-the-right-oil.html#iframe=L21vdG9yaXN0L2ZpbmQtdGhlLXJpZ2h0LW9pbC9famNyX2NvbnRlbnQvcGFyL2lmcmFtZWRhcHAuc3RhdGljL2lmcmFtZS0wMjExMjAuaHRtbCMvZ2IvZW4tZ2I
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another reason to check with the dealer which oil it should take OR just buy it from the dealer. if they supply the oil and something goes ping, you can blame them. you can do that with online sellers.
according to shell lubematch you should use 75w90 gear oil, but you can (at a push) use 80w90 gear oil but given that our cars were filled with 75w90 gear oil, with little to no issues, id stick with that.
80w90 is more for heavy duty gearboxes (HGVs and vans) and isnt to MB standard where as 75w90 is more for passenger cars and does conform to MB 236.26
heres the link so you can check for yourself with you registration
https://www.shell.com/motorist/find-the-right-oil.html#iframe=L21vdG9yaXN0L2ZpbmQtdGhlLXJpZ2h0LW9pbC9famNyX2NvbnRlbnQvcGFyL2lmcmFtZWRhcHAuc3RhdGljL2lmcmFtZS0wMjExMjAuaHRtbCMvZ2IvZW4tZ2I
I have now bought the right gearbox oil, Castrol Syntrans Multivehicle 75W-90 with the all important MB 235.72
I'll replace it next week and use the extra 0.3 litre at the beginning to clean out my mistake :-[
Cleaned the TVA ? or the MAF.....if so, did you replug the harness to the TVA.
If you cleaned the TVA and/or the MAF...replace the MAF.
Engine mounts should be fine....as they hardly ever 'go'....ok, an odd one maybe
but you'd need to put a trolley jack under one side at a time (in a safe and
non-damaging position under the engine and then carefully jack it up to see
if the rubber is worn/cracked/whatever)...the bottom mount/engine stabiiser
does wear out...but careful...the bolts go into aluminium...and can be easily
stripped if tightened too much...so go carefully.
Thanks!
I'll check this out, it is weird because it also does it when it's in gear and let go of the accelerator
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Hey everyone,
I have finally replaced the gear box oil with the correct one, this time around it only took 15 min.
I also found the source of the creak coming from the back, it was the tailgate lock. I greased it up and we are now silent, or as silent as you can be in these cars 8)
I have restored the lights using T-cut Headlight Restoration Kit, which was very cheap and included the polishing compound and sealer. We'll see how it holds up. (picture below)
Used the same on the rear quarter windows and got rid of the yellowing, but they are still very opaque, so not a perfect solution.
The last one that really bothers me is the jerking when I change gear, I'm gonna investigate a bit more but I think it will be the stabiliser bar under the engine. I have cleaned the TVA, no change, and I don't want to open up the throttle body unless I have to.
I was thinking of setting up a camera under the car, and purposely stall it to see how much the engine moves, and if the stabiliser bar rubbers have perished. Any other ideas for diagnostics?
This is the list now:
Service (last one was 12k ago, and it was just an oil change)
-Replace brake discs and pads (the only MOT advisory)
-Gearbox oil
-Sparkplugs
-Clean ignition coils
-Air filter
-Cabin filter
-Oil change (+filter)
-Clean and grease gearbox linkage (probably the lazy way)
Interior
-Lounge mod
-Fit rear speakers!
-Find the cricket living in the back seat (greasing the tailgate lock got rid of it)
-Aux cable
-Replace Interior light
-Figure out why the fuel gauge flashes ( It was the resistors, even though they looked fine)
Exterior
-Restore headlights
-Try to restore rear Plexiglas windows (same principle as headlights?)
Other issues
Figure out why the car jerks and revs wiggle about after changing gear, probably engine or gear box mounts...
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Forget taking apart the TVA...it REALLY isn't worth it.
The usual issues with the TVA are the black gunge...
that you can clear with carburettor cleaner or bake caliper cleaner..
or the MAF sensor needing a clean...just don't touch the fine metal
filament in it. A good few blasts with the carb cleaner shud do it..
and at worst...using a VERY soft old toothbrush...carefully.
Cleaning the TVA works for about 4 to 6 times, then renew the sensor.
I'd stick my neck out and say the bushes in the lower stabiliser bar
are knackered. Yes it's called a lower engine mount...but it's actually
to stabilise the engine from rocking back n forth...so stabiliser bar.
You can buy a new bar complete with bushes from MB..or there is
Superpro (polybush) SPF4013K to replace the big bush, but that's
expensive...or...
Powerflex...large bush PFF44-520 (about £40) and small bush if
you want that as well PFF44-522 (about £34). Check on ebay.
See how much MB want for the complete bar first...it might be better.
A454 2400109 1.1 petrol
A454 2400209 1.3 + 1.5 petrol
A454 2400509 Brabus & CDI