robin craig Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 (edited) So, last year we had a fault crop up in the automatic transmission in our BV206. It manifested during usage and we limped it along until we could get it home. So, now fall is upon us (autumn to the rest of you) and its time to pull the power pack out, as thats the easiest way to get at it. We can also do some maintenance on the engine at the same time. Years ago I saw a picture on Marcus Glenn's web site of a box with yellow bits in it marked as a BV pack lifting assembly. I convinced management to buy it and have it sent with a big parts order we were doing. The boss was dubious as to its value but I recognised hat if we ever had to do the job it would be the cats meow. Today we pulled the BV into the shop and started get ready. We took two doors off as a starter to make access easier and assembled the nice yellow bits that some smart Swede designed, likely he was called Benny or Bjorn. It consists of a beam that attaches to the left rear and right front of the front car and has a carriage rolling in the beam with a hand operated winch. The engine is connected to a purpose made frame by a steel cable. Here are some pictures of it assembled and mated to the power pack. Needless to say there are a few more items to uncouple before we can pull it out. My fiendishly smart mechanic Gerry will be over tonight to assist with the final bits after we have done the easy laborious undoing of bits this afternoon, at least thats the plan at the moment. R Edited March 6, 2012 by robin craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidewinder Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 That pack lifting frame looks like its worth its weight in gold. Definitely a very ingenius piece of engineering. Looking forward to the next set of photos! Cheers, James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted December 3, 2010 Author Share Posted December 3, 2010 For those who are not aware, while the BV206 is a very capable over snow machine it also swims. As a direct result of this the hull of the car has no access panels underneath to get at the transmission or the oil pan. Servicing is awkward. Oil for the engine is drained by using an engine dipstick tube siphon. Any servicing to the tranny is a pack out job. This is the bay in which the power pack sits, seen once the pack was removed. R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted December 3, 2010 Author Share Posted December 3, 2010 Our machine has led an interesting life, having originally been powered by the petrol V6 and repowered to the D6 or 6 cylinder diesel standard later in its life by Hagglunds. This tag documents that conversion. R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted December 3, 2010 Author Share Posted December 3, 2010 So this was the start position, two doors off and the brush bar off and unseen is the interior fibreglass cover removed that surround the pack. Note the OSB platform we had made one to go down either side of the vehicle, as its a fair height up into the car. They were worth their weight in gold once we really got into things. The lifting beam is in place but the carriage with hand winch is not on so we didnt clonk our heads while working inside. R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted December 3, 2010 Author Share Posted December 3, 2010 These two show just how tight the pack lies inside, partial parts removal is already underway. R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted December 3, 2010 Author Share Posted December 3, 2010 Here is the carriage with the winch attached and on the end of the wire cable is the frame that clips onto the pack to lift it out. The winch is able to raise or lower anwhere along its travel on the track. Notice the black handle at the left end of the carriage, this is a lock that stops the carriage sliding in the track and holds it steady. The other picture shows Doug tensioning the winch prior to undoing the last pack mounts R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted December 3, 2010 Author Share Posted December 3, 2010 (edited) So, mounts undone the pack gets airborne and comes to a stop when we find it fouls one of the seat backrests on its way out. There is no deviation apart from muscle power as to how the load hangs from the carriage, as the ends of the beam are fastened to the roof of the car. R Edited December 3, 2010 by robin craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted December 3, 2010 Author Share Posted December 3, 2010 (edited) After a brief Homer moment and a group DOH! we realised that the carriage had been put into the beam the wrong way around and we hadd to pull the stop bolt out of the beam and allow one st of rollers past and then put the bolt back in as there was no way we could lower the pack if we could not get it all the way out. Once outside the car and still in the air the access panel was removed under the engine and the toque converter bolts were removed. The alternator belt was used to turn the engine as there is gear reduction doing it that way rather than off the crank. Once the bolts were out the pack was lowered to split the tranny and engine. The tranny has been delivered to the repair shop and they hope to get back to us with repair estimate next week. R Edited December 3, 2010 by robin craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polecat paul Posted December 3, 2010 Share Posted December 3, 2010 After a brief Homer moment and a group DOH! we realised that the carriage had been put into the beam the wrong way around and we hadd to pull the stop bolt out of the beam and allow one st of rollers past and then put the bolt back in as there was no way we could lower the pack if we could not get it all the way out. Once outside the car and still in the air the access panel was removed under the engine and the toque converter bolts were removed. The alternator belt was used to turn the engine as there is gear reduction doing it that way rather than off the crank. Once the bolts were out the pack was lowered to split the tranny and engine. The tranny has been delivered to the repair shop and they hope to get back to us with repair estimate next week. R I nteresting how you keep calling her a car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted December 3, 2010 Author Share Posted December 3, 2010 The vehicle is made up of a front and a rear car linked together, thats why I use that terminology, its how the vehicle is described in the manual. R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted December 3, 2010 Share Posted December 3, 2010 What is the engine / gearbox make i.e. is it something specific or is it used in various other vehicles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted December 3, 2010 Author Share Posted December 3, 2010 Engine is 6 cyl turbo charged diesel made by Mercedes, the gearbox is 3F 1R mercedes automatic. interestingly in this application there is no park in the tranny. Im not sure what else they have used this in. It is a way superior fitment compared to the V6 petrol engine version. Having had ours and a V6 side by side working in the same terrain ours walked all over the petrol version. Just loads of toque to slog through deep snow. R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted December 3, 2010 Author Share Posted December 3, 2010 (edited) So, while the pack is out we have decided to do a bit of prudent maintenance on the engine. We have selected the water pump and the thermostat as the two items that should really be changed as they are of unknown status. Also they are awkward to do in situ. We will obviously do oil filter and oil and coolant anyway. I rang the local Mercedes dealership and talked to the parts guy and said I was after the water pump and thermostat and quoted the serial number and model only to be given the old " what vehicle is it in sir routine. I had to tell him that he wouldnt know it anway! Anyway he called back in ten minutes to say both items in stock for a total of $280. There are few minor items that are to be sorted at the same time, a couple of broken brackets and a ground terminal and a couple of broken bolts. R Edited December 3, 2010 by robin craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 Engine is 6 cyl turbo charged diesel made by Mercedes, R I wonder if similar to pinz 6 cyl as if so a lot of Volvo parts will fit. The merc engines in Pinz are built by VW are were used in Volvo, VW, Audi and Merc's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted December 4, 2010 Author Share Posted December 4, 2010 Hmmm, thanks for the info Mike, I have no clue as to who made it apart from a tag on it with Mercedes name on it. R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 yeah parts are cheaper if you say Volvo....... I'll see if I can recognise anything on the engine but I would think it would have to be as merc dont have many inline 6's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 I'll see if I can recognise anything on the engine but I would think it would have to be as merc dont have many inline 6's Mike, It is the Merc OM603 engine, similar to those fitted in some Merc cars from mid 80's to late 90's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted December 5, 2010 Author Share Posted December 5, 2010 Richard is right, checked the tag today "603A" R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 Mike, It is the Merc OM603 engine, similar to those fitted in some Merc cars from mid 80's to late 90's. I got sent a guide for one of them 'somewhere' will have to dig around when I get home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 Yesterday we hauled the BV back from our storage building to the main workshop. The auto gearbox came back from rebuild a few weeks ago but the shop has been tied up with some other projects. We recently received a straight tow bar which has been invaluable in shunting powerless kit around. Here is the BV being hauled backwards by the New Holland TS 90 tractor with pintle hitch. We shunted it into the shop last night to warm up. We will be putting this back together tonight. Sorry about the picture quality R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted January 21, 2011 Author Share Posted January 21, 2011 So, yesterday we put the power pack back in after the transmission (tranny) had been rebuilt before Christmas by a very good local repair shop called Kingston Transmission run by a very capable couple Tommy and his wife Darla. It should be borne in mind that Mercedes Benz guards their propietary information very fiercely and that a change in spring ratings and ball positions in a tranny can make it operate totally differently. While the tranny is used in many installations its fitment to the BV206 has a few quirks like no PARK feature. So the job has to be done properly. We could have sent the tranny to the Mercedes Rebuild centre located near Toronto a few hours drive away. Somehow I wanted to have closer tabs on what was done and a company that would stand behind the work that was done. A phone call with Mecedes just somehow didnt give me a warm fuzzy feeling. Our trusted mechanic Gerry Foster who assists us when we get in over our heads uses Tommy and spoke highly of him. They offered a 3 year or 60,000 kilometre warranty on any application which exceded what Mercede offers. We elected to do a few minor ugrades on the engine, which were to replace the thermostat and water pump, items which are difficult to access once the engine is in place. There were no other engine issues so we left the rest of it alone. The tranny was an unknown quantity to us when we bought the machine over 5 years ago. We have run the machine for 5 seasons up until last year's outings when problems in shifting started to manifest themselves. There was no telling how long it had been since a last overhaul. For those unfamiliar with the BV206 might say, well just pull the pan and service the filter and away you go. Well, as the BV is amphibious there is NO acess to the underside of the engine to get at anything so that is not possible. One can not even split the engine and tranny because of this. The thermostat is easy but the water pump is awkward as one of the bottom bolts is nigh on impossible to get at. Some ingenuity is required to get at it. Both items were sourced from a local Mercedes dealer by quoting the engine series and serial number. Not very exciting but it shows the work, we used medium strength thread locker on the water pump pulley bolts just as a precautionary measure. R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted January 21, 2011 Author Share Posted January 21, 2011 We had some tidying up to do prior to the install. The right side bracket that supports the tranny cooler which is a green cylinder mounted under the engine has alway been broken, we have had a piece of foam under it to support it against the hull until now as it was not accesible. I welded the strap up and re established the hole and added a reinforcement rib on either side for good measure. As the piece was plated and the plating burnt off in the welding I painted it to be neat. There was also a broken bracket that forms part of the shifter linkage mechanism, two spot welds had broken, so a repair weld and paint again solved that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted January 21, 2011 Author Share Posted January 21, 2011 So, just like the manual says, installation is the reverse of removal, and that was pretty much it as you can see. Thank goodness for the Hagglunds lifting frame assembly. And lastly the tool Rodeo after the job is done! The third picture shows the right side of the engine and the green cooler suspended on its repaired bracket. The vehicle has been driven and all seems fine so we will put the interior bak to together and do the greasing and oil and filters needed. R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TooTallMike Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 Thank you for a very interesting and informative thread. It's always interesting to see the inner workings of the more unusual vehicles. Pleased to hear the work was successful. Rgds - Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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