TeraStation Pro TS-HTGL/R5 Hard Drive replacement / upgrade

These are the steps I followed to replace the hard drives and upgrade the capacity on a TeraStation Pro TS-HTGL/R5. 

Note that I was completely replacing the drives for greater capacity, and deleted all the data from the array.  This scenario is for a TeraStation with 4 drives that are configured as RAID 5.  I used Western Digital Red drives with a capacity of 2.0TB and it worked fine.  I believe you can use even higher capacity (3+ TB) if you use Western Digital Red drives, but I have not confirmed this.  Please leave comments if you have any experience with larger drives in this unit.

First, I used Robocopy to archive the data from the TeraStation to a temporary backup location.  The options I used were "robocopy L:\Share D:\backup /E /B /R:2 /W:5"  Note that this will skip open files, so you need to make sure that no files are open on the TeraStation before doing this.  You MUST back up your data first when following this procedure or you will lose it all!

I updated the firmware by downloading the current firmware from the Buffalo web site.  Note that I had to update to version 1.33-1.32 first, then to the current firmware, 1.35-1.39.

After the files were backed up and the firmware was updated, I performed the following steps:

1. Shut down the TeraStation from the web interface.
2. Remove the 2nd - 4th drives.  You must leave the 1st drive in place for now in order to boot the TeraStation.
3. Turn the TeraStation back on and connect to the web interface.
4. Click on "Disk Management", then "Raid Setup" and click on any arrays that are defined.  Click "Delete Raid Array", and confirm it.
5. Click on "Disk Management", then "Disk Format".  Format the newly installed drives.  This will place the system files on the new drives, allowing it to boot when the 1st drive is replaced.
6. Shut down the TeraStation from the web interface.
7. Replace the 1st drive with the new one.
8. Turn the TeraStation back on.
9. Format the first drive using the same method for the previous drives.
10. Click "Disk Management", then "Raid Setup", then the icon for Raid Array 1.  Click the button to create a Raid 5 array.
11. Go to Shared Folders and re-create your shares.  It might take a while before it allows you to do this while it is initialized the new array.

After that, you can copy your files back using the reverse of the robocopy command, "robocopy D:\backup L:\Share /E /B /XC /XN /R:2 /W:5".  The XC and XN options prevent it from overwriting files that you might change on the TeraStation while it is still copying files (if you have to stop and restart robocopy for some reason).

The TeraStation will be slow for some time while it checks the array, this could take a few days if you are copying files and using it at the same time.

Mercedes E350 Air Conditioning compressor replacement

This is for a 2008 Mercedes E350. 
When I started driving the car one day, I had the A/C on full, but there was hot air coming out of the vents.  No other indications or flashing lights indicating trouble.  I looked under the hood at the A/C compressor and noticed that the plate that attaches the pulley to the compressor shaft was completely shredded.  This is by design, if the compressor freezes the plate shears and the pulley is able to continue to rotate without causing damage to any other components.

I found a compressor on Amazon that cost $392 including shipping.  If I had done some additional research, I would have found a shop in downtown LA that rebuilds them for $200.  I haven't used them yet, but if I have this problem again I intend to take it to them.  This is their info, and I believe they do most A/C compressors:

Power Cylinder Exchange

(1)

OPEN NOW

Today8:00 am - 5:00 pm

8634 S Main St,

 

Los Angeles, CA 90003

(323) 750-8111

Before doing this, you should take the car to a shop and have the A/C system evacuated (remove all the R134 from the system).  Keep reading for more info on why this is a bit of a problem...

The A/C compressor is located on the lower left side of the engine (right side when facing the car).

 

First I removed the serpentine belt - just put a 17 mm socket with a breaker bar on the tensioner and rotate it counter-clockwise to release the belt.  There is also a hole in the tensioner that you can place a finishing nail in to hold it.  I just hold the tensioner in place and slip the belt off one of the pulleys and let it go back into position.  I also removed the cowlings on the bottom of the car.

The bolts are somewhat difficult to reach, I had to use a socket with a universal on it to get to 2 of them.  The other one is blocked by the stabilizer bar.  I removed the bolts attaching the stabilizer bar to the links and was able to rotate it enough to get at the bolt.  The fittings that connect the hoses to the compressor and the electrical connector were much easier to get to with the compressor detached from the car.  I removed the compressor by moving it forward where the belt had been.

There is a plate on top of the compressor held by two bolts.  Remove that plate and turn it upside down over a container.  That is the amount of A/C system oil you want to add into the system when you charge it.  The 2008 E350 uses PAG-46.  It should be about 120cc, + 10cc for a new compressor + 10cc for the receiver/dryer, for a total of 140cc of oil.

I also replaced the receiver-drier as part of this procedure, as that should be replaced any time the A/C system is opened up.  The receiver-drier is located below the condenser in front of the radiator.  The retaining bolt that holds the lines in the receiver-drier on mine was frozen so badly that it twisted the torx head bit and I had to use a vice grip to break it loose.

I replaced the compressor and attached the lines and electrical connector before re-attaching the compressor to the vehicle.  I then bolted the compressor back into position and then re-attached the stabilizer bar links.  Next I replaced the serpentine belt.  I didn't put the lower cowlings back until I had completed everything, just in case.

For the next steps I used an A/C R134a manifold gauge set and air vacuum pump from Harbor Freight.  I used the air vacuum pump that uses a compressor and venturi effect to create the vacuum and it actually worked much better than I expected.  Also, it was CHEAP.  I connected the vacuum to the hose on the manifold gauge set and applied vacuum for 15 minutes.  I then closed the valves and let it sit for another 15 minutes to ensure that the vacuum stayed the same and there were no leaks.  Next I added the oil to the hose on the manifold that attaches to the R134a can (just carefully poured it in there prior to connecting the R134a can.  Note that you have to loosen the connection to the manifold gauge set to allow it to flow into the hose).  Add as much refrigerant as it will take prior to turning the system on.  You can add more by turning the can upside down to get the liquid into the system, but if you do that, you must let it equalize for at least 15 minutes prior to turning it on. 

1. Tighten the hose to the manifold set that was loosened to add the oil, then attach the refrigerant can and turn the can upside down. 
2. Open the valves on the manifold gauge set to add the refrigerant.  After no more refrigerant will got into the system, close the valves and wait 15 minutes. 
3. Turn the can right side up, open the valves on the manifold gauge set, and start the car.  Turn on the A/C.
4. If the compressor comes on and refrigerant is flowing, keep adding until the correct amount has been added (see below).
5. If the compressor does not come on, you will need to take the car to a shop and have the A/C system reset as mentioned below.

I used 2 14 ounce cans of R134a, and a partial can to fill the system.  It called for 33.6 ounces of R134a, so I used 2 full 14 ounce cans and used a postal scale to measure the weight of the partial can.  I put the can on the scale while it was connected to the hose and just checked the weight until it had gone down by 5.6 ounces.

The problem I encountered was that once the system detects low refrigerant level, it shuts down the compressor and will not turn back on until the computer is reset using a STAR compatible system.  There is a setting that needs to be activated by the technician that activates the compressor and will leave it active until the refrigerant level is back to normal.  This costs about $50 at an indie shop with that capability.  I used German Auto Specialists in Santa Clarita - http://www.yelp.com/biz/german-auto-specialists-santa-clarita.  I added as much refrigerant as it would take, then took it to the shop to get the computer reset, then went back and completed the fill.  I think that if you leave the A/C completely off after it has been evacuated, then fill it as much as possible prior to turning the A/C on it might work without resetting it.

Mercedes E350 Transmission problem - stuck in 2nd gear limp mode in C / stuck in 2 gears at the same time in P

I have a 2008 Mercedes E350 with the 7 speed automatic transmission (722.9).
I recently had a problem with my E350 where it started shifting hard between 2nd-3rd gears, then wouldn't move at all because it seemed to be stuck in 2 different gears at the same time.  I found that by setting the transmission to Comfort Mode (C) with the engine at operating temperature, it would go into 2nd gear but would not shift.  When it was in Performance Mode (P) it had 2 gears engaged at the same time and would move if I really stepped on the gas and one of the gears slipped (not good)!  When I got the car going over about 25 MPH in C mode 2nd gear, I could put the selector in neutral and then back to drive, and it appeared to go into 6th gear.

Hmmm...  Sounds like a major transmission problem, right?  I decided that it was most likely something to do with the valve body or the transmission computer, which is built into the valve body.  I drained the transmission fluid and removed the valve body.  The bolts that hold the valve body on are the ones on both ends of the body.  I also disconnected the electrical connector that connects to the valve body.  I then dropped the valve body onto some clean shop clothes that were on my chest as the car was on jack stands and I was directly under it.  I wanted to be very careful not to drop it or to get ANY dirt or contamination on it.

After removing the valve body, I removed the solenoids, and lo and behold, one of them had a broken o-ring, as seen below: 

Pieces of the o-ring had actually gone into the valve body and required me to remove the plates that contain the valves in order to clean the bores and valves.  I took pictures of all the valves and springs as I removed the plates to ensure that I got them back in the right way.

 



The contacts and everything on the conductor plate appeared to be fine, so I cleaned everything very well with brake cleaner (I used brake cleaner to clean the valve body, valves, and bores as well).

Mercedes does not sell the O-rings specific to this application, they will sell you an entire valve body.  I went to Harbor Freight and got a set of metric O-rings which contained about 250 assorted O-rings for $3.00 and replaced all of the O-rings on the solenoids with those.

The total cost was still quite expensive as I replaced the transmission fluid that I had drained and the filter.  I didn't drain the fluid from the torque converter this time as I had done a fluid change recently.  The fact that I had changed the fluid recently leads me to believe that the previous owner had not changed the fluid because this is the kind of thing that happens when you change the fluid in a car that hasn't been serviced for some time.  The total cost was about $135 for everything.  I use Redline D6 full synthetic transmission fluid, not an endorsement, but I have used their fluid with good results in the past in other cars.

I will describe the method I use for changing the transmission fluid in another post.  I hope this helps someone!  It saved me a lot of money over taking it to the dealer and getting stuck with either a new valve body or even a new transmission...