This was my 93 300E with the M104 engine.

I just loosened the three allen bolts on the clutch to remove the fan blades, but DID NOT remove the clutch. That gave me enough room to slip the belt off as well as ample visibility to discover other components I only heard about in this forum.

Belt tensioner looks intimidating...

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2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car