E350 Bluetec W212-Oil leaks

[KellyMK]

I have an e350 bluetec 2010 saloon, small amount of oil appeared a few weeks back (no warning light came on) under the front engine (I am no mechanic) took it to my local garage, thought it was a sump leak, turned out to be crank seal leak so out came the gearbox, new parts/oil fitted. I was advised there was no oil in the V, whatever that means.There is still a small leak (passenger side of the engine?) but i am advised its not from the crank seal, and its location is not visible as the bay is so tight. Suggested removing the starter motor whilst the engine is running to find the source. Appreciate any help/suggestions as my cars been off the road 3 weeks and im a £1k in already. Thanks

 

[KellyMK]

My E350 developed a leak a few weeks back, small amount of oil/115k on clock. Mechanic thought it was a sump issue, then advised it was crank seal requiring gearbox out, that was 2 weeks ago. Seal was replace.but it still leaks bit not from the crank seal. Mechanic says he cant see where its coming from, passenger side of the engine as the started motor is in the way, and it need that out to se where this small leak is coming from, I'm a £1k in and would appreciate any advice/help. Thanks

 

[Gazwould]

More money I'm afraid , the common oil cooler seals issue .

 

[Blobcat]

I have an e350 bluetec 2010 saloon, small amount of oil appeared a few weeks back (no warning light came on) under the front engine (I am no mechanic) took it to my local garage, thought it was a sump leak, turned out to be crank seal leak so out came the gearbox, new parts/oil fitted. I was advised there was no oil in the V, whatever that means.There is still a small leak (passenger side of the engine?) but i am advised its not from the crank seal, and its location is not visible as the bay is so tight. Suggested removing the starter motor whilst the engine is running to find the source. Appreciate any help/suggestions as my cars been off the road 3 weeks and im a £1k in already. Thanks

Hello and welcome

I’ve merged your threads for you as there’s no requirement to post the same question across multiple threads

 

[KellyMK]

Thanks

 

[alexanderfoti]

Yes, most likely to be the oil cooler seals in the V. Usually shwis up at the bottom of the Bell housing and can look like a rear main seal before pulling the box.

 

[KellyMK]

Yes, most likely to be the oil cooler seals in the V. Usually shwis up at the bottom of the Bell housing and can look like a rear main seal before pulling the box.

Thanks

 

[dry run]

Yes, most likely to be the oil cooler seals in the V. Usually shwis up at the bottom of the Bell housing and can look like a rear main seal before pulling the box.

Been there - done that. My wallwt has still not recovered

 

[alexanderfoti]

Been there - done that. My wallwt has still not recovered

On the plus side, your driveway/street is probably less treacherous for motorcyclists

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Yep, oil cooler seals on the OM642 might as well be on the service schedule at 100k miles, mines 75k so will no doubt need doing soon

 

[KellyMK]

thanks

 

[Mr Greedy]

Yep, oil cooler seals on the OM642 might as well be on the service schedule at 100k miles, mines 75k so will no doubt need doing soon

I think they should be at 75k to catch many, and 60k to catch most unfortunately. My late 2011 has just had them done at 86k miles

 

[JBell]

Yep, oil cooler seals on the OM642 might as well be on the service schedule at 100k miles, mines 75k so will no doubt need doing soon

Mine went at 60k, it's more an age thing than mileage

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

I think they should be at 75k to catch many, and 60k to catch most unfortunately. My late 2011 has just had them done at 86k miles

Which garage did you use to have replaced?

 

[Mr Greedy]

MB Automotive in Loughborough.
They seem to have done a good job. Price is very competitive. I paid a bit under £900, but I had some replacement intake manifolds fitted (so a load of extra gaskets to replace compared with a basic oil cooler seals replacement) and I opted for a new Merc oil cooler on the basis that if it fails again for any reason in the next 2 years, Merc will rectify FoC with their parts warranty.

I also supplied a 34k miles swirl flap motor to fit at the same time.

They did a health check whilst there, and have identified that the top coolant hose has a slight leak nearest the radiator when at maximum test pressure, so that's useful to know and I'll change it soon when I do some other work.

I've used them in the past for service and MOT and both had any complaints.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Thanks for this it’s good to know for reference as I live just South of Leicester.

It’s not an easy job with so many parts to dismantle so good to have confidence in those doing the job. Good idea regarding the oil cooler replacement, was there a reason for replacing the flap motor?

 

[Mr Greedy]

The main reason the swirl flap motor fails is either blocked swirl flaps in the inlet manifold due to gunk allowed into the system from EGR which overloads the motor, or oil dripping on to the swirl flap motor and eventually frying it.

The replacement manifolds were to ensure that clean swirl flaps were present.
I source the replacement swirl flap motor at a good price, so whilst it was all apart, it made sense to fit it. To fit a new swirl flap motor in isolation is about £700 due to labour

https://www.autodoc.co.uk/pierburg/964692

The reason oil drips on to the swirl flap motor is a combination of a potentially deteriorated PCV valve (e.g. part No. A6420102491, just over £100) or/and deteriorated turbo inlet seat

Turbo Inlet Seal Fits For Mercedes Om642 W164 W211 W251 W221 E320 350 6420940480 | eBay

Suitable For Selected OM642 Engines. 1x Turbo Inlet Seal ( as shown in the picture）. Fits Following Vehicles 1-Firstly, To confirm that this part fits your vehicle, enter your vehicle's Year, Make, Model, Trim and Engine in the Compatibility Table. ).

www.ebay.co.uk

I think the turbo inlet seal should be changed almost annually to make sure it keeps a good seal. It's only £10.

I've just put that PCV and a new turbo inlet seal on my car. Easy jobs.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

The OM642 is IMO a very good engine looks like you’ve future proofed it for a good few years, the main downside is the inaccessibility of the oil cooler and swirl flap motor in the hot vee - you’ve certainly given me food for thought when mine wants doing I’ll look into the preventative maintenance you’ve highlighted.

I had started looking at the S213 E43 as a replacement in the next couple of years as I’d like to move over to petrol but I’m not convinced they are such a reliable alternative - time will tell

 

[Mr Greedy]

I'd say look at the turbo inlet seal as soon as you can. It's easy to remove the batwing to have a look at it. Order in a new seal anyway to keep on the shelf if it looks like a new seal. But chances are it won't be.

I would have liked to have done the cooler seals myself, but I'm so pushed for time. Work is really busy and I have a mountain of DIY jobs for the house. I can't realistically see myself having time for something like the cooler seals for 12 months or more, so I needed to pay for it.

 

[Smok]

Been there - done that. My wallwt has still not recovered

Enjoying the same on mine - unfortunately, the gearbox was removed before the source of the leak was correctly identified... Needed the car for a skiing holiday - this bill is more expensive than four of us for a week...