Head Gasket E200

[wuqi25]

Hi all,

Have a problem when i sent my E200 for servicing today, apparently the reason for my engine oil disappearing and needing 1 litre top up weekly (non synthetic) and my radiator water tank needing to refill every 2 days is because of a faulty head gasket. Gunk and slimy brownish stuff forms in the radiator tank and they confirm that its actually engine oil. I just changed my oil from mineral to synthetic today during the car servicing. I will be charged about 200 pounds (600 plus Singapore dollars) to get it fixed. How important is it to get it fixed because i have spent more than 1500 pounds the past few months fixing everything from air con compressor to windows. The guys at the shop assured me that if i am vigilant and refill the water daily, i should not run into much problems but in the long run, i should get it changed as the engine and parts may overheat and be permanently damaged. Thanks

 

[Chazchuzzlewitt]

you should get it fixed as soon as possible- the oil will weaken and block up the engine hoses, as well as damaging components like the heater core. The car could also over heat on you. If it was just a small leak and you were only losing a small amount of oil and water you could probably live with it.

Make sure they clean the cooling system with detergent, that your expansion tank is cleaned out, as well as cleaning/replacing any hoses that look oily.

 

[hocky4711]

E 200 problems

Hi wuqi25, I have 2 Benz C180s at the moment and would like to share some experiences with you if you don't mind. I believe the 2 cars, mine and yours do have things in common besides the body shape and chassis. I am in Melbourne and formerly from SG. Reply whenever you can, thanks.

 

[tom7035]

This isn't a repair to be put off - do it as soon as possible if you want to avoid replacing the engine entirely. Also imperative you have the cylinder head checked for 'flatness' once it is off and, if necessary, skimmed flat. Otherwise the whole job could be a waste of time/money.

Good luck, Tom.

 

[SUE.]

An oil and water mixture will wear the bearings out in a short period of time.
Replace the gasket as soon as possible and have the head skimmed and pressure tested.

Flush all the waterways out and change the oil and filter. :lol:

 

[wuqi25]

Thanks all so much, really appreciate it!!! But the strange thing was the guys at the shop just told me so without really checking. I asked them to flush out my radiator water tank and it was ONLY then they saw brownish gunk in the tank and told me it might be a head gasket. I checked on my water tank today and didn't see anything this time. Should a "91 E200 be using synthetic instead of mineral oil? Heard from friends that old cars head gaskets using mineral oil all the time may leak minutely if suddenly changed to synthetic.

Should i use some of those special engine oils which claims to seal leaking gaskets? The water in my radiator runs low daily and i've not used coolant ever since i bought the car. Just 2 to 3 days and the yellow light comes on but temperature has always been below 80 degrees centigrade. I travel an average of 100km per day and i sometimes do about 110-120 kmph on it. Ambient temperature in SG is about 24-36 degrees.

 

[wuqi25]

Good God!!! I just changed the oil yesterday so if after the gasket change/skimming, does that mean i must spend another $150 for synthetic oil again? I was really hoping not to spend another more because this car has cost me $3000 Singapore dollars just purely on maintenance dollars and i've only been driving it since October!!!

 

[wuqi25]

Hi wuqi25, I have 2 Benz C180s at the moment and would like to share some experiences with you if you don't mind. I believe the 2 cars, mine and yours do have things in common besides the body shape and chassis. I am in Melbourne and formerly from SG. Reply whenever you can, thanks.

Thanks hocky4711, its really tough to keep this car going with all this trouble, was wondering if the problem encountered with the car stalling after going fast over a rough hump has anything to do with the head gasket problem.

 

[Chazchuzzlewitt]

I'd check your radiator tank and oil dipstick everyday before you drive. If you see no crud in the tank or only a few very small drops you might be able to get away with keeping an eye on it, for now at least. If you get a lot of chocolate milk in the tank, plus regular water and oil loss it probably is the head.
You shouldn't be losing 1 litre of oil p/week unless you're doing 1000 miles in that week.

 

[wuqi25]

Ok thanks, i will keep an eye out for it.

Cheers!!!