OM642 Turbo Seal - Plastic Tabs Melted?!

[MrGundam]

So after completing the oil cooler seal job I am left with a bit of what I think is exhaust fume smell in the engine bay.

I am starting to look into what it could be, most likely need to either nip up some of the bolts / reseat the catalytic converter. Is there a certain method / order that is best to get the DPF / Cat and turbo to align without any stress on certain bolts etc?

I noticed that the tabs on the cat to turbo gasket have melted!

Was I meant to remove these? I assumed they were heat resistant as they help seat the gasket when installing but surprised they have melted. I not wonder if they are the smell or if they have allowed space for exhaust gas to escape now they have melted.

Any advice much appreciated. Thanks

 

[Uncle Benz]

They melt as soon as you run the car. They are only there to aid assembly. Don’t worry about it. They are probably what you could smell. It’ll pass pretty quickly

 

[Doug1234]

I had a leak on the exhaust connection at the catalytic converter locking ring a few thousand miles after putting mine all back together ( om642 ). It could be smelt sometimes sitting in traffic and most times on a cold start , I ended up just tightening the bolt another third to half turn and that cured it. This was the locking ring that holds the cat to the collector pipe that comes out of back of turbo.
I find it easier to find leaks or at least trace the source area by having engine cold and waiting until it’s nearly dark outside and then start it up and shine a torch around the system , the leaks / smoke show up better in the torch light and the engines running cold / rich so more fumes produced.
Do not discount start of Black Death on injectors though, it is a different smell to exhaust leak but can appear similar but once you have had a couple go bad you can tell the difference .
My engines in a Jeep so refitting the exhaust system to turbo connection involved a scissor jack on a couple of bricks under exhaust down pipe below drivers seat , not sure on a saloon car how hard it would be to get it all set up to do that as its nearly touching floor to start with . I did use a loop of rope around the cat to help hold it up to enable getting locking ring on but even then I really felt like I needed 3 hands to do the job.

 

[Paul bailey]

Hi can any one help, I have w203 320 cdi om 642, just had the oil cooler seals done, so as you know it’s a large job, with many parts to come …….. so since done no leaks, Great, but now I have fumes coming in car, Iv been all over it can’t see any sot or hear any leaks from under bonne, but there is something, going on. No leaks under car so I’m thinking under bonnet and blowing in car….. today I took the 90 of back of turbo and redid all bolts and clamp and no sot marks, I checked all bolts on Y branch manifold and all tight. Can’t see anythin took it to mechanic and we both looked, he can smell it, but just can’t see it, my mechanic has done 4 om 642 oil cooler leaks now, so he knows what he is doing, but this smell is not nice, would be great full for any tips

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Did he replace all gaskets and o rings with new I can send put up a list of the parts used if that helps my E350cdi has just had that job done?
I see you have an earlier engine but it might help.