SL 320 OIL LEAK

[LAMBERT]

So I've just bought a SL320 - '97 car 74000 miles. Checked the previous owners drive for oil patches when I bought it, nothing.
Dove home 160 miles, got home noticed oil leak. This appears to come from the front of the engine on the drivers side (rhd) The oil appears to move along the block then drip down onto the catch tray under the sump and then onto my drive. Very embarrassing.
So what's the answer. The only thing I can say is that there is no emulsification of the oil :?

 

[Andy]

Hi

Its more than like the head gasket leaking. You can try replacing the front cover seal. But you will probably end up replacing the head gasket.


Regards


Andy@ www.mercedesservicing.com

All the above assumes the vehicle is fitted with a straight 6 engine not a V6.

 

[adi_88_99]

chain tensioner?

Pay attention to the chain tensioner situated on the right above alternator, but on these engines very often the headgasket leaks after 100 000km/6years

 

[mjtray]

I have the same M104 engine as you, albeit yours is the 3.2

I had an oil leak from the drivers side front of the engine....directly above the alternator.

Turned out to be the timing cover gasket. This was replaced at a cost of £75 and has not leaked since. This is a common problem on the M104 engines.

 

[LAMBERT]

OIL LEAK

Did you do the work yourself to change the Timing Cover gasket or did a garage do it for you ?
What I really want to know is :- how difficult is it ? and how long will it take ?
Thanks for your response

 

[mjtray]

I got the garage to do it.........apparently from what I have read elsewhere, it can be tricky to get the gasket to seal correctly, so you I thought I would get somebody who has done loads of them to do it for me.

I also had the same gasket fail on my old E280.

Cheers

ps: where are you based?

 

[LAMBERT]

OIL LEAK

My garage have now stripped the front of the engine, and report that the timing cover gasket is leaking, however, there is oil at the very back of the engine, high up on the block.

So I'm probably going to have the head off and get it skimmed by Scholar Engines at Mendlesham in Suffolk, which is ver close to where I am based, and my wife works there !

Thanks for your help.

 

[Arnie]

Don't skim the head before checking it. Very often it's just deterioration of the gasket and loosening/untentioning of the head-bolts. had this problem on an M103 engine, but just a new gasket was all that was needed.

It's iportant to fit new head bolts once, you replace the head.

 

[LAMBERT]

THE OIL LEAK OF ALL DOOM

It has been reported that OPEC have increased production to keep up with my oil leak.
The continuing and worsening situation in Iraq has led to the extreme step of head removal.
It can be seen following this that there is now or has been at sometime a serious 'leak of mass proportion'.
This is serious and as we have always suspected, oil has been seeping away from us.
This situation must be reversed, and as a first step the 'head' which has been causing this instability in the oil retention area is being shipped to a high security machining facility where it will be restrained and then 'decked'.
There will be no appeal proccess.