PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post - 300 TD - Strange oil consumption or Suspension issue

BIGRED · #1 10-07-2003, 11:26 AM

Hello All....

In our wagon (which was to have a rebuilt motor when we bought it) there was / is an engine oil burning / leaking issue or so I thought.

The very first symptom was what seemed to be an oil leak.

The next symptom was blue smoke.

Oil level would drop more than it should.

Suspension fluid level was dropping.

Waiting for both the money and the time to deal with it, I kept an eye on the fluids and looked / pondered the source of the issues.

I found that the suspension pump was leaking onto the block and was creating part of the oil leak problem.

I ran out of suspension fluid and let the sucker run down. I knew at the very least I was going to have to try and rebuild the pump or replace it so I rightly or wrongly just gave up on adding fluid. The only symptom is a bit of a bouncy ride, she is riding level.

My plan of attack was to tackle one item at a time and see the affect it had. (as follows)

1. Rebuild / replace the suspension pump.
2. Fix the oil leak.
3. Rebuild the turbo.
4. Replace the valve seals.
5. Cry and rebuild the engine when it got bad enough.

Without any effort on my part, the oil leak seems to have stopped and the amount of engine oil burning seems to have
dropped a great deal.

Leaving me with the following opinion, to which I invite input.

1. That the suspension pump seals are leaking both externally and internally.
2. That the suspension fluid that was forced into the engine under pressure, mixed with the engine oil.
3. That this mixture is the cause of the oil burning (thinner).

If that is the probably result, now the question is...

Might this have damaged the engine internals?

Thanks for any input