I’m wondering if there is a small exhaust leak. I’ve had hissing sounds on gassers with marginal exhaust systems. I’ve never experienced one on my Mercedes so I don’t know if it is comparable. Good luck on your adventure. I purchased my wagon in a similar manner. Fly out – drive 600 miles home in an unknown vehicle. Makes for some excitement.

Ginny, Just a few more thoughts. If you power brake the car (trans in drive, foot on brake, and slowly floor it) does the noise get louder? Also, have your daughter rev the engine up while in park while you check the exhaust flow out the rear...could be a restricted exhaust if you're not getting a strong flow out of the mufler when engine revs.

more info.
nothing looks amiss under the car. yuck though.

after driving it around the block and hearing the sound again, it's more up that at the feet. I had angel rev really high and I think it's coming from the round canister on the drivers side near the firewall.
I'm getting pics to load.
Don't know what that is.

Also on the passengers side I found a line with a round connection but it's not connected to anything. pics of that coming too.

go here:
http://imagesinthewind.homestead.com/badsounds.html

pics of the cansiter and bolt

Sounds like you're describing brake booster. You've also mentioned having bad brakes. I assumed you meant grinding or similar, but if you have no help from the brake booster maybe you meant you have to smash down on the pedal real hard?


**edit**
Well, based on your post above, that is your oil filter housing. Also explains why you are having an oil mess all under the car. :eek: If oil was changed prior to your pickup, maybe the sealing o-ring is not put on correctly causing your massive leak. I don't know why there would be a noise.
You need to remove cover and check the sealing o-ring. The bolts on top are 13mm.
Check that oil level!!:eek:

I think your noise is the open manifold connection to the banjo bolt for the alda, which is the line you are holding up.

real hard but I don't smash. I just watch traffic well and then I press gradually hard until I stop.
But they aren't good at all the brakes. Would lock up easy if I had to stop fast.
they don't grind per say but they feel like they would, kwim?

would the brake booster make a rythmic beat with the speed of the car?

BINGO. That's the banjo bolt that reads the intake manifold pressure and controls the ALDA. I think it's possible you're hearing the intake manifold pressure leak out of the hole where that banjo bolt should be installed on the back of the intake manifold.
It's not a big worry but it does mean that for all intents and purposes the turbo is not providing much boost.

That explanation doesn't account for the rhythmic sound though.

Checked the level this morning and none to be found. Added a whole gallon!!
He 'didn't get a chance' to have the oil changed. He just topped it up.

I have no tools but maybe they have some here at the hotel.
What am I looking for.
And is the banjo bolt something I need to take care of now or when I get home?

Is your hissing sound coming from the gray cannister (oil filter housing) or the smaller green vacuum check valve next to the text on your picture?

That line you were holding in that last picture is the BOOST LINE that goes from the intake manifold to the ALDA. The hissing you are hearing is probably air whistling out of the opening in the intake manifold when the turbo rev's up. I would bet 100% thats where the "swooshing" sound is coming from....a lot of air will whistle out of that hole when the engine is under load, the turbo is building a strong air charge and that hole lets it escape. The oil leak is probably a bad seal on the filter canister....

the "what is this? where dose this go"? is the boost for the turbo. There should be a banjo bolt holding that to the back of the intake manifold- maybe its missing or broke off. That could explain the noise. Don't know where you would get a bolt like that where you are now. You can do without it for now ( not safety related), but you won't be getting any turbo power.

The first picture is the oil filter housing, if the part you're talking about is the one with the writing superimposed on it. The second one is the "banjo" fitting for the turbo boost signal to the ALDA. It bolts to the rear of the intake manifold. If you take your finger and feel around the rear of the intake manifold between it and the firewall you'll feel a hole where it bolts in. I'll bet the bolt is gone. Not to worry, you can drive without it, you just won't have any torbo boost. That would explain the Shhhhhhh sound, under boost the manifold is pressurized by the turbo. You're hearing the air leaking out the hole.

If I am not mistaken, that canister is the oil filter housing......should not be making any kind of noise. Good luck

The green fitting you are showing and attributing the hissing noise to is a check valve in the vacuum system. They have plastic bodies and crack with age, then leak. Hissing is a reasonable noise to expect when they leak. The cyclic nature of the noise may be the stroke rate of the vacuum pump at speed.

In your case if the problem is vacuum, you will see more vacuum related functions fail. Brakes are run on vacuum, as is the transmission and the climate control system. Brakes are a real safety issue, so I would wrap the offending green device with electrical tape to try to seal it. I have done this on an old 240D steel vacuum line from the pump to that big, thick line going to the brake booster and it solved my vacuum leakage problem for years.

Your problem may also be the rubber connector in the area, and if that is the case either buy new fittings or wrap them too. In the end, Ford makes a vacuum check valve that is much larger, but has the same size end connections and does the trick at about ten percent of the MB part cost. These should be available at NAPA or Autozone or PepBoys. I switched all mine to Ford parts on my 1975 240D.

Jim

A gallon is a lot of oil to lose.

Is it leaking somewhere badly or are you brning that much?

Would that hole make a rythimic sound as I get up to speed?

WARNING! DANGER!!
You have GOT to get that oring situation squared away on your oil filter housing if that is where the leak is. Actually it doesn't look like enough mess for that to be leaking, but you have GOT to find your oil leak. You can't be driving around a gallon low!! I sure hope massive oil consumption/leaking wasn't the reason for the seller dumping this car.
Oh dear......

Jim, it's the oil filter canister, sorry, not the green thing.

It's burning oil (grey ish smoke) but it's also dripping fast enough that you can watch it if you look under the car.

Should I go get an oil change? Could they fix the leak and do the O-ring?

Pretty unanimous-

That green thing? GET RID OF IT. Just plug the line directly where it goes and bypass it for now. Get another one later if you want ( or get rid of that vacuum mess on your valve cover entirely).

I think you are OK- be careful with the brakes and drive.

This is far better than any reality TV show:P

I second that, there's got to be a place its obviously leaking from. How do the oil cooler lines look??? They could be leaking badly.....or the turbo return tube......or the pan gasket.....I'd check all over, with it both off and running. See if you can find any dripping when its running.... :eek:

DAMN
that got my attention!

If the second picture shows a loose boost pressure line, you will have some issues as altitude increases on your way to Denver with maintaining power. Another item you should be able to either find at the local MB dealership or cannibalize from a parts car in a lot selling older MBs, or a junk yard. I have never heard of one of these falling off, so a junk yard car likely has the original one still installed.

Your car may need engine mounts. I have had cyclic hissing noises associated with loose connections on the exhaust manifold caused by failed engine mounts.

Jim

Somebody has to figure out exactly where the oil dripping is coming from. If drain bolt or filter cannister that can be dealt with. Even if coming from valve cover. Look at oil cooler lines also. Bad engine mounts cause engine to drop, can cause problems with these lines. If front or rear seal, well, let's just hope not.....:(

If you have a bad leak from the top of the oil canister, go to any auto parts place and buy a new oil filter. Remove the two 13mm bolts. Use the new o-ring that comes with the oil filter on the canister.

You just did an oil change.....you need to find your leak and determine if it's from the housing or O-ring first. As Jimmy said, it's 13mm bolts....it might simply be loose.

I love the 15 helpful, similar response within seconds.....you've truly got this forum behind you! This place is great.....but heed the advice, a gallon of oil is horrific - do not drive.

The engine shakes pretty well when at idle, will need engine mounts.
I can get the alda bolt from the DHs parts car. Betting they are the same.

the leak isn't coming from the canister.
It's coming from further forward, drivers side, middle of the engine compartment.

Nahhh, I have had it on my SD for two years now... no problems so far.
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q...D/SUC51101.jpg

Yep, y'all are rocking my world!!!!!!

leak- top of engine? Valve cover?

bottom- oil pan

middle- (unlikely) supply to Injection pump

or--- oil cooler lines (uh oh)

there is so much oil under the car (ON the underside of car, not ground) that it's hard to determine where the leak would be. If something drips on a hose, it's travels the hose and drips somewhere else.

...not a "green" thing to say, but just keep dumping oil in it as you drive for now-unless its really horrendous or an oil cooler line

On a positive note, that oil is going to work wonders toward keeping undercarriage rust at bay.:D

A silver lining to every cloud, eh Chad?

That's what was thinking too....but Ginny, how much do you have with you? I can't imagine you brought along much more than a gallon...or at least I wouldn't have.

I'm assuming it was at level when you started? As difficult as it might be.....I'd try to pinpoint the leak and make your decision from there.

Adventures are fun, but common sense needs to prevail. This issue with the oil is not going away by itself, and it is better to have it looked at prior to getting yourself stuck in the middle of nowhere on the way home. You need to have it looked at by a mechanic, and get a handle on where the oil is coming from. With that kind of oil loss you would be lucky to go 100 miles before the engine would be toast.

Back to the ALDA. Will not having the bolt in make a rythmic sound with the speed of the car?
I don't want to drive, even if I'm adding two quarts at each stop if I'm going to break down because it's not really the ALDA making the noise.

I'm in KC and I can get another couple gallons here before I set off.
That's not a problem. I'll do another check but when I was under the car, I was looking and the entire underside is coated. I took paper towels and wiped things off under there. Will try again, tho.
Oil was middle level when I started out, 1200 miles ago.

as for the ALDA noise, I'm not sure anybody has ever really experinced it.

Is anyone willing to go out , remove the 12mm bolt and report back?:P (sorry I've got my VW today)

Seriously, I really think that was your problem, but the oil IS a concern. I didn't see the post about being 1 gallon low. THAT's REALLY BAD. Unless you didn't check it from the get go (then shame on you) . You can ( or may have already ) damage an engine when oil gets that low. You do need to

1) Determine that its NOT a completely failed oil cooler hose and, if its not
2) Determine a rough rate of loss and make sure you stay ahead of the loss. One quart low is no big deal, but more than that is really bad

Here's the bolt and washers you'll need (parts # 62 & 65). You'll need 2 washers (seal ring) and the bolt that is listed right above it (p/n A 617 990 00 63). Remember this is a hollow bolt, so don't overtighten it, or it'll break off! There should be a MB dealer in KC. Hopefully it's one that has the parts in stock or can call around to see who's got them. They might have the oil filter & o ring too. That way you get parts that fit instead of aftermarket mystery parts.

As has been noted, the oil filter housing should be solidly filled with oil. There is no opportunity for a normally operating oil system to make any noise, at all. So, what does your oil pressure gage do when the car starts? After it runs for a while? Adding a gallon of oil is not the end of the world for one of these cars if it had oil pressure before you added the gallon.

The job at hand is finding the oil leak. If it is running out of the top of the canister, there is either no o-ring or a pinched o-ring. Go get a new filter - they come with new o-rings - and replace the filter. I usually do this by removing the two nuts holding the lid down, and then lifting the lid with my hand in a plastic bag, slowly, and pushing the bag down over the filter and cap as I withdraw it. Keeps the mess to a minimum. Take the old filter off, clean the cap thoroughly and pay particular attention to the o-ring sealing surfaces and the o-rings on the stem. These o-rings do not come in the new filter box, and are therefore rarely changed. Check to see if they are more like black plastic than a rubber material that is round in cross section. If that is the case, make sure you put buying new ones on your list of things to do when you get home, and change them next time. Put the new filter in the hole, buy some synthetic grease when you get the filter and lube up the o-ring with this stuff, put the o-ring in the groove, and carefully fit the stem into the filter, and close the cap onto the filter housing. Be careful to ensure it goes on straight and square before putting on the nuts and tightening them down.

If the problem is between the filter housing and the block, the issue is the gasket there. That is a bigger job, and I would see if tightening the fasteners holding the housing to the block stops or at least slows down the leakage rate. After that it could be the hoses. Another tightening exercise if it is at the filter housing, but the hex size is really large, so I used a Crescent wrench. At the other end, it is likely a job for a shop as access is not good.

A hose failure is possible to fix temporarily at a shop with a coupling. Not a reliable long term fix, but it works for the short term.

Good luck, Jim

It was good when I left Orlando, at middle of level dipstick.
At Paducah, I didn't check (my bad) as I was really concerned that
the car wouldn't start due to the very cold.

How much farther do you have to go, Ginny?

Guys, if Ginny can't find a banjo bolt, could she just place a normal bolt in the manifold to stop the swishing sound until she arrives home safely?

Good luck gal!

John

8 hours. About 650 miles or so.

Oil pressure gauge never left 3 while driving and drops to 2 while idling.
Same as in my 300SD.

So, 4 quarts in about 1500 miles or so. Not good, but not real bad either, definitly not a gusher. You'll make it as long as the leak doesn't seem to be getting worse. No doubt the seller cleaned the bottom of the car for you :rolleyes:. The biggest concern is something letting go under pressure and dumping all your oil. Keep your eyes on the oil pressure guage.

that's good news about the oil pressure. Its nice having 8 quarts to play with.

I don't think you are going to find a bolt with that thread easily for the intake. Duct tape it and see if that changes the noise.

How many miles did you go since you last checked the oil? If you can go 100 miles or so before it needs oil you can just keep adding, just don't run out!! Watch the oil pressure gauge constantly. Oil is cheaper than on the road repairs, but a blown engine would not be a fun way to end this trip. That's a call you'd have to make based on how bad the leak/consumption is. If PO filled it with a non diesel spec oil, that would account for the high consumption.