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  #1  
Old 06-16-2008, 10:29 PM
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Catastrophic oil loss, engine won't fire. Soliciting opinions.

I have a bad feeling I already know what it means, but I'm soliciting opinions from the peanut gallery.

The car: 1984 euro 300TD turbo, 183,000 miles. Ran like a champ (until last Friday evening) with great power and pick up. Blew a little oil smoke on startup, but consumed/leaked less than a half quart per 3000 miles. No serious blow by. I've had it for about a year and a half and 10,000 miles. It has always had a stumble on cold startup, even during warm ambient temps.

The conditions: Heading out after work on Friday evening for a weekend trip to visit some friends. I commute 75 miles per day in the car and I had had it up in the air the night before to rotate the tires and make sure everything looked good (it did). About 5 minutes before "the end" a car in front of me kicked up a piece of truck tire radial and I had no choice but to straddle it and listen to it bounce off the undercarriage. Shortly thereafter, I was cruising at ~ 70 mph and felt a sudden power loss (like when you lift off the accelerator), I hit the accelerator and could feel that the engine was getting more fuel but was still decelerating. A look in the rear view revealed lots of black smoke just before the car died, the engine cut out at ~ 60 miles per hour. I got over and coasted to a stop on the shoulder. When I got out the car was covered in oil (oil change about 2 weeks earlier), and its obvious that it had come from the oil cooler (or the lower hose near the cooler). I watched the coolant temp sensor as I sat on the side of the road cursing and while it got hotter than normal, it never got above 110 C. The engine would turn atfer it died, but only slowly (over heated and siezed?). Now it will turn over at normal speed, and cough a little, but not fire or run.

The hypotheses: (1) The oil cooler/hose was pierced by the road flotsam I ran over and I drove it out of oil and toasted the engine. (2) Something blew internally causing a loss of power and subsequent blockage in the oil passages resulting in the oil cooler to blow out.

Proposed Diagnostics: Compression test. I have a diesel compression tester, but could use some advice on a proper test.

Thoughts, suggestions?


Last edited by Douglas.Sherida; 06-16-2008 at 10:37 PM.
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  #2  
Old 06-16-2008, 10:35 PM
Craig
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It sounds like you are on the right track, I would do the compression test to verify. BTW, if you have comprehensive insurance you may be able to make a claim for damage caused by hitting debris in the road.
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  #3  
Old 06-16-2008, 10:35 PM
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Take a compression test and report back. This needs to be done first.
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Old 06-16-2008, 10:39 PM
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Question, what was the level of oil at the dip stick? At any case, yes you will need to do a compression check. That is too bad.
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Old 06-16-2008, 10:41 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DeliveryValve View Post
Question, what was the level of oil at the dip stick? At any case, yes you will need to do a compression check. That is too bad.
I haven't bother to check, becuase it puked at least 2 quarts between the side of the road and the flatbed tow truck.

I will be draining the pan tomorrow though to see how much is left.
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  #6  
Old 06-16-2008, 11:48 PM
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Quote:
The car: 1984 euro 300TD turbo, 183,000 miles.
I didnt know there were Euro OM617 Turbos....

Regardless, have you been able to isolate the cause of the Oil Hemmorage?
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Last edited by redassag00; 06-16-2008 at 11:58 PM.
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  #7  
Old 06-16-2008, 11:50 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redassag00 View Post
I didnt know there were Euro OM617 Turbos....
Yes. Remember the Euro W123 300TD turbodiesels? A member here had one.

I thought you knew better!

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Old 06-16-2008, 11:54 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by H-townbenzoboy View Post
I thought you knew better!
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  #9  
Old 06-17-2008, 12:18 AM
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It must have lost all its oil pressure. If it was actualy losing power thats pretty bad, most likely the engine is toast.
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Old 06-17-2008, 12:45 AM
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Take off the small oil pan and see if there are bearing/metal fragments in the pan. And you might be able to see some of the cylinder walls on number 1 or 2 cylinders.
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  #11  
Old 06-17-2008, 04:44 AM
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Crank may be toast, cylinder walls may be scored.. may the german mercedes gods have mercy upon your beloved car.
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  #12  
Old 06-17-2008, 10:29 AM
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My sympathies. The fact that the engine slowed down seems to follow a pattern of reports on here where the engines ended up being toast.
This is another reason why Barry's low oil pressure audio alarm would be so useful and why the debate about bypassing oil coolers is not so readily resolved on the side of their unqualified goodness.
I second the suggestion to see if your comprehensive insurance will cover it.
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Last edited by kerry; 06-17-2008 at 10:55 AM.
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  #13  
Old 06-17-2008, 10:36 AM
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Sorry to hear that Douglas, I hope everything works out OK.

Quote:
Originally Posted by kerry View Post
The fact that the engine slowed down seems to follow a pattern of reports on here where the engines ended up being toast.
This is another reason why Barry's low oil pressure audio alarm would be so useful and why the debate about bypassing oil coolers is not so readily resolved on the side of their unqualified goodness.
Since replacing my oil cooler lines, I've been watching my gauge like a hawk. I think I'm going to do the low oil pressure alarm too. It would be nice to be able to relax a bit while cruising.
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  #14  
Old 06-17-2008, 02:48 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redassag00 View Post
I didnt know there were Euro OM617 Turbos....
There most certainly were. I'm a member here and I have (had) one.

And who carries comprehensive insurance on a 25 yr old car worth less than $2000.00 anyway?
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  #15  
Old 06-17-2008, 02:59 PM
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Did the engine still have oil pressure after the impact??? To seize like that so quickly you would need to lose essentially all oil pressure.

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