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  #31  
Old 11-13-2015, 12:28 AM
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Good you aren't jumping to the conclusion "head gasket leak". When I had a bad head gasket leak in a gas engine, I lost coolant and got a "brown mousse" of foamy oil at the top of the radiator. I kept driving it that way thru an Atlanta summer. It didn't overheat on the 21 mi drive to work (mostly highway) but did in the afternoon right as I got home. Kept refilling w/ straight water. I would think a diesel would be even more likely to force oil into the coolant.

If you aren't losing coolant, it certainly isn't a head gasket issue. Even if you are losing it, it could be from the heater core, where it drains onto the top of the tranny and then might blow onto the exhaust making white fog.

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  #32  
Old 11-13-2015, 07:37 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawk8789 View Post
Well I had my wife start and idle the car for about ten minutes with the clutch pedal depressed. No smoke. After she let off the pedal, it started smoking and worsened until we shut it off. The upper hose never pressurized and the temp never went up to the 60 mark. I'm sincerely hoping I have the worlds worst clutch.
Fortunately a clutch job on a 240 is a pleasure apart from the fact you will be getting covered in oil and doing a lot more work with the oil pan to do the rear main

Post some pics of the car and the clutch job!
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  #33  
Old 11-13-2015, 08:43 AM
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White smoke from the exhaust and low power could both point to very poor injection timing or an EGR valve failed in the wide open position. However, smoke that comes and goes with clutch pedal activation doesn't fit either of those explanations.

I'd say overhaul the clutch and fix that rear main seal leak first, using only genuine MB parts, and then re-evaluate. Great time to replace the flex discs in the drive shaft, and also look at the carrier bearing and its rubber mount. Be careful to keep the two halves of the drive shaft in their correct (balanced) clock-timing orientation. Ask here if you don't know what that means...
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  #34  
Old 11-13-2015, 10:29 AM
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The rear main seal can only be replaced by removing the upper pan, and lowering the crank. However, I doubt the upper pan can be removed with the engine in the car. The best way is to remove the engine and put it on an engine stand.
Rear Crankshaft Rope Seal Replacement Without Removing Crank
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  #35  
Old 11-13-2015, 01:56 PM
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Before jumping to the conclusion, to pull and replace the clutch....Removing the engine and replace the rear main seal....PLEASE!!!!! Have the car inspected.....

The oil leak, could even be coming from the valve cover gasket or oil filter housing gasket......

The clutch issue could also be a failing master/slave cylinder....

The smoke could be a head gasket, fuel issue, egr issue etc....

Don't jump in and just start disassembling the engine, and blindly replacing parts....Before you know the extinct of the problem...

As was said, I believe you have a host of issues with the car....Not one repair will fix them all....Car needs an in person diagnosis....
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  #36  
Old 11-13-2015, 02:09 PM
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I agree. The cylinders are all new. The fuel injectors are rebuilt with no leaks. New filters and tank screen. I have a leaking pan gasket and rms, but no leaks at valve cover or filter housing. I'm pretty happy with all the time and money invested so far.

I know the clutch is bad, but I was hoping to get a couple more years out of this engine. For me, it's worth the money to fix it, but I'm not spending a dime until I have the answer. I could go broke fixing the wrong things.

I am concerned with the fuel timing. 5 degrees of stretch and the fuel pump has never been adjusted!
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  #37  
Old 11-14-2015, 01:20 PM
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I cracked the injector lines and #3 didn't change the idle. I swapped #1 and #3 and the issue did not follow the injector. I'm guessing cylinder 3 is the culprit as fuel does flow from the pump.
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  #38  
Old 11-17-2015, 02:46 PM
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The local shop that works on these old diesels said its just under $200 to perform a leak down test. The more I've been reading and thinking, the more I'm inclined to believe my valve seals are bad. I found a seal set with the tool to press them in for $50 so I'm leaning towards that option first. Worst case scenario is a new engine and clutch for $5500. I would love to still have this car in 30 years...
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  #39  
Old 11-17-2015, 03:30 PM
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You have adjusted the valve clearances in your long period of ownership? Mercedes indicates they should be at least checked every 15 thousand miles. In extreme circumstances it could disable the third cylinder at hot idle. This is a regular periodic service item.

Actually it sounds like you have a lot of getting your hands dirty work ahead one way or another. If the car has excessive miles overall on it you might consider getting good a used motor and and changing it out. You may need a hand getting a good used one though with your experience level. The motor has to be removed anyways for the rear seal.

You have a lot bigger issues than valve seals currently so I would not do them. The two hundred dollar leak down test has a nice ring to it. Although if it is not a valve clearance issue. A little air injected into the third cylinder may indicate where the excessive leakage is for less money doing it yourself.

Last edited by barry12345; 11-17-2015 at 04:02 PM.
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  #40  
Old 11-17-2015, 04:06 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawk8789 View Post
Well I had my wife start and idle the car for about ten minutes with the clutch pedal depressed. No smoke. After she let off the pedal, it started smoking and worsened until we shut it off. The upper hose never pressurized and the temp never went up to the 60 mark. I'm sincerely hoping I have the worlds worst clutch.
The smoke was just the burning slipping clutch. Or the engine would have quit. Or the car moved ahead. I do assume you had it in gear for this test. You are probably better of to go buy another car if you see paid for service in this situation.

So far your list is probably bad clutch, Rear main seal, and maybe the third cylinder issue if not a simple valve adjustment Plus a low oil pressure issue. So much depends on the total accumulated milage. What has been kept up over your years of ownership and the general current condition of everything else.

On the other hand if you are willing to get your hands dirty it could all be done one way or another perhaps for les than 500.00. This might include a good used engine if you know how to find one or a friend does.

Last edited by barry12345; 11-17-2015 at 04:27 PM.
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  #41  
Old 11-21-2015, 08:38 PM
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I just finished replacing the valve seals. There was absolutely zero lateral play in the valves and I only busted three knuckles getting the old seals out. I did notice the locking screw was iffy on the intake valve for cylinder 3 so I replaced that while I was in there.

She started easy as usual with no smoke at idle this time, and almost no smoke in under the valve cover, which is a first for me. Revving the engine produced as much smoke as it had at idle before replacing the seals.

Given how the valve guides had no play, I'm thinking a leak down test would be pointless. Wouldn't the cylinder problem have to be a piston?

Also, at one point I had a lot of slack in the timing chain on the fuel pump side. It's not there when the cam shaft is in certain positions and I have no idea if that's normal. It sure doesn't seem right to me.
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  #42  
Old 11-21-2015, 10:01 PM
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I forgot to add that I am now doubting the smoke was coming from the clutch. Also, when I ordered the slave cylinder about 5 or 6 years ago, I order based on engine number. I have no idea what year car this transmission came from so I suppose I could have gotten the wrong part. The clutch has never felt right since I changed out the slave.
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  #43  
Old 11-21-2015, 11:43 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawk8789 View Post
I forgot to add that I am now doubting the smoke was coming from the clutch. Also, when I ordered the slave cylinder about 5 or 6 years ago, I order based on engine number. I have no idea what year car this transmission came from so I suppose I could have gotten the wrong part. The clutch has never felt right since I changed out the slave.
The clutch slave and master cylinder should be changed as a pair......There is a LOT of gunk that gets stuck in the master and ports get blocked....allowing the slave to not retract as it should or not extend...I have a post on my site below with photos as proof...
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  #44  
Old 11-22-2015, 12:29 AM
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They've both been replaced and I had the whole system flushed twice less than a year ago. I flushed it and, not feeling right, I then had a Mercedes shop do it.

The pedal has about a 1/2 inch of nothing, then a 1/2 inch where it engages the clutch, then the rest of the travel is nothing.
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  #45  
Old 11-22-2015, 01:08 AM
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That sounds normal to me....

I know when the clutch wears, there is a bit more travel before the clutch reacts. Found that out when I drove a 240 with a new clutch. Kept stalling it, as I was use to my worn clutch....I press the clutch, it actives and then I continue to press it to the floor, move the shifter into gear....let off the clutch...

I use my clutch as a brake, so I am use to the travel it needs to fully engage....

I've never driven a cable controlled clutch but I know a lot of other vehicles use a cable and thus people aren't use to a hydraulic clutch...

Also if your not aware there are a bunch of bushings, in the linkage and shifter that do go bad and will cause shifting issues....

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