oil all over engine bay. UHOH - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

ambush276 · #1 08-16-2015, 09:24 PM

So just replaced motor mounts yesterday. Drove it this morning... car is running great. Drove about 25 mi today.. temp below 100C at all times (it was pretty hot today).

As i was driving home i noticed smoke coming up from the engine bay and the smell of burnt rubber. When i got home i noticed the oil pressure was really low like 1-1.5. I opened up the engine bay and oil was splattered all over the bay. Totally splattered! There was very little oil in the back of the engine bay and almost none on the firewall.

So i waited for the car to cool down and started to do an inspection. I did a through inspection of the cam block and i did not find any holes(yea!).

I then started to look at all the hosing and did not find any hoses that seemed to be broken (ok?)

So i then took a step back and tried to figure out how in the world oil could be splashed so hard against the fenders on BOTH sides of the car?

(also remember the smell of burning rubber).

Could this be the valve cover gasket just giving out? i noticed that there was oil dripping around it from all side but the back (but oil was pretty much everywhere). I checked in the radiator and did a mini coolant flush and no oil was in the coolant (no headgasket?). NOt 100% sure where these issues may be coming from.

Note i did replace the motor mounts yesterday and jacked up the the engine about 1-1.5 inches when doing so. I but a block of wood across the oil pan and floor jacked it from there. I noticed the rubber seal around hte oil pan to be really oily too and the rubber somewhat corroded. The only issue is how in the world would a leaky oil pan cause the splattering of oil ALL over the engine bay. (seems to low and does not make sense. Still trying to figure out what it is... but i am hoping it is not too serious.

I noticed a drop in response (lower oil pressure) but the car was still operating fine all the way home (was cruising at 70 mph) and did not feel any sudden loss of power or anything... But just the fact that the oil is all over the engine bay is obviously worrisome (maybe i screwed something up when doing the motor mounts?) Could it have been just such a hot day that the rubber seal around the valve cover just gave out (seems unlikey)? Anyone got any ideas?

Most of the oil i could tell was in the fenders (by the glow plug relay and equivalent on other side of the car. There was oil more on the drivers side than the passengers side (but plenty of oil on both).

Sorry for the run on.. .but i guess what i am asking is...
should there be things i should be looking for (catastrophic failure) and possibly a pic of what that looks like. Nothing seems too horribly wrong. But i am not going to startup the car until i get more oil to put into the engine.

Thanks everyone.

leathermang · #2 08-16-2015, 09:29 PM

If you were still showing at least one bar on your gauge.. you should be ok...
but after any work... a shorter test drive is always a good practice...
just clean it all up...and take short test drives to find the leak... no use trying with it all splattered up....

Graplr · #3 08-16-2015, 09:33 PM

Failed motor mounts can cause the power steering pump belt to cut a hole in the oil cooler lines. I assume you replaced them do to failure or sagging. Check those lines carefully for any damage.

mach4 · #4 08-16-2015, 09:36 PM

You've got to find the source of the leak to know what to fix...obviously. Since you can't see what it is at this point you need to power wash the engine. Spray it down with Gunk or other engine cleaner, let it set for a bit and then hit it with the pressure washer - redo as needed. Once you've got the engine and engine bay cleaned up, add oil and start it up and it should be obvious what the source of the leak is.

Pictures are always nice.

ambush276 · #5 08-16-2015, 09:40 PM

yea its too dirty atm for pics.. I will have to have it power washed first and then ill take another look at it. Just hoping its nothing too horribly bad.

I never heard a "bang" and it never lost power or anything.. Just that oil pressure... and obviously... oil

ambush276 · #6 08-16-2015, 10:01 PM

so i just looked at the coolant rubber lines.....

that looks pretty bad. I have no idea if that is the cause of the leak but it should probably be replaced.

How would one remove those rubber lines? They look almost crimped onto the cooler and metal line. (i assume these contain oil not coolant?).

But would this cause a complete explosion of oil all around the bay (the hole seems so small how could it cause such an oil mess?

** thanks graplr!

ps. is this what i want to buy?

http://tinyurl.com/q44ct24

mach4 · #7 08-16-2015, 10:11 PM

That would do it. Oil spraying all over the belts, fan, and other moving parts on the front of the engine would tent to fling the stuff everywhere.

ambush276 · #8 08-16-2015, 10:15 PM

any suggestions on where to get this part? it seems i need to buy the hose and metal pipe (they are welded on?)

http://tinyurl.com/o2zekbo

not sure which one?

1982 240d.

Thanks!

Graplr · #9 08-16-2015, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ambush276

** thanks graplr!

Glad you found it. Don't ask me how I knew what to tell you to look for!

I have a similar thread from about 2008.

Diesel Giant has a pretty nice write up on changing the oil cooler lines.
How to Replace Your Oil Cooler Lines

However, be warned that it is common to strip the threads off of the oil cooler when taking off the old lines! Do your own research before you decide the route to take. Some people try to replace just the rubber while others put together special fittings. See this recent thread for discussion-
Oil Cooler Line Alternatives

Good luck! If you are able I'd park the car until you fix this. Don't want to be on the freeway when the issue flares up again and you dump all your oil.

SD Blue · #10 08-16-2015, 11:08 PM

They shouldn't be welded. Here is a source for the lines:

1982 Mercedes-Benz 240D Base Sedan - Oil Circulation - Page 3

ambush276 · #11 08-16-2015, 11:13 PM

it is not leaking around the metal parts at all. Its just that cut rubber. I guess i am trying to see what would be the easiest to repair. Price not a factor, as the part for the entire new line is ~$60 ish... but it looks like a real pain to remove that entire line. Is replacing the rubber easier than just replacing the line?

(any guides for that?)

Thanks everyone!

SD Blue · #12 08-16-2015, 11:22 PM

I'm not sure about the difficulty of changing the line on a W123. It's probably a matter of patience. Everyone says it is so difficult on the W126 but I didn't think it was too bad.

I jacked the engine about an inch and finagled the old one out and the new one in. It is a matter of turning the line to get the bends to clear.

I can't see how it would be so much easier to just change the flex portion as you have to get someone with the correct crimp tools or do significant modifications. It's up to you what route you want to take.

ambush276 · #13 08-16-2015, 11:25 PM

the difficulty it looks like is to remove those clamps from under the car. THose like like a bi***!

i have no idea how you remove that back clamp.

ambush276 · #14 08-16-2015, 11:31 PM

Before people yell at me.

I noticed that in some of the posts in previous threads that you can remove the crimp and put in new rubber hosing.

I don't have access to an A/C crimper.. but i could by those hose fittings/clamps. How would one get the crimped hoses off of the line?

OR?

Just bite the bullet and buy the oil line?

The hardest part seems to be getting those hardline holders off?

ps..

i looked at this post.
Converting Oil Cooler Lines To AN Stainless Braided Hose

but it seems like its replacing the entire line ... not just the rubber part (how did you screw off just the ends?)
Also, i don't have a step drill and i don't have the experience/equipment to weld the A/N fittings. If they came made and fit the cooler this seems like a cool option, but i assume there are no metric to A/N fittings where i would not have to drill/weld anything?
Thanks!

Graplr · #15 08-17-2015, 12:10 AM

I've read about people cutting the rubber out and using clamps on the existing hardware but not just cutting out a small portion and using clamps but I'm sure someone has done it at some point. In fact in the thread I linked for you someone mentions they clamped a hose on to the existing fittings. Obviously the two main things you have to worry about are a flush secure tight seal with the new hose and clamp and then the pressure rating for the clamp. Of course the hose routing is not pre-bent if you don't use actual oil cooler lines.

All that extra work you'd probably be better off just replacing them. Of course you risk stripping the threads doing that. Having an extra oil cooler on hand would be nice if you need it on the road quickly after doing the job...but that may not be practical. Best of luck with the route you choose!