Sent my cluster out to get fixed and went to put everything back together. I screwed the oil line in as tight as I could get it with my little 11mm wrench but it still pours oil as soon as I start the car. I have it as torqued as tight as I can without breaking something but it still leaks. Am I missing something?

Photo. The oil comes out from the cluster and leaks down at a steady pace.

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'80 300SD - '83 240D - '00 E55 AMG - '02 G500

Is it leaking at the connection or has the internal tube in the gauge ruptured? There is a usually a brass thin wall tube in the gauge that moves in response to the oil pressure. moving the gauge needle in the process.


If it is just leaking at the connection take it back apart and inspect it. You may be cross threaded. Or if you torqued the nut on without securing the other portion of the fastening with another wrench . You might have ruptured the connection where it enters the gauge. If that part turned. I would clean it up and identify just exactly where the leakage is occurring first. Perhaps you already have.

Great photo though.

The gauge shoots up fine once the car was started but it just pours a steady stream out of the bigger piece that is connected to the cluster.

I didn't use a bigger wrench to tighten down the cluster side. Is that a step that is needed?

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'80 300SD - '83 240D - '00 E55 AMG - '02 G500

Yes it sounds like your inner part of the fitting moved. If you can see leakage in that area at the gauge.. You will need another gauge. As a general rule anytime a fitting has two sides that can take a wrench.


There can be two situations. The inner portion is not well mechanically secured. So the provision is there to protect the inner portion of the connection from turning with another wrench. Or the inner portion is mechanically well secured. For example an adapter fitting into an engine block. Where a wrench may still be needed to prevent the adapter portion backing out as well when removing the actual line fitting. There would be no need to secure the inner portion with a wrench when putting the second example back together. In your case there is a small possibility the damage occured when the line fitting was removed as well.


We live we learn. I am still at it at age 76. The reason the gauge still moves is the possible breech is much smaller than the fluid supply.