Mechanic says engine is "Locked Up" GL350 Blutec with 55k miles
 

My brother in law just texted me saying that their 2013 GL350 died on an on ramp and the engine is toast. Meticulously kept with oil chances every 3k miles.
It gave no warnings and after it died the oil light came on. My sister tried to start it and it turned over a few times but then stopped. Mechanic "opened the top of the engine and tried to turn it over" and says it is locked up. It was not low on oil at all. I cant imagine that this engine would just randomly lock up and be a paperweight.

Codes are seen below. Can these not be the cause, but more of a symptom of the engine stopping?

I told him to take it to another mechanic to get a second opinion and to have the oil pan checked for metal parts, maybe something else could be making it seem locked up? How is it possible to have an engine lock up with oil in it? I am in Texas and he is in Nashville, so i cant go there, and he will be lurking and can respond to any questions you might have. I am hoping to either have specific things to check for the mechanic and/or have it towed to a different shop. Any suggestions in Nashville?

Thanks for your help.

Is there a way to look inside of the Oil Pan? What was the condition of the Oil. Meaning does it smell burnt is there coolant in it and so on. Looking for something abnrmal.

No one mentioned if before it died there was smoke, steam, coolant smell, burnt oil smell and so on.

If you can see inside of the coolant recovery tank what does it look and smell like?

If coolant got into the cylinder it creates a hydraulic lock and the Engine won't turn but eventually the coolant passes through the piston ring gaps and into the Oil Pan.

I could have missed it but was there any odd noise before the failure.

Something happened to the timing Chain and or gears.

I'll have them check the oil pan and the coolant recovery tank this week but there was no steam, smoke, coolant smell or anything abnormal prior to it dying. Didn't notice any odd noses and it was running great.
Also, I doubt this shop will even admit if it was anything smaller since they've already jumped to complete engine replacement for $15k. I'll give them the chance though. Thanks for the quick reply!

Just on the face of it, it sounds like the mechanic either isn't competent or good at communicating. For a $15K repair job, I would expect to know *exactly* what was wrong with the old engine and why it can't be fixed for such a low-mile engine.

Assuming it is something serious, I would think a broken chain, jumped timing, valve to piston contact or something of that nature. If the mechanic pulled the head off, that sort of thing should be pretty obvious.

If there isn't anything obvious when pulling the head, I would look at a used oil analysis to try to pinpoint some of these details.

Dkr.

if it's paid for I refit, with a better diesel engine

Mechanic says engine is "Locked Up" GL350 Blutec with 55k miles
 

A friend of mine had the same symptoms and it ended up being a broken camshaft. Low mileage diesel in a sprinter.

I agree, the mechanic should have done a deeper inspection and shown a cause before using the general term “locked up”.

Many things can cause a locked up situation. Some external like a seized alternator or other driven accessory.

Those engines are more trouble than they're worth.

Spend some time reading over at mbworld.com. Quite a few stories of OM642 lockups due to oil sludging. It’s almost always in the GL and ML, rarely E class or Sprinter. I don’t know if the cause is really understood. Here’s a place to start: https://mbworld.org/forums/diesel-forum/585587-another-2010-ml350-bluetec-engine-seized.html. Make a pot of coffee, it’s a long read.

I will see what they come back with on Monday and have those potential issues queued up to make it seem like I know what I'm talking about.

It's paid off, so I could entertain something along those lines. I imagine there's something on this forum, so I'll check there so as not to derail this thread with questions.

Definitely seems that way.

I stumbled upon this yesterday, but haven't gotten very far into it yet. Thanks for sending.

I have seen at least 3 a year being advertised with blown engines in my city of about a million people for over 5 years now. Most were advertised with spun a bearing, locked up or such. I never paid much attention to the build years and always assumed just the wrong oil was being used.

I read the oil they said to run from factory is to thin. many going to marine shops for better diesel oils.

Not staying right on top of the oil changes on modern diesels. Or unsure of what was actually put in on paid for oil changes is a reality. For example they do not even sell the right oil for the wives car in our town.


Plus expensive problems will emerge on my own even older diesel. If the right oil is not used and it is changed out more often than manufactures recommendations.


There may be a problem with some aftermarket oil filters as well. The factory oil filters are reinforced substantially. In comparison to the aftermarket one for even my older jetta oil filter. If sludging is a problem using synthetic oils there must be some form of design issue.

I would contact a dealer (preferably one that owner has dealt with ) or MBUSA. Car is no doubt out of warranty, but MB at times will offer help on a goodwill basis. If engine is totally wrecked, they may be able to offer a factory rebuilt engine.

Anything emission related should still be covered (to 8 yrs?). And that can include things like the ECU which if it fails can result in mechanical problems.

If car was not maintained by a dealer, it might be of interest to know what oil was used. The oil specified for the Bluetec is a low-ash oil. If an owner or his garage has not used the correct oil, then that could be part of the problem. You can't just put any old diesel oil into the Bluetecs. High temperatures in the emission system can increase sludge formation which in turn can cause engine failure. I believe it must be to MB-Approval 229.51 or 229.52.

I had a Bluetec, but traded it when warranty ended. These newer MB Bluetec diesels are just too complex.

"Locked Up" is not a diagnosis. "Seized rod bearing" or "broken timing chain" (etc) is a diagnosis. What the mechanic is saying is that the engine doesn't spin over but s/he doesn't know why. You already knew that. With more info you can make a better decision. Sounds like a good candidate for a crate-type engine, assuming someone builds one for these.


Dan