OM642 oil filter gasket

[jay_bob]

Son (with the 2008 E320 BT) comes home for Christmas and I notice some oil drops under where he's parked.

Car has just turned 200k and had the oil cooler seals done before I got it.

Get the car up and notice the left front corner of the engine is oil soaked. Yuk. Swapped cars with him again so he could get back to school and his sweetie.

So after taking off a few pieces up front (which I can do in my sleep after having to install an alternator 3 times) I determined the oil was leaking from where the oil filter ties into the front of the engine.

Ordered up a gasket and got into it on Saturday.

First you have to take off the following (see my post on changing the alternator W211 CAN Bus problems)
Belt drive cover
Y-pipe
Silver tube from the turbo outlet
Discharge side muffler and the left intercooler hose
Belt cover bracket
Belt
Belt tensioner
Left side fresh air hose (the air box can stay)
Radiator fan (gives you more room but not absolutely necessary) - remove front cross member (3 bolts on left, 3 on right, 3 on center, flip over, unclip hood release cable). Two spring clips top left and right, unplug electric connector, release (power steering?) line from back of fan assembly lower left and right, pull fan up.

Before going further remove the oil filter and set it aside. Using your oil change sucker or a turkey baster suck out the oil remaining in the canister sump. You don't need to drain the crankcase to do this, the oil mostly settles down into the oil pan and there's very little leakage.

Put a clean rag/paper towel in the oil filter canister can so nothing falls in.

There are a total of 7 fasteners holding the oil filter assembly in.

First there is a bracket going into the head on the inboard side of the filter canister. Two E10s in the back of that bracket at 90 degrees to one another, one into the head and one into the oil filter canister.

Then there is an E10 on the opposite side that ties the canister to the power steering pump.

And another E10 where the a/c suction line is secured to the front of the canister.

Now you have 4 E10 bolts left going into the engine. Be careful you get the right 4 bolts, there are many others in the area that hold the timing cover and the power steering pump.

Have some paper towels ready, you are going to get some oil. Not a huge amount but be ready.

Once you have the 4 bolts removed then gently rock the canister to free from the engine.

The gasket on mine was rock hard and I had to pick it out of the grooves. It came out in pieces.

Clean everything up, put new gasket in, reassemble.

Lost so little oil it was not noticeable on dipstick.

Still dry as of this morning.