87 300E Won't Start After Emulsified Oil Blew All Over Engine Comp

[VWFringe]

EDIT (Solution Possibly): emulsified oil had gotten into idle stabilizer valve and around air metering flap, once sprayed out the hard start and quick stall problems went away. Oil in coolant hoses may have caused old hoses to begin to fail (not sure, may've just been very old). Emulsified oil had probably clogged the veins in the radiator, exacerbating over-heating (a lot of the mayo drained out of the radiator upon removing the hose from the coolant bubble to the bottom of the radiator).
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87 300E gas engine with blown head gasket leaking oil into coolant...for six months.

I'd been pouring mayo out of reserve tank once a week, but failed to for 3 weeks.

Rad hose to water pump blew a small hole, spraying emulsified oil and coolant all over the engine compartment. Car wouldn't start after that, so it was towed home.

I failed to spot the hole in the hose, and assumed it'd over-heated and blown from coolant bubble...so:
- degreased engine compartment,
- de-carbonized cap & rotor (no oil/coolant in there)
- de-carbon-fouled and gapped plugs,
- de-greased coolant reservoir,
- charged battery
car started easily and repeatedly once all above were done
drove to get gas (still hadn't spotted hole in radiator hose & didn't notice water temp as driving)

smoke/vapor became noticable as I pulled up to gas pump, shut down the engine and took a look, easily noticing the hole in the rad hose now...

cut inch and a half off hose and attempted to re-clamp, but was unable to tighten properly...waited until cool and drove back but 1/2 mile from home temps climbed and hose blew off, spraying brown mayo all over the engine compartment.

drained battery trying to get it to start, brought it home (battery, not the car), charged and tried the next day, lit three times out of twenty but only for seconds
- pulled plugs, they don't look any worse, but insulators are not white around the tops like when i'd put them back
- wiped down inside of air box, and butterfly of intake (small puddle of coolant in airbox)

note: once or twice noticed back-fire and white smoke (prolly coolant) from air intake, but that seems to have cleared itself.

Car won't light for more than a few seconds, and rarely at that...what'my missing? Or is this normal when oil is all over the belts and pulleys, and I just need to degrease them? anything else i need to check, like degreasing the intake mani before it'll light?

i just need to get it home where I can degrease the bay, or take it apart and do the head gasket (was kind of hoping it'd provide transportation to get the triple-square drive bit several cities over)

One other thing while I have your attention: what bolts and washers should I have on hand to substitute for the slide hammer extractor for the timing chain rail pin? (can't afford the special head gasket tools, and won't be having the head re-built or checked)

Gentlemen, Thank you if you read all of that...
Long time lurker and browser, first time I've needed your help directly though...I hope someone's on tonight with the patience of a monk, sorry to be so long winded.

EDIT: radiator hose which blew is the one between the top of the radiator and the top of the water pump. No water pump noise, no leakage from it's weep hole prior to this. Also, no rust around cross-over tube.

[Rob Pruijt]

Personally I wouldn't bother to fix an engine after driving it for 6 months with a blown head gasket. Replacing the engine with a good used one is a better and most likely cheaper option.

Rob

[junqueyardjim]

Emulisfied grease all over that engine will not prevent it from running. Grease on belts and pulleys preventing it from starting? Come on, get a grip!
Maybe you should pull the plugs and see if you have any compression. It definetly takes compression in at least in 4 cylinders to get it running, (minimum compression) and you might not have that according to your account of the maintenance on the engine. I'd say junk it and try something that runs.

[VWFringe]

It started several times before driving to the gas station, and only after spraying more greasy coolant on the belts did the power steering feel off, just before pulling up to the pump.

I pulled the plugs but haven't checked compression, I'll try that (think I have a compression tester).

what about the water pump and the greasy coolant, not about the no-start sitch, but about it over-heating...ah, doesn't matter, i'll flush the coolant system now that i know it's gunked up...IF I can get it to start and limp home.

you may wonder what causes 6 years of deferred maintenance...undiagnosed ADHD for the first five, two years of unemployment, and a home mortgage payment of $3600 for the past six are all factors. As badly as I've treated this car, it did have a head job, bottom end (re-bore of pistons & bearings, done in the car), and tranny re-build before we got it...someone loved it, I thought it wouldn't be any more difficult than the VW VR6 I built, but we didn't have the money and I've been focused on smaller things like learning about ADHD (Reward System Dystrophy, as i call it now), trying to update my skill-set and looking for work.

Can anyone tell me how to fake the timing chain pin puller with bolts and washers, which size bolts?

I've got a bad cold but will take the battery out to try it again later on, with a spray bottle of water and a can of engine degreaser to see if degreasing the pulleys and alternator help get it started...something's preventing it from starting, and since the worn plugs don't look carbon fouled this time...maybe the cap and rotor got a shot of grease (that just doesn't seem likely, but I'll pull the cap and see).

[VWFringe]

Originally Posted by Rob Pruijt

Personally I wouldn't bother to fix an engine after driving it for 6 months with a blown head gasket. Replacing the engine with a good used one is a better and most likely cheaper option.

Rob

when the head gasket blew, we started having to add oil every few days, but wasn't burning oil (it was going into the coolant).

Coolant wasn't getting into the oil though.

The car ran normally during the six months, I was draining off mayo from the bubble once a week after the first couple months...I didn't understand that emulsified oil was coating every part and hose...I'm still hoping the water pump's just gunked up, and not siezed up.

[ps2cho]

Originally Posted by Rob Pruijt

Personally I wouldn't bother to fix an engine after driving it for 6 months with a blown head gasket. Replacing the engine with a good used one is a better and most likely cheaper option.

Rob

With the M103, its not a problem since oil entering coolant is completely different from coolant entering oil. Messy cleanup, but not the end of the world.

Have you made sure that there isn't still gunk sitting in the spark plug holes?

[VWFringe]

Originally Posted by ps2cho

With the M103, its not a problem since oil entering coolant is completely different from coolant entering oil. Messy cleanup, but not the end of the world.

Have you made sure that there isn't still gunk sitting in the spark plug holes?

nothing was in the plug holes when I pulled them, but I dusted the holes with an oily rag prior to re-inserting them just to be safe

EDIT: radiator hose which blew is the one between the top of the radiator and the top of the water pump. No water pump noise & no leakage from it's weep hole prior to this. Also, no rust around cross-over tube.

[nulu]

I worked on a friends car with same results as yours and turned out it was a cracked distributor cap , when water got sprayed on dist cap it instantly died, removed cap and black cover and could see carbon tracking , replaced and all was well , i washed engine afterwards and car didint die.

[VWFringe]

Originally Posted by nulu

I worked on a friends car with same results as yours and turned out it was a cracked distributor cap , when water got sprayed on dist cap it instantly died, removed cap and black cover and could see carbon tracking , replaced and all was well , i washed engine afterwards and car didint die.

Thanks,
before driving to get gas I decarbonized the dist cap and rotor (and don't believe I cracked it putting it back on, but again i'll pull it to double-check)

been down with a cold today, but got several cans of carb cleaner to degrease the pulleys and alt...battery's charged, and will try everything again tomorrow

keep feeding me tips, especially ones i haven't already done, thanks,

[mpolli]

My guess is dist cap also. Not cracked, but just crudded.

[locry]

Warped head?

[S-Class Guru]

The bolt for the pin is same as a valve cover bolt - 6mm I think.
Pulling this pin can be a real bear, as they tend to sieze a bit.
I never had any luck fabricating a slide hammer that would yank it out.
I just pulled one yesterday by rigging a lever system with a box wrench-one end over the end of the valve cover bolt screwed into the pin, and the other end attached to the bolt holding the idler pulley on on the passenger side of the motor - then get a big bar and pry carefully outward near the pin. Watch the chain guide, very brittle.

Finding a good used 103 engine is not so easy; I looked around awhile recently, and the asking price is $800 and up (plus shipping) for motors with 200k miles. I'm sure there are deals around, but I didn't spot any.

DG

[VWFringe]

Thanks, S-Class Guru - I think that's great support.
Several others who've chimed in also!

It warms my heart to hear from several of you who I've come to think of as Rock Stars of this forum...mighty kind of you to share my pain, and offer a hand.

I'll keep you updated once I get back out there (still pretty sick).

haha, hope it's still there, and hasn't been towed.

[VWFringe]

still sick...

sprayed carb cleaner all around alt, pulleys, electr connections, dist cap.

started right up, twice, ran slowly 1/4 mile, died after pulling into the complex, started few times only a few seconds, got some help pushing it into the garage

God, you gotta love neighbors whose guests shame them into pushing you...with that kind of competition, you know you have a dedicated crew, and this tank is heavy...even on a very slight uphill, they'll be feeling it tomorrow.

But, hey, it's in the garage where I can do more tomorrow (pull the cap, degrease the engine, check compression, or whatever) and it'd have gotten towed tomorrow morning (street sweepers).

[Guyton Buzz]

Air cleaner soaked?

I had been driving a 92 300TE that had been external leaking a quart of oil evey 500 - 1000 miles for over 100,000 miles. This progressed to the mayo in the coolant jug. Then the hose you describe went sausage and blew, I had water with me, got it going and was just a mile from the dealer on Hilton Head Island. Temp gauge had reached the red after coolant dump, then cooled down with water. Wheeled in there, and they don't carry hose or most parts for a W124, have to order and get there in a few days. Limped to Auto Zone, bought hose, then two days later lower hose did same thing. Mayo increased. Did have some luck removing some mayo with a piece of "pig mat" oil absorber fabric stuffed into coolant jug. Tranny was already dead in reverse, for past year. Tried sale at auto auction, highest offer was $200. With regret drove to boneyard for $450 (303,000 miles). Had paid $1600, got two years out of it, so a $50 a month car payment is not bad if you drive a Mercedes. I don't think you can kill it with oil in the coolant. Some BMW motorcycles use all oil for the coolant system. But hoses and plugged up radiators won't like it.

I promptly bought a 93 Cabrio, so moved up to the M104, and no spheres (TE owners with the "bunny hop" know that fun). And first order after plugs, wires, and replace coils was radiator, hoses, and new 83 C stat.