Searched the archives but was unable to draw final conclusion.

My mechanic discovered a leak of the timing chain cover. He
admitted that he had not done a repair job of similar nature
before, but concluded that it was not a serious issue and can
be fixed at a later stage.

My car is a 300CE with the M103 engine and has done just under
75k miles.

Is this a big job to fix? Can and should I really ignore this until
some time later or will I risk greater damage? Can the Forum
explain what ideally needs to be done to fix this problem and how?

Thanks !

There are two timing covers on these engines, upper and lower. The upper cover is not a big deal, the lower cover is a different animal, however, and requires lots of things removed from the front of the engine.

It is most likely the upper cover and you can indeed usually live with it until you need to go in there for some other reason.

I had the upper TC cover leaking as well and pretty much was Larry said is what I was told. Don't mess with it unless you have to.

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1994 C280 204k miles

Larry is right, and if you're mechanic hasn't sealed a timing chain cover before, then he must not be a Mercedes mechanic or is hopelessly "green".

Leaks from the timing chain cover are very common on M103 and M104 engines. I'd find a new mechanic.

__________________
Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

Thanks to all. I'll keep an eye on the leak and continue to
live with it.

Change of mechanic is will be high on my list. Noticed that
quite a few are being recommended in NJ.

Just last weekend, after scouring the archives, I replaced the infamous 'U' seal on the top part of the timing cover. It appears to have solved the problem. Indeed, it was not a tough job at all.

Even though I have the service CD (mine is a 90 300SEL), this site has been a treasure trove of information and invaluable, particularly if you do a lot of work on your own.

Thanks to al!

If you have time, could you point me to other posts that describe this procedure or could you explain it a little?

Thanks.

__________________
1994 C280 204k miles

As far as directing you to areas of this list.....use the search engine. That's what I did. Look for timing cover seal; oil leak; u seal; and use your imagination. It's all in here and readily accessible. I visit several car related discussion forums, and this one (IMHO) is as good as it gets.

Good luck.