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  #16  
Old 01-07-2006, 01:06 PM
dmorrison's Avatar
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Location: Colleyville, Texas
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I'm another one who has been cleaning my car engines with my high pressure washer for years. I never did clean the 99E300 this way, let me point that out.
But all my cars with some caution on gas engines, due to the ignition system. I am careful around their electrical systems.
The diesels, I went at it prety hard. Mine is only a 1100PSI unit.

My advise for you is as follows.

Go to the auto parts store and buy the above mentioned GUNK engine cleaner. Drive to a car wash that has the spray type hand held units. Open the hood to the 90 degree position. Spray the engine compartment with the 4-5 cans of gunk. Wait 10-15 minutes and then clean it with the high pressure spray.
You may want to wait for a warm day, you WILL get soaked and dirty. Coveralls are a good idea. Also the car washs are usually closed when its below freezing.

Now you can determine where the oil is leaking from.

Check oil cooling lines, oil cooler, valve cover gasket, engine front systems power steering pump front seal etc. Color of the fluid is important also.

Clean you engine on a regular basis. It easier to work on and solve problems this way.

Again you might want to do this when it above freezing and cover up.

Dave

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1982 300TD, owned 1992-1993
1986 300SDL, owned 1993-2004
1999 E300, owned 1999-2003
1982 300TD, 213,880mi, owned since Nov 18, 1991- Aug 4, 2010 SOLD
1988 560SL, 100,000mi, owned since 1995
1965 Mustang Fastback Mileage Unknown(My sons)
1983 240D, 176,000mi (My daughers) owned since 2004
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1985 300D 264,000mi Son's new daily driver.(sold)
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  #17  
Old 01-07-2006, 01:59 PM
phidauex's Avatar
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: St. Louis, MO
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Here is a good tip for electrical parts... Bring a roll of aluminum foil, and use squares of foil to cover electronics up, or anything you don't want water getting in (like the dipstick tube). It only takes a second, since the foil just crumples around the parts and holds itself on, and it only takes a second to remove when you are done, and it eliminates the possibility of water getting where it shouldn't.

Clean it up real good, then over the next day or two, keep a close eye on things to find the leak.

peace,
sam
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  #18  
Old 01-08-2006, 09:26 AM
Brandon314159
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Be sure to note what Tom said.

I just rebuilt my powersteering pump becuase it was funking up my drivers side fender like it was going out of style. It was so bad to the point that it was soiling my otherwise CLEAN! engine compartment.

Anyway, rebuilt it (couple o-rings and a front seal) and its all good and working now. If you notice the oil is dark and black like engine oil...then look for an engine leak.

If its light colored (or whatever color is in your PS pump) check that out...the back of the pully is where it slings)

If it is colorless (ie water) then suspect power steering pump and the like...but I doubt this since you are talking oil stains here...not water.

Pictures perhaps?
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  #19  
Old 01-08-2006, 09:36 AM
BodhiBenz1987's Avatar
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brandon314159
Pictures perhaps?
Will do ... I have my mom's nice little digital camerca "on loan," so I'll take some shots.

There's mostly black gunk in there ... but I can tell that a lot of it is old (hence the necessitation of cleaning). The oil splot I found on the ABS lines, though, seemed almost thinnish/watery ...so it could be what you said. There's also a chance that while I had the hood open, some moisture dripped in and landed no it, making the oil look watery. I look foward to an investigation. It's supposed to "warm up" here to about 40 next week, so I'll see what I can achieve.
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2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
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  #20  
Old 01-08-2006, 05:19 PM
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Today's update:
A little chilly out but I went in and taped up the shredded temp sender wire this morning and while I was in there I used paper towels and a little Simple Green to clean up some of the surface areas in the compartment. I cleaned the ABS lines (where I originally noticed the thrown oil), top of the PS pump, etc. I then drove the car around town for about 20 minutes, parked it, put the spot-catchin' cardboard underneath and then inspected the engine compartment. The areas I had "cleaned" remained oil-less. I left it for an hour-and-a-half and then went out to go to work ... checked the cardboard, no drips on it. Then I started it up and noticed when I went to remove the cardboard, it was being sprinkled with teeny-tiny specks of oil (thrown from the belt) ... it stopped after a few seconds. I then drove the car about 15 miles, took it out on the freeway at 70mph ... checked it when I got to work by putting cardboard under it with engine running. No oil spritzing. Nothing new under the hood (cleaned areas still clean).

So this was not a thorough check, I'm led to believe that whatever throwing it is doing is pretty light ... maybe just that little spritz on startup, which someone without keen eyesight would not have even been able to see. This investigation will continue when I get to the engine cleaning task ... which is pending decent weather.

Which leads me to another engine-wash question ... is it "legal" to do all this in my apartment complex's parking lot? I know large amounts of chemicals and engine oil shouldn't really be drained into the ground (the GUNK jar says it has to be specially disposed of). Is this one of those things that's stated but not really regulated? I could wait and do this in my dad's shop lot, where really no one would notice or care what I get on the pavement.

Oh yeah ... and the night wouldn't be complete without a silly question from yours truly ... you guys had mentioned the oil cooler lines. A little embarassed to have to ask, but where exactly are the oil cooler and said lines?
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1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)
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  #21  
Old 01-08-2006, 06:10 PM
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On the 617 engines, the oil cooler is a small radiator just to the left of the main radiator, about 4 inches wide and the same height as the regular radiator. It has a hose in at bottom and out at top. Hoses go back to the oil filter housing. Probably similar on yours.
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  #22  
Old 01-08-2006, 08:06 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BodhiBenz1987
Today's Oh yeah ... and the night wouldn't be complete without a silly question from yours truly ... you guys had mentioned the oil cooler lines. A little embarassed to have to ask, but where exactly are the oil cooler and said lines?
Quote:
Originally Posted by kerry edwards
On the 617 engines, the oil cooler is a small radiator just to the left of the main radiator, about 4 inches wide and the same height as the regular radiator. It has a hose in at bottom and out at top. Hoses go back to the oil filter housing. Probably similar on yours.


Kerry, it's a bit different on the 603. I can't vouch for the W124, but the W126 has the cooler directly in front of the driver's side wheel well. You can't see it from the top and need to go underneath the bumper on the driver's side and look upwards.
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  #23  
Old 01-08-2006, 11:07 PM
t walgamuth's Avatar
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i am a firm

believer that there is no such thing as a silly question.

although i am a grizzled veteran of the car hobby line of endeavor you will often find me asking about things.

tom w
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..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.
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  #24  
Old 01-08-2006, 11:25 PM
Brandon314159
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Carlton
...the W126 has the cooler directly in front of the driver's side wheel well. You can't see it from the top and need to go underneath the bumper on the driver's side and look upwards.
Unless it is 617 powered then it is next to the radiator.

Bodhi, follow the oil lines from the filter housing all the way forward and see where they go. They will be about 3/4 line (metal at first) and then black flex hose where it bridges from engine to body. My guess is that its gonna be somewhere near the radiator...just look around.
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  #25  
Old 01-09-2006, 08:37 AM
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FWIW, lots of good advice here. My personal experience is that Simple green, orange blast?, and other water based cleaners worked, but not very well. I've had much better luck with petroleum based cleaners, such as Gunk. But since Gunk is basically pressurized Kerosene, I just use Kerosene in an old laundry cleaner spray bottle. Wet/soak the oily crud. drive. Wet/soak the oily crud. drive. Wet/soak the oily crud. drive. Wet/soak the oily crud. drive. etc. When it gets warmer, spray it with a garden hose. It comes off like mud.

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