Urgent Help Needed! 1995 S280 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

locry · #1 08-19-2006, 12:40 AM

help!!!
i know its not diesel related but i don't know where else to turn to... i've always been in the diesel forum...

anyway, my dad has a 1995 s280 w140, we discovered tons of pinkish frothy oily gunk in the expansion tank... there were lots!!! what could it have been? tranny fluid? motor oil? i removed the expansion tank to clean it, i kept some of the fluid for analysis.

after replacing the expansion tank the car refuses to start... what gives? before the incident the car sat overnight as usual... it started fine this morning, we had to move the car out of the driveway, anyway, an hour or so after moving it we discover the gunk... and the refusal to start...

any comments? help

locry · #2 08-19-2006, 12:53 AM

pic attached

#3 08-19-2006, 01:19 AM

I'd almost have to say oil in coolant. What's the normal color of the coolant you use?

turbodiesel · #4 08-19-2006, 01:34 AM

It's trans fluid.

Your radiator has failed.. must be replaced. Also flush your cooling system throughly and change your transmission fluid & filter.

#5 08-19-2006, 01:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turbodiesel

It's trans fluid.

Dang, I was close. Tranny fluid is an oil.

Johnhef · #6 08-19-2006, 02:04 AM

the refusal to start may be something else- but first definitly replace the radiator and find a place that does a complete trans flush, as in 16 quarts or so to get everything out.

locry · #7 08-19-2006, 02:37 AM

thanks guys!

i think that's better than having to replace a blown head gasket. Is this a m104 engine? are they prone to warping as the 603s?

anyway, i checked both dipsticks, no visible contamination so far...

is the tranny pressurized? it seems oil seeped into the coolant and not yet the other way around, maybe too early to tell.

will update

failure to start may be unrelated? i removed the spark plug cover and found lots of oil in the plug wells... wtf? i haven't dealt with gassers for a long time, and i'm not familiar with this engine, had an m102 before but that's just about it. bad sign?

the car was recently serviced, filled with 6L of oil, the shop specializes in benzes and bmws, could they have overfilled with oil? could it have cracked the head? spewing oil in the coolant and the combustion chambers? therby also refusing to start? worst case scenario? possible?

sixto · #8 08-19-2006, 03:19 AM

M104s are known for head gasket problems. No head problems AFAIK.

Putting too much oil in the engine will not cause the head to crack or otherwise fail.

If the engine oil level is fine than it's probably transmission fluid. Unfortunately you can't check the transmission fluid level since you can't start the engine or get the transmission to operating temperature. And you probably don't know what the level was before you found that gunk in the reservoir.

Sixto
... stay tuned

locry · #9 08-21-2006, 09:17 AM

yep, its definitely the tranny cooler, i had the radiator overhauled... they're replacing the tranny cooler core inside the radiator. yep, they can do that here.

the failure to start is leaning toward failing fuel pumps... had to strike the fuel pump a few times to get the car to start... big question is, are the pumps on their way out or are the relays more prone to failure?

Brian Carlton · #10 08-21-2006, 09:31 AM

You'd be way better off if I move this to Tech.

The issues with a gasser are best dealt with over there.