very minor oil leak - possibly from turbo area - advice please - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

kuene · #1 09-25-2017, 02:41 PM

I have a small oil leak - at the rate of about 1 drop on the cardboard per week. I've cleaned and hunted down various other culprits including a small one around my air filter hose on the cam cover, and i've recently replaced my oil pan with a new one - no leaks there as I've been religious checking for a few months following the r&r. I think this is coming from somewhere in the turbo assembly area. Question is, it seems so minor that I'm not sure I need to go on a wild goose chase to find it. Is it safe to live with this drop-a-week leak and just monitor it to see if it ever gets worse?

Or is this irresponsible and setting me up for some bigger failure?

1982 300d

Diseasel300 · #2 09-25-2017, 02:59 PM

1 drop per week is NOTHING.

Diesel911 · #3 09-25-2017, 11:12 PM

Just check your oil dip stick more often.

Clemson88 · #4 09-26-2017, 09:07 AM

The remedy for a drop a week is exactly like the remedy for a quart a week. If you can handle the stain and don't mind adding oil in appropriate intervals let it go.

If you don't like stain and don't want to be adding oil then find the leak and stop it. It all starts with cleaning the engine. The cleaner you get it the easier it is to find the leak. You may have to put the car on jackstands, use a good light and a mirror to find a leak that tiny.

SD Blue · #5 09-26-2017, 01:51 PM

In that area, I would suspect the cyclone style separator for the crankcase ventilation, located inside the air filter housing.First, there are two O-rings in the bottom of the air filter housing.
Second, the separator has a tendency to leak around the top rim.
Another area is the O-ring for the joint in the turbo oil return line.
These O-rings harden with time and don't seal as well.

However, as mentioned previously, one drop a week is literally nothing. I would locate the source and just check it during oil changes to see if it worsens.

kuene · #6 09-26-2017, 04:17 PM

OK. I do get a little oil buildup in my air cleaner too - so I'll check that separator. But all good ideas here. The garage floor is old and stained so I don't care about the floor too much!

MongooseGA · #7 09-26-2017, 10:12 PM

I'd kill for a drop a week,

As it is, mine is actually at BRM to fix a few of those leaks right now.

kuene · #8 10-27-2017, 04:14 PM

I replaced an oring on the tub where the air cleaner oil separator drops in. We'll see if that makes a difference.

On clsoer inspection and after some cleaning and long drives - I noticed the new oil pan and gasket is slightly leaking from one edge/area. When I installed the new pan, I torqued bolts in a careful, deliberate star pattern - but I hand torqued, and they are probably tighter than the spec. I'm guessing this might have something to do with leak? - I checked the new pan's condition flatness before I installed and it was good, all surfaces were clean and flat. I also used just a bit of the "Permatex 80019 Aviation Form-A-Gasket No. 3 Sealant", 4 oz. stuff on the surface of gasket.

Could it be useful to loosen and carefully set each bold to proper torque? Or should I start over entirely with new gasket?

BirthdayBenz · #9 10-27-2017, 05:29 PM

I was at a vintage motorcycle museum and they were using silver platters to catch the oil that dripped from crank cases of the bikes. Since then I've switched to using an old cookie sheet over the piece of cardboard.