Hi Klatta Klatta Fans

1. I just finished changing the oil on the 85 300dt, w/the filter comes 2 washers. The copper one goes around the drain plug bolt. Where does the silver washer go? Thanks! And yes I also replaced the rubber gasket.

2. I have a leak that is coming from the oil filter area.
I thought it might have been the 2 hoses that go into the side of the filter canister, but they are secure. Any Ideas, my driveway thanks you. I have to solvr this the wife is pushing for new concrete & I can't mess up the new stuff.

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bznupe30
85 300d-t
97 legacy gt sw

Make sure the new seal is in correctly and that you didn't get it buckled, then snip a bit out of it with the cover. Hard, but not impossible to do. You can also get dirt under it so that it won't seal, ether on the canister or the cover.

The silver one is for the center bolt on some oil filter canisters.

You can also overtighten the bolts or nuts that hold the cover down. This will warp the cover and allow it to leak. The very worst scenario here is that the bolts are stripped and pulling out. If so, you will have a BIG oil leak -- all six quart of oil will run out after the cover pops off. Messy, and can be fatal to the engine....... Check them -- they don't need to be all that tight.

Hose connections for the oil cooler can leak, but they would have leaked before you took the oil filter out. The only other thing I can think of is if you have a center bolt on the oil filter the gasket there (another copper one) may be leaking.

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

bznupe30,

The oil filter housing is sealed to the block with a gasket, or on some models I believe, an O-ring, that can become hard and unable to effectively seal. This leads to leakage from the connection, which is below the oil filter cover plate.

I have never had any problems with the W123 and later oil filter cover to housing gaskets leaking, or overtightening the cover fasteners. I take care not to assemble anything other than completely clean parts, including the threaded parts, after they have been lubed with clean engine oil.

The extra washers in the filter kit can cause some confusion, but if you have the oil cover held on with two nuts, you only need the copper washer on the drain plug. If you have an older model W123 you may have a single, long, center fastener that gets the silver colored washer between the head of the fastener and the oil filter cover. That bolt is also the bypass filter return flow path and the later cars have this incorporated into the cap.

I believe you have another copper washer (I usually get two) that is for models with a drain plug on the oil cooler. This feature has been deleted in later cars, I believe (my 1982 240D does not have an oil cooler drain plug), but for the convenience of the logistics department, all the W123 have a single part number for the filter kits.

If you are leaking at the cover to filter housing joint it should be readily apparent. That is a very unlikely spot though. I have a lot of oil leakage from the rear seal on my old Diesel (1982) and have decided to live with it rather than do anything about it. I have learned to minimize the leakage by avoiding filling the unit to over the midpoint on the dipstick (between full and "add a quart" marks), and parking with the car in the nose downhill position.

Hope this helps and good luck, Jim

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Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)

Thanks Jim , for the insight, i'm going to wipe down the are as best as possible then keep an eye on it to find the source.

I did not know the oil cooler has a drain.
I'll check next time I change the oil.
If it does i'll see if I can drain it.
If it does not then how much oil is being left in there to contaminate the new, hmmm, I wonder.
No I don't have an A type complex.
I do know you really can't get every drop of oil out.
But if it holds a quart, that might give one pause.

Thanks Again

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bznupe30
85 300d-t
97 legacy gt sw