I have a few questions i hope can be answered here. I have included pictures below for for interest.

1) How can i tell or DX if I have a head gasket leak?

Symptoms: minor leak REAR of the engine ( cant see as it is to close to the fire wall) oil hitting hot muffler when driving on highway ONLY. Street driving will not produce leakage. I do not see anything but oil on the ground.

2) Have you folks done this gasket replacement on your own? How long and complicated will this be should i decide to do it? I do most engine work myself and I own a torque wrench...

3) now the pictures. I also have a small leak up front. what is this ROUND part with the plug in the picture that is leaking oil on that hose? Would fixing this be tough as i dont even know what it is?

4) If you have done the head gasket replacement, what should I look out for when doing this and how much time will it take..

Heres johnny?

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Here is the entire head gasket procedure!!!
If that (head gasket) is my problem NO WAY will I do it..

http://www.continentalimports.com/ser_ic100345.html

Yes it's not a job for the faint hearted, major job even for a competent mechanic, you should be able to fix the leak you have at the camshaft adjuster housing though, remove, replace seal and refit, torque bolts to 10nm.

I would be that faint hearted guy with something like this. I am not even sure its the head? It actually looks like it was done already. I have some dxing to do tomorrow and will let all know what it is!!

First thing I would do is degrease the engine. Once it is clean, you can diagnose where it is coming from better. Put some dye in the oil and a blacklight will help.

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Mine was doing exactly that and it was the upper timing cover seal, those are very common to fail and will really make a mess. It is an easy job, requires removal of the head cover and the coolant hose connector, then the seal itself is kind of difficult to get seated correctly, but the first thing to do is clean it up and then watch it to see where the oil is coming from. The head of the engine doesn't have an exposed seal area in the front, that is the timing chain cover. Good luck

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I will second the cleaning of the engine..... with adding some advice.
Use simple green, not the store aerosol degreaser.
Only spray a cool motor. Dont douse the electrical bits. Minimal water is ok.
Beg and borrow someones pressure washer, even a cheap one works wonders.
Try to set up the car in a sunny place.... so with the hood open the sun can helpdry things out.
Wait a couple hrs before starting it again.
WD-40 is your friend.... its stands for water displacement. As it is drying out spray the electricals with it.... also ok for the ducts, hoses, & raw metal.
Leaves a nice finish. .... keep it off belts, pulleys, and pulley bearings.
Find a good oil spray.... you might need it for some of the pully bearings....squeek..... don't use the wd, its not thick enough.

Keep all this stuff off the exterior paint. I usually polish the rest of the car as I wait to start it.
FYI- I just did the head gasket on my 300SE.... it sucks... pay someone to do it if needed.
This is a hobby for me, to keep my sanity from the weekday senior commercial banker thingy.
Ken

My '95 C280, bought new, had both of those leaks which were warranty repairs. They did not occur again. The head gasket oil leak is at the right rear, typically. It's more of a seepage but I wouldn't put up with it. I saw the engine with the head off and would not tackle this job myself at all as long as my VISA card was useable. After the warranty, that is.

My C320's V-6 leaks NOTHING! Huzzah!

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Roger E.

I had the same symptoms on the m111, and the dealer ate up the Starmark opportunity to replace the head gasket, cam seal, and a trans seal - not sure which one. That was $1200 worth of work.

FWIW, use Castrol's degreaser in the purple container. Simple Green and aluminium can cause corrosion.

:-) neil

I believe that is the actutor that adjusts the cam timing on the intake cam. It looks like that's what is leaking in the front. My car had a leak in the back and it was the valve cover gasket.

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That's a great link. Thanks.

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Thanks for all the replies. I am doing something to see if it is infact the head gasket. I am going to tie a piece of cloth around the valve cover area to the rear of the motor. Its at that point I will drive on the highway for about 10 min at 80 or so. If the cloth catches NEW oil, that is where it will be coming from I would guess. Also If it does not smoke that will also tell the story.

Anyone have an idea where I can get that part in need in the front of the valve area that is leaking? and what the cost "may" be???

Im gonna get this leaking bs fixed one way or another!!! The battle is on!!

Although tieing a cloth around your engine is thoughful, I would not reccommend doing that due to the fact you could catch something on fire. The problem with an oil leak is that it can be very hard to find. If your whole engine is coated it is likely from the front. The fact that you have a leak is obvious, the location is not. That is why it is best to clean your engine thoroughly first. The front upper timing seal is very common to leak, and when it is not remedied the side on which the exhaust manifold is located leaks a lot more. If you are getting oil on your exhaust manifold, it is likely it is coming from above or in front, the valve cover gasket is above the exhaust manifold and the timing cover seal is in front above the exhaust manifold. The head gasket is below the exhaust manifold so it is unlikely you have a head gasket failure if you are getting oil on the exhaust manifold. So go buy a valve cover gasket and new rubber for the bolts, and a new upper timing cover seal, the seal is abour $6 and the valve cover and bolt seals should be around $95. Replace those, clean your engine and watch for leaks. My engine was overfilled with oil and I had seal failures all over including front and rear mains, I replaced all these myself and now I switched to synthetic oil and I am leak free. Don't tie fabric around your engine, that is dangerous, do it right, take your time and be patient. Good luck!
Brian

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