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Sudden oil loss down passenger side Block (m103)
I have trying to track down my oil leak on my 300TE and I put some UV dye in yesterday. Checked tonight and it is leaking down the left side of the block at the back. It is NOT coming from the valve cover and is not coming from the driver side of the block.
I can't "quite" see where because the exhaust manifold blocks my UV light...but I cannot believe the head gasket could be leaking. It hasn't even been 10k miles since I replaced it last year. Car has never overheated. It all started about 1k miles ago. I had the head skimmed and pressure tested and followed the torque procedure with the 2x 90deg turns +- 5deg. Is there a chance there is some sort of oil plug on that side of the block? I won't be able to jack it up it for a few days, so wanted to get some ideas on where it could be coming from? It is losing enough that I am "smoking" on the freeway in the morning quite a lot. Thanks
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2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k 2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k 2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k 2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k |
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If you are sure it's not the VC gasket, and you are sure it's not the front cover seal, where else can oil leak from on these motors? What torque value did you use for the initial torquing? Did you follow the correct order (starting in the middle)? New bolts I assume?
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http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...-RESIZED-1.jpg 1991 300E - 212K and rising fast... |
#3
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New bolts yes (updated ones, no washer). 55nm as the FSM calls. I started middle outwards. Followed the instructions to the letter. I was very meticulous about my head gasket change.
There was no oil around the valve cover gasket no and nothing on the front timing cover. If I did something wrong wouldn't it have leaked since day one? Why ~8k miles later? It's just so strange...
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2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k 2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k 2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k 2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k |
#4
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Not sure! It will definitely need more inspection for sure. Not to proliferate the HG idea, but there are oil passages on the outside edge of the block. And gasket failure there tends to show up as oil leakage at the back of the engine, right (passenger) edge.
Hope its something simple.
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http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...-RESIZED-1.jpg 1991 300E - 212K and rising fast... |
#5
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Yes there are oil passages that can and do leak. This is much more common on the 104, however.
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#6
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Isn't this the car you just did the tranny job on?
This might be obvious to you, but when my transmission fluid was overfilled, it was leaking right at the same spot near the dipstick and smoking.......
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1993 300E, 2.8 M104 ..... |
#7
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Quote:
Yes it's my 300TE. It is oil because I put the uv dye in crankcase and the uv light showed it up...so it's not tranny fluid. I cant believe this head gasket already went bad?? I used a victor reinz gasket
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2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k 2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k 2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k 2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k |
#8
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Quote:
So don't rule out the VC yet.
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1993 190E 2.3 2001 SLK230 1971 LS5 (454) Corvette Convertible |
#9
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Yes. The VC gasket can get brittle surprisingly quick!
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http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...-RESIZED-1.jpg 1991 300E - 212K and rising fast... |
#10
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The VC gaskets for these motors plain suck. That's why when I re-painted my VC, the gasket got a coating of grey MB sealant before I put it back on. A few folks here gave me some guff for doing that, but a year and a half later it's not leaking a drop. Before I used that stuff, it would leak after 3 months. If you pull the VC off, remove that steel pan on the inside and make sure the breather passages aren't clogged. They look to be quite large, but one of them is literally a pinhole deep in the inside of the cover. Lack of adequate PCV can easily cause an oil mess.
Also, that little semi-circle cutout at the back is exactly where mine would leak (first).
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-tp 1990 300SE "Corinne"- 145k daily driver - street modified differential - PARTING OUT OR SELLING SOON - PORTLAND OR. AREA - PM ME FOR DETAILS 1988 560SEL "Gunther"- 190K passes anything except a gas station 1997 S420 - 265k just bought it with a rebuilt trans. Lovely condition Last edited by tinypanzer; 04-30-2010 at 11:22 PM. |
#11
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i'd replace the vc gasket just to eliminate that area
a little trick i learned years ago when dealing with these type of vc gaskets ~~~ once you have the vc gasket on the cover is to lay it on a flat surface and see if it wobbles, if it does, it's not on right does the dye show up above the head gasket ??
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1989 300ce smoke silver / brazil, in a constant state of flux ~~~ |
#12
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Quote:
I'll keep trying. My question was is there any place other than the head gasket on the side of the block where it could be leaking from?
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2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k 2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k 2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k 2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k |
#13
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Quote:
I was almost positive that my oil leak was coming from the head gasket too, but when I got under the car and looked up, I could see oil on one of the rear exhaust manifold studs. Well since this is above the head gasket I figured it must be the VC gasket, although I could not see a definitive place where it was leaking. After replacing the VC gasket I cleaned the engine and so far everything is still dry. If I were you I would change the VC gasket first since it's quick, easy and cheap just to be certain. Good luck.
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1993 190E 2.3 2001 SLK230 1971 LS5 (454) Corvette Convertible |
#14
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The oil pressure sender unit joint ?
mak |
#15
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Replaced vc gasket -- no difference. I can see I dripping onto the passenger side of the block at the back.
so I think it is definitely the head gasket. I used a reinz kit. This sucks... What about retightening the rear head bolts? Can it even be done due to the 90deg turns?
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2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k 2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k 2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k 2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k |
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