1998 E320 "engine oil sensor"
 

Greetings:

My father has an e320 that is giving him the engine oil sensor failure message. From what I can gather it can be accessed through the oil pan. Is that correct? How challenging is it to change?

In addition, I'm curious to know if that particular sensor...upon failure, what will it cause with respect to issues?

Much appreciated for any input.

Andy

Hi Andy -

The sensor is an easy bolt on/plug in piece. It is located in the bottom half of the oil pan. The pan is in two parts. They are held together with a 'form-a-gasket' type seal. I believe MB has a spec for the sealant but maybe others have found something that works just as well.

A quick check of the oil level via the dipstick should remove any concerns.

HOWEVER, it may not be the sensor. The W210's are sensitive to battery voltage. Once it drops below a certain point it's common to get false positives for various sensors as well as loss of sync on windows and sunroof. The battery will still have enough to start the car so the old 'see if the headlights are dim' doesn't apply. It the battery is much over 4 years old it's a likely culprit.

Good luck.

Ok thanks very much for the input!

Another question: is the crank position sensor very difficult to get to and change? An Indy that pops went and chatted with indicated that this part needs changed.

Why does the indy says this???? What problem are you having?

Father was driving and it stalled...had to get it towed. Was able to start it at home but it stalled again. The indy said it was the crank position sensor.

I think your indy has it right then......not too hard to change out, if you are patient.

The CPS is located at the back of the engine on the left. Just down from the cylinder head. It can't been seen from above without a small mechanics mirror. Again it's just one fastener

Ok good deal. I believe I'll tackle the project...I really do value the input...thanks again!

Andy

Another question...so the sealant that I'll need when I pull the oil pan...what sort of sealant is this? Am I putting something like the red silicone gasket sealant or ?