1988 190E 2.3 – Distributor oily, why?

[Marvin16x]

Hi everybody,

seems like I have nothing better to do at 1 am than thinking about the distributor of my old 190 and how it has been oily for a few years.

I found it to be kind of submerged in engine oil about 2 years ago. It looked like this:

After a few minutes of cleaning I got it back to how I think it was actually supposed to look like:

Now the thing is ... I haven't had a look at it since Feb 2013. I will soon, though. The engine runs pretty well, so it can't be too bad.

Have any of you W201 / W124 / etc. drivers seen that and dealt with this issue before?
Is it just the o-ring that is said to be between the distributor and the engine? I really don't want to mess about with it too much, but if I have to, I'll do of course.

Jesus I even have a video of how I'm able to move that lower ring up- and downwards (is that normal?), if you watch closely you can see some oil there as well. Is it coming through that way, maybe?

Looking forward to your replies!

Thanks!!

 

[grober]

Might be an indication of a build up pressure in the crankcase forcing oil up the distributer shaft. This may simply down to engine wear clearances[ nothing to be done] but check the breather pipe isn't clogged up.

 

[SLKNick]

Not had any direct experience of this particular model but I would consider this typical of the issues you get with a 27 year old car that has 273,000 km under its belt.

There is normally an o-ring on the outer part of the stem that fits into the block but it won't be that. The rotating shaft is usually not sealed against oil passage and runs in sleeve bearings which are susceptible to wear.

If there are no electrical parts under that plate and a once-a-year mop up is all that is required I would leave well alone.

If there are electrical parts under there then replacement would be advisable because the oil will get there eventually and cause them to break down.

If you can move the shaft from side-to-side then it is definitely time to search for a replacement distributor. There must be plenty of lower mileage examples in the breakers yards, refurbishment may also be a viable option MERCEDES BENZ DISTRIBUTOR REPAIR SERVICE RETURN POSTAGE FEE | eBay although the price looks to good to be true!

Well done for keeping it going this long.

 

[Marvin16x]

Hey there,

thanks for your replies!

I've had another look two weeks ago and it was a bit oily again, but seemed alright.
I mean it's been over two years and nearly 20,000 km since I first checked the distributor, so ...
Apart from an occasional mop up I will leave it well alone. Far more important things to do on this old lady.