W204 engine cylinder head cover leak

[DigitalStorm]

W204 2008 c220 cdi

So, whilst looking to fix an oil leak, I came across this…

Looks to be a leak in the cylinder head cover, not the actual gasket as is the norm.

It also looks as if prev owner had done some kind of temp fix or is it more likely a leaking injector (Black sludge)?

Questions are:

is this ok for a short journey (5 mins)?
Will something like k-seal ultimate help?
Is it a fairly easy job to replace it?

Cheers,
Digital

My engine

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Leaking injector how to. Similar?

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[StMarks]

Leaking injector seals, I had one on my Vito (although not as extreme as your example).
"Black death" is the result. Not as bad as the name infers, but the residue from evaporated un-burnt diesel cakes up the environment with a glue like residue.
The vehicle can be driven whilst leaking, however the leaked fuel means your mpg will drop dramatically and having unburnt fuel sprayed round a hot engine bay has got to be a serious fire risk, hasn't it ???
Hth

 

[DigitalStorm]

Leaking injector seals, I had one on my Vito (although not as extreme as your example).
"Black death" is the result. Not as bad as the name infers, but the residue from evaporated un-burnt diesel cakes up the environment with a glue like residue.
The vehicle can be driven whilst leaking, however the leaked fuel means your mpg will drop dramatically and having unburnt fuel sprayed round a hot engine bay has got to be a serious fire risk, hasn't it ???
Hth

A job for an okish home mechanic?

Or take it to a garage?

 

[StMarks]

A job for an okish home mechanic?

Or take it to a garage?

There are far more proficient mechanics on here who will be able to answer better than me.
Nontheless the answer is going to be subject to perspective, isn't it.?
Fwiw, I too am "ok-ish". I will willingly engage most challenges, however I always endeavor to asses the risks and outcomes.
In the case of my leaking injector, I read too many reports of attempts to remove injectors resulting in failure and very costly restitution.
Imho the risk outweighed the cost of entrusting the repair to a professional in my case.

 

[Oleks1992]

Yeah definitely injectors copper washers leaking.... its called black death. Its quiet a time consuming job and I've done quiet a few of them. You may need injector slidehammer depending on how much they're stuck in the head and seat cutter for the injector bores. It's time consuming job so taking time is the key. And last thing is to clean the threads out for injector clamp bolts cause if you don't clean them you may go through coolant jacket when tightening new bolts.

 

[DigitalStorm]

May have to have a go at this. This looks a comprehensive guide.

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[StMarks]

May have to have a go at this.

Hope it's fairly straightforward for you Digitalstorm.
Please let us know how you get on, both positive and negative. It can all be useful for the rest of us to refer to.!

 

[ALFAitalia]

Easy job....done a couple of 270 CDI engines. Cleaning up all the black goo takes up most of the time. The clamp and bolt design is awful with the pressure being greater on one side and the tiny bolts often snapping off during removal. Getting the engine up to full working temp will soften the goo and make injector removal easier....and reduce the chances of snapping the bolts.
As said you can drive it....but if it looses lots of compression due to a big leak it will just stop...even if it's just one cylinder....which is what happened to me!

 

[DigitalStorm]

Easy job....done a couple of 270 CDI engines. Cleaning up all the black goo takes up most of the time. The clamp and bolt design is awful with the pressure being greater on one side and the tiny bolts often snapping off during removal. Getting the engine up to full working temp will soften the goo and make injector removal easier....and reduce the chances of snapping the bolts.
As said you can drive it....but if it looses lots of compression due to a big leak it will just stop...even if it's just one cylinder....which is what happened to me!

Think its defo, in my case at least, do a lot of cleaning prior to actually starting the removal. Then slow and steady.