Head Gasket Leaking :( - SL320

[Fais]

Hey all...

Went to the dealer for a basic service and they reported the the head gasket is leaking at 'O/S/F corner area'.

They said it was going to be a big/expensive job - approx 10hrs labour.

Anyone able to advise on what i should do? Is it ok to leave it till it 'blows'? i only do about 4k miles a year.

if not; anyone you can recommend to get it done from in West London?

Thanks!

Fais

 

[C240Sport97]

go to Steve in Maidstone, Kent. Many of us on here use him, and he's excellent. He works for a MB main dealer.

 

[SimonsMerc]

West London, I suggest giving George Fraser a call. He works in Alperton (near the Hanger Lane Gyratory, off the A40). His web page is here.

-simon

 

[Bernie Cook]

Don't leave it Fais, it'll only get worse. I had a change of head gasket done on my E320. It cost about £800 at a stealership. But be careful............ The job of changing the gasket may also damage the engine wiring loom.

I know that W124s especially the 320s, 400s, 420s 500s and 600s have wiring loom problems due to high heat in the engine bay. I understand that during some years, Mercedes installed bio degradeable wiring harnesses!

 

[GordonTarling]

Auto-Care services in West Drayton are also Mercedes specialists and may be worth consideration.

 

[Fais]

thanks for the recommendation everyone... will try and get some quotes.

@ Bernie... you're right about it being a very difficult job... so may have to settle on a stealership where the labour rated aren't too high, unless the MB specialists recommended here turn out to be significantly more competitive.

is the head gasket likley to blow by doing higher speeds.... or does it make no difference... i.e. it can go anytime?

 

[Bernie Cook]

Not sure, I think that it'll just leak more than before.

 

[Chris C36]

The only problem you may have by continuing to drive the car is that water may escape out of the leaky HG leaving you with little or no coolant a few miles into your journey (obviously depending on how bad the leak is) which would cause things to get very hot! A hot engine may in turn lead to a warped/cracked cylinder head and a very big bill! If you do keep driving it I would just keep a keen eye on the fluids. I talk from experience in that my C36 was emptying the coolant system within about 10 miles, fortunately there was no head damage!

 

[altreed]

I had mine changed at Andy Gayles in Birmingham during a normal service, that was an expensive service though!!!

 

[glojo]

My own personal opinion is to get it fixed as soon as is practical. You are risking a very expensive breakdown. Check your coolant, is there traces of oil? That oil is coming from the engine, water therefore might get into the engine? Fluids do not compress and water mixed with oil is not the best lubricant for the engine!

Good luck with your decision and check how long the repair is gauranteed for.

Regards,
John

 

[Dieselman]

Hey all...

Went to the dealer for a basic service and they reported the the head gasket is leaking at 'O/S/F corner area'.

They said it was going to be a big/expensive job - approx 10hrs labour.

Anyone able to advise on what i should do? Is it ok to leave it till it 'blows'? i only do about 4k miles a year.

if not; anyone you can recommend to get it done from in West London?

Thanks!

Fais

Leaking oil from this area is a common problem. It's due to the oil guide being close to the edge of the gasket.
If this is all the problem is then other than a gradually worsening oil leak then there is no real problem.

If the problem is different to this then it needs fixing soon.

 

[Apial]

Dieselman is correct. You can let it drip, but it will get gradually worse. It will make a mess of your drive, your garage, and make you unwelcome at most folks houses too. Eventually it might blow good and proper.

10 hours is the time to change the head gasket. Garages in my area charge £35-50 an hour. Mercedes charge £95. The head will be skimmed too. Allow about £250 for parts and skimming plus £350-£950 labour, then add VAT. Skimming costs about £60.

Anything less than £800 sounds like a good deal. The 2nd gasket usually outlasts the 1st and 3rd gaskets for longevity, so I am told.

Lots of pre 1999 Mercs are driving around with this problem. After this date the fault is less common.

Has anyone got any cheaper prices to report?

 

[Fais]

Really appreciate the replies everyone!!!!!!! Thank you!

@ Dieselman & Apial... that is good news that i can potentially leave things as they are for a while. Will give me the chance to take some time to decide where to get the repairs done... and save up! i have been ringing a few specialists and getting quotes of 'apporx' £900 inc... but some seem to be reluctant to take the job (which i'll have to avoid).

Going to try a few non-london mb dealers for some quotes and hope i get lucky.
MB Dartford seemed reasonable on the A service (£150 compared with £300 in london), so hopefully they'll give me a reasonable price on this.

Will keep an eye on temp and fluid levels... thanks guys! Will report back on decision.


BTW... if any of you are looking for a genuinely good dealer, MB Dartford were excellent on the service. Not pushy on repairs, charged what they said they would, while u wait service and they'll drive you to/from Bluewater shopping centre while your car is being serviced. The work on the car itself was excellent. Worth the 1.5hr drive and the £££ saving. Put rotten london dealers to shame.

 

[glojo]

Going to try a few non-london mb dealers for some quotes and hope i get lucky.
MB Dartford seemed reasonable on the A service (£150 compared with £300 in london), so hopefully they'll give me a reasonable price on this.

Just another thought for you to consider.

There have been television articles on owners travelling to the coast to get the car serviced. They have stayed the week-end in a decent hotel and still saved money when comparing the price of the service compared to the London, big city prices.

I have no experience of this and am only repeating what I have seen.

Good luck with the decision and well done for monitoring all the levels and temperatures. Remember though to check your coolant for traces of oil.

Regards,
John

 

[kth286]

Fais

You should know that Mercedes issued a bulletin stating that the oil capacity should be reduced on the 104 3.2 litre straight six engine.

The capacity was reduced from 7.5 to 7 litres and the oil level should be no more than half way between the low and high marks with a cold engine and car parked level.

If your handbook is one that still states 7.5 litres it is out of date and the later ones were altered.

The oil level has a dramatic effect on oil leaks from head gaskets and oils seals due to increased pressure being generated from overfill.

Check your level properly and drain some out if overfilled and notice your oil leaks disappear.

Mine did.

Hope this helps.

Regards

David Williams E320 Coupe (W124) 1995

 

[Fais]

Just another thought for you to consider.

There have been television articles on owners travelling to the coast to get the car serviced. They have stayed the week-end in a decent hotel and still saved money when comparing the price of the service compared to the London, big city prices.

Didn't think of trying the costal dealers, will give them ago.

Fais

You should know that Mercedes issued a bulletin stating that the oil capacity should be reduced on the 104 3.2 litre straight six engine.

The capacity was reduced from 7.5 to 7 litres and the oil level should be no more than half way between the low and high marks with a cold engine and car parked level.

If your handbook is one that still states 7.5 litres it is out of date and the later ones were altered.

The oil level has a dramatic effect on oil leaks from head gaskets and oils seals due to increased pressure being generated from overfill.

Check your level properly and drain some out if overfilled and notice your oil leaks disappear.

Thanks for that!!! finally had a chance to check oil and the level appears to be ok. But since it only came back from service, that's probably why. I'll get someone to check the gasket again for signs of leaking. perhaps it will now be fine after service based on what you say. -Hopefully you save me a fair bit of cash

 

[aspire]

Hi Fais

Just noticed this post. I have a 98 SL320 with an O/S/R oil leak, that has been present ever since I bought the car 12 months ago. At the time, my AA engineer's inspection pointed out the problem. I then sought the advice of an independent MB specialist, who described it as a "sweat" rather than a leak, and said it might need a head gasket, but maybe not in the time I owned the car. I have done 5500 miles since, and have no oil on my driveway, and the temperature gauge is ususally at 85-90, slightly higher in traffic queues. I'm pretty relaxed about this. If the head gasket needs done at some point, it needs done. My car is out of the dealer for servicing, anyway, so I'm not paying their rates.

Great cars, aren't they!

Derek

 

[r chaggar]

Oil Leak

Hi Sean, Thanks for your advice. How can I contact Steve in Maidstone?

go to Steve in Maidstone, Kent. Many of us on here use him, and he's excellent. He works for a MB main dealer.

 

[Fais]

Hi Fais

Just noticed this post. I have a 98 SL320 with an O/S/R oil leak, that has been present ever since I bought the car 12 months ago. At the time, my AA engineer's inspection pointed out the problem. I then sought the advice of an independent MB specialist, who described it as a "sweat" rather than a leak, and said it might need a head gasket, but maybe not in the time I owned the car. I have done 5500 miles since, and have no oil on my driveway, and the temperature gauge is ususally at 85-90, slightly higher in traffic queues. I'm pretty relaxed about this. If the head gasket needs done at some point, it needs done. My car is out of the dealer for servicing, anyway, so I'm not paying their rates.

Great cars, aren't they!

Derek

Just saw your reply.... Thanks Aspire!

Really helpful to know... i think i will leave it for a while then. Rather not send my car while the sun is out the temp has been steady and no oil on the drive....

 

[PJH]

Don't want to worry you but I hope you oil pressure remains high, unlike mine.
http://mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=16867