oil leak at front of engine

[satbasi]

Hi all,

Ive noticed a small amount of oil on driveway where I park the car.

I lifted the bonnet and can see there is oil leaking at the front of the engine, close to the serpantine belt.

Does anyone have an idea what/where this is from? Im worried incase its the headgasket/seal.

The car is a 99 t reg w140 s320 with the m104 engine.

I flashed on side of engine, along manifold & cant see any leaks, just looks a but greasy at some places, but no oil leak.

The oil seems to be leaking at the front, left said if your facing the car with bonnet open (my left side)

 

[carat 3.6]

Timing case upper seal, or headgasket.

 

[stwat]

Id there any chance you could post a picture?

 

[Twistedmind]

Oil feed or return pipe from turbo ???

Sent from my iPhone using MBClub UK

 

[BlackC55]

Very likely to be the front cover seal and or the head gasket.

 

[satbasi]

Thanks for the replies guys. I will try to post a picture soon. Just wanted to ask if its head gasket would there be any other obvious signs?

Oil & water have not mixed-no mayonnaise under oil cap or oil in water tank.

If it is head gasket i will consider selling the car as it is tbh

 

[satbasi]

here are 2 pics of the oil leak..

 

[carat 3.6]

That looks like the timing case upper seal leaking to me. If it was my car I would have the engine steam cleaned, then check the engine once a day to see exactly where it is leaking.

 

[satbasi]

Cheers carat3.6, will do this. I was looking into this and came across a website where some guy had tried replacing this seal with no luck & in the end used a high temperature silicone seal to seal it up externally, on his r129 merc sl.

What are your thoughts on that, if it is just a slow leak?

 

[carat 3.6]

I've seen people try all sorts of things to seal these up, including covering the outside in sealer. It is never a permanent repair and will leak again.

The best way is to change the seal for a new one, and use proper oil resistant rtv sealer on the ends where the seal meets the head.

 

[markjay]

In my experience RTV-type silicone sealant don't work when used externally on leaks.

I would try an anti-leak oil additive. Not something I would normally recommend but if the repair cost is too high it might be worth a shot. Essentially these additives cause the seals/gaskets to expands so can sometimes help with a dry/cracked seal.

 

[satbasi]

Is it an easy enough diy? I service my car myself. Also, do i get the seal from merc dealer or eurocarparts??

 

[markjay]

Also worth checking that the timing case cover bolts are tightened to torque, on the odd chance that one or more became loose.

 

[satbasi]

Thanks markjay, do you mean stuff like wynns etc, which you pour into oil filler?

 

[carat 3.6]

Have a look at this thread: M104.992 / 95E320 Timing Cover Seal Replacement Steps and Pics - PeachParts Mercedes ShopForum

Additives wont help with this leak as the seal itself isn't leaking, the oil seeps out where the silicone/rtv/sealant has dried out and contracted.

In this pic you can see the gap between the head and the seal which is filled with the sealant, this is where your oil will be coming from.

 

[markjay]

Thanks markjay, do you mean stuff like wynns etc, which you pour into oil filler?

Yes:

Halfords | Wynn's Engine Stop Leak 325ml

But this does not always work, and even when it does work, it might not last... worth trying if you can't/won't have the gasket replaced (for whatever reason).

 

[flango]

Wynns usually works it has a 100 % track record with me used it on JSWMBO Punto to cure a leaky crank oilseal worked perfect. I've also had success with high adhesion trade high temp silicones to cure external leaks permanently

But as said if the cars a keeper just get the gasket changed

 

[satbasi]

Thanks for the advice guys, really appreciate it. The car is on sorn for another month. Will deal with this soon & keep you posted