oil leak from front of engine and need a radiator anyone.

[jgs600]

hi guys
well took the merc on her maiden voyage to work yesterday.... what can i say.....! 20years old, BIG,Slow, Quiet and a joy to drive...wish i had bought a merc 15years ago.....

anyway i noticed a couple of blobs of oil on the floor at work and today when i got home had another look and it seems to be coming from the front somewhere.
ive chucked in a bottle of oil stop leak stuff from halfords but if im gonna keep the old girl its probably best to get it done properly.


anyidea what it might be, ie front oil seal or something. and how easy is this sort of job to do. ive a local mechanic who does most jobs but would want to give him an idea as to what might need to be done. oh also my radiator is leaking a bit, anyone got a spare one they would like to sell....please.......!

 

[1nevster]

At a guess front crankshaft pulley seal??

 

[jgs600]

how easy is it to do and would it be worth changing the front belt.

 

[peapod]

I have just fixed a similar sounding leak. It is probably one of the gearbox oil pipes which connect to a heat exchanger which is inside the radiator on the offside of the car. both pipes cost about £40 The rad has to come out. My leak was where the oil pipe was clipped to the bottom of the radiator. See my other post on it. good luck. PS please give your car model in your details if poss !

 

[chopp3r84]

i have same problem in my w202 not had it up in the air 2 check it out tho

 

[jgs600]

the oil is running down the front of the sump pan and the car is a 1990 300td manual.

cheers

 

[peapod]

Is the oil level too high. Are you sure it is not coming down the side of the block from the chain tensioner. The o ring on the sump oil level switch fails but that is on teh Nearside of the sump. Surely it is not the crank seal ?

 

[Sp!ke]

The sump may have been overtightened and is twisted. The sump bolts have a very low torque value.

Looking at the photo though, I can see that the engine is very moist higher up. I suspect other leaks higher up too.

Best thing is to clean the whole area with some brake cleaner so it is spotless. Then start the car and hold the revs at about 3k rpm whilst looking out for leaks.

The source(s) should soon make themselves apparent.

 

[grober]

What grade of oil is in there. Many people put in modern synthetic oils 5W40 etc in these older engines thinking this will help the engine. These have a habit of exaggerating any leaks. A big improvement in leaks can sometimes be achieved using a suitable semi-synthetic 10W40 oil. The front crankshaft seal is a common source of leaks and can be replaced- however after many miles a small lip is often worn on the crank itself where the seal rests meaning that the new seal needs to be replaced in a slightly different position such that the new seal lip rests on a fresh bit of crank surface. The pulley securing bolt sometimes needs a lot of torque to loosen it---- think scaffold pole breakerbar socket extension! As Spike says you need to locate the leak source first before anything else.

 

[jgs600]

cheers guys,yes i think the oil leak is coming from further up. the car came with no history so iv done an oil change straight away with mobil Super S 10w-40 semi synthetic oil. this was on special at halfords. and changed the oil/fuel/air filters. which i got from eurocarparts.
looking at the underside of the car its quite oily so this could have been an ongoing problem. will give it a good steam clean and keep an eye on things. cheers.

 

[kth286]

the oil is running down the front of the sump pan and the car is a 1990 300td manual.

cheers

is that a 124 chassis diesel estate ?????? with manual gearbox ?

 

[jgs600]

yes its a 1990 W124 estate diesel with a manual gearbox.