Oil leak

[dava]

Hi, I have a 95 SL280 with an oil leak from the engine, it appears to be from the cylinder head and I belive this is a fault with them, any ideas if this is the case or any other likely causes.
Regards
Ray

 

[grober]

Could be a cylinder head gasket problem. Is it from the front or rear and does it appear to originate from the "join" between the the head and block?? they can leak from the timing gear cover also and oil can migrate quite a long way. You may have to clean the engine up a bit to see clearly. Whats the mileage on the car? If its a minor leak I would be inclined to live with it for now unless it gets worse. Removing the cylinder head to renew the gasket is not too big a task for a MB specialist but may hasten the demise of the engine wiring loom if it hasnt been renewed.

 

[dava]

I tend to think it's between the head as I've had this before on other mercs. It's only got 41k on from new and it just annoys me a bit, whats the problem with the wiring loom to the engine? I'll steam it off and see where it's coming from I know it's from front to back as it's wetter at the front between the head and block, but it could be the timing cover.

 

[grober]

I tend to think it's between the head as I've had this before on other mercs. It's only got 41k on from new and it just annoys me a bit, whats the problem with the wiring loom to the engine? I'll steam it off and see where it's coming from I know it's from front to back as it's wetter at the front between the head and block, but it could be the timing cover.

Wiring loom problem is a well documented phenomenon. Insulation was made from "biodegradable" plastic so it would decay naturally in landfill. Problem was that it starts to degrade too soon in the car. Normally accelerated by heat in the engine compartment. It goes brittle and cracks leading to inter circuit shorts and shorts to earth. this causes lots of "strange " intermitant faults and can end up blowing ignition coils or the ECU!! Can run for years if undisturbed but removing a cylinder head means lots of bending of wires disconnection of sensors etc so if the insulation is suspect then problems will follow. If its only done 41k miles you could be OK since the loom hasnt been thermally stressed too much. There are lots of posts with illustrations to show you what to look for if you wish to investigate further.

 

[Mercedes cozy]

I had a similar problem with a SL320 and it turned out to be the front head timing cover as the seal below this does not seal properly.

 

[Mercedes cozy]

If you don't want to steam clean your car then I suggest that you get a rag and wipe all visable oil stains while the engine is cold.
Then start it up and look in the oily areas. If the oil comes out before you can identify it. Then you will need follow the same process when the engine is cold so that you don't burn your hands.

Let us know your findings?

 

[dava]

Timing cover sounds possible, had an old c class that leaked from the head and got away with retorqueing the head down. I blast it off and see where its coming from next week.
Cheers for all the effort
Ray