Vito 108D Smoking Engine

[mike de vito]

My 108D is a '98 on 107k. A few weeks a go it started to 'tick' intermittently which I thought was a sticky cam follower. Speaking to some MB enthusiasts confirmed my diagnosis and I was advised to flush the engine oil. Before I could get around to it, however, the engine started lightly blue-smoking on accelaration and the smoking got rapidly worse over 500 miles to the point where it now loses power and the smoke is a thick screen.

Theories offered are:
Broken rings;
Rings 'stuck in'.

If the rings are stuck in, has anyone had any luck freeing them off, and, if so, how d'ya do it?

Cheers

Mike

 

[panason1c]

Sounds like broken ring or piston damage to me........with the engine running remove the dipstick and observe whether there is a lot of pressure/blow-back from the dipstick tube...this would confirm my suspicions.

 

[mike de vito]

Hi panason1c

thanks for that. There certainly is lots of crank case pressure; the lads who have suggested stuck rings think that the rings are stuck in their grooves and are therefore letting by - just as broken rings would do. All four cylinders are firing which makes me think it can't be a hole in a piston crown. Short of putting a camera down the glow plug holes, I'm still scaratching me head!

Cheers

Mike

 

[panason1c]

A compression test will indicate which cylinder is down......sounds like you need to be prepared for a major engine strip-down though - if the blow-back is as severe as you indicate..........i dont subscribe to the theory of 'stuck' rings....... in my previous experience, they have either been worn or broken.

 

[mike de vito]

The problem turned out to be a blown head gasket; it went between the timing chain gallery and the adjacent cylinder. All fixed now thanks to the sterling work of MBS (Mercedes Benz Services) of Exeter (01392 493222) who I can heartily recommend.

Cheers

Mike