W124 E220 Cabrolet. Petrol poss headgasket

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

Futureclassic1

New Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2020
Messages
7
Location
Colchester
Car
E220 W124 Cabrolet
Evening all.
Please can someone help?
I have a E220 w124 Cabrolet 1995.
I have started to get engine oil in the coolant expansion bottle. It's Engine oil and not transmition oil as it is brown and not red. I have no other symptoms of a head gasket. I am not losing coolant, Engine oil is still as clear as the day I changed it, and I have no running issues. I cleaned out the expansion bottle about 200 miles ago and I can now see Engine oil reappearing. It is very minor at the moment as my oil level does not seem to have dropped by much. I spoke to mercedes who said it may be a head gasket or an oil cooler issue, although he was unable to supply an oil cooler part number as it did not show up on the parts catalogue. Can anyone advise if I am looking at a head gasket problem or something else before I spend big money and time on a head gasket. Also does my engine have an oil cooler? It's a 2.2 litre petrol.
Thanks in advance
Gary
 
The transmission cooler lines go into the radiator. There might be an internal crack that's letting them mix.
 
I think you’ll find it’s leaking from the head gasket. The early M111s were known for this IIRC, they used to leak from the back of the head, towards cylinders 3/4, stretch bolts came loose.

Oil will end up in coolant due to it running at a higher pressure than the coolant system, and the header tank being the highest point (oil floats!)

Could be wrong but I don’t think there’s an engine oil cooler on your model.
 
That’s how the HG went on the 190. Oil in coolant, no overheating.

It’s not a huge job. My dad paid a local garage £400 plus parts (circa £100 for an elring kit + new head bolts) and machine shop to skim to have the job done on his w202.
 
Thanks a lot for the information supplied. I'm pretty certain that the oil is engine oil and not transmission fluid so I am ruling out the radiator / transmission cooler. Looks like a head gasket could be on the cards then.
 
Evening all.
Please can someone help?
I have a E220 w124 Cabrolet 1995.
I have started to get engine oil in the coolant expansion bottle. It's Engine oil and not transmition oil as it is brown and not red. I have no other symptoms of a head gasket. I am not losing coolant, Engine oil is still as clear as the day I changed it, and I have no running issues. I cleaned out the expansion bottle about 200 miles ago and I can now see Engine oil reappearing. It is very minor at the moment as my oil level does not seem to have dropped by much. I spoke to mercedes who said it may be a head gasket or an oil cooler issue, although he was unable to supply an oil cooler part number as it did not show up on the parts catalogue. Can anyone advise if I am looking at a head gasket problem or something else before I spend big money and time on a head gasket. Also does my engine have an oil cooler? It's a 2.2 litre petrol.
Thanks in advance
Gary
Hi Gary,
How did you go about fixing the problem?
I have exactly similar symptoms in my E220 Sedan, car doesn't overheat, drives fine, however there is oil on top of coolant in the reservoir.
The engine oil is absolutely clear and there is a drop in level by approximately 200-300 ML.
 
Take the spark plugs out for an inspection. Even if there is only a slight amount of coolant is getting into the cylinder head it will show up as deposits on the spark plug. My 190e had this problem and it was the rear most cylinder.
 
Take the spark plugs out for an inspection. Even if there is only a slight amount of coolant is getting into the cylinder head it will show up as deposits on the spark plug. My 190e had this problem and it was the rear most cylinder.
Not all HG leaks affect the combustion chamber though :)
 
When changing the head gasket on the M111 engine be sure to get the head skimmed/ planed flat and tested for corrosion damage as there can be weaknesses in the head casting in some places. [ There was on mine] If you don't do this the new head gasket will rapidly fail again. Since the bulk of the cost of this repair is in the labour do not try to skimp on cost. An engine machine shop head skim and welding should not cost too much on a bare stripped head.
 
Quick test is remove spark plugs and spin over the engine, you should see coolant mist exit the plug holes
 
Quick test is remove spark plugs and spin over the engine, you should see coolant mist exit the plug holes
Not for a HG leak between the oil and coolant passages only. The gasket can leak between those parts without leaking into the bores.
 
:dk:

That’s what this thread is about - oil into coolant, not overheating/coolant loss/poor running or steam from the exhaust etc.

Loose cylinder head stretch bolts can cause this issue. Reason I know this is I have seen this first hand and have repaired/rebuilt engines like this myself :thumb:
 
Will As i was passing through i was reading what 190 put in post no 7 and that stuck in my mind . That took me of the path and it wont take much, i tell you lol . And by the way its not the only oil that can get into the water system and i am not talking about atf fluid .
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom