W124 - Oil leaks

[Bill_33]

Continuing to go through the 1985 W124 Estate that a bought a couple of weeks ago

There are the "usual" spots of oil on the drive

Obviously I will need to remove the under engine cover to investigate

BUT I would be grateful if you guys could tell me where to expect the oil leaks to be and if they are reasonable DIY jobs, (I am reasonably competent)

At the end of the day the amount of oil dripping is not great so I would image that the "cost" effective solution is to let them be

Thanks in advance

Bill

 

[mattc]

front crankshaft oil seal
timing chain cover
headgasket

Take your pick on a 124 - which engine do you have?

 

[Roger Jones]

Head gasket (offside rear) and timing-chain cover are the most likely places. The former will result in dark streaking of the underside of the car. The head gasket replacement is reckoned to be an 8-hour job in the hands of an experienced MB mechanic.

http://www.continentalimports.com/ser_ic100345.html

P.S. A 1985 280? I thought the 280 M104 engine didn't arrive until the 1990s, although the timeline on Wikipedia has an entry saying 1984-92 -- wrong, surely?

 

[Bill_33]

Head gasket (offside rear) and timing-chain cover are the most likely places. The former will result in dark streaking of the underside of the car. The head gasket replacement is reckoned to be an 8-hour job in the hands of an experienced MB mechanic.

http://www.continentalimports.com/ser_ic100345.html

P.S. A 1985 280? I thought the 280 M104 engine didn't arrive until the 1990s, although the timeline on Wikipedia has an entry saying 1984-92 -- wrong, surely?

Sorry mistyped I should have said 1996 E280 NOT 1985

 

[Bill_33]

From that article the head gasket replacement looks a bugger

All I have are a few spots of oil, (famous last words)

 

[mattc]

If its only a little I would live with it - if you see puddling of oil over a few days then I guess it needs diagnosing properly- can you clean the block up first, warm the engine up (but dont drive it anywhere which would just force oil backwards all over the show) and then leave it to drip down the block so you can see where its coming from?

 

[Bill_33]

If its only a little I would live with it - if you see puddling of oil over a few days then I guess it needs diagnosing properly- can you clean the block up first, warm the engine up (but dont drive it anywhere which would just force oil backwards all over the show) and then leave it to drip down the block so you can see where its coming from?

Thanks Matt

I plan to do this in about a month - clean all the engine and degrease

I have started, being very careful to treat the engine loom with care, (I am not sure that it has been replaced) - I have the service book but the previous owner is sending me all the bills that he can find to support the service stamps.

I bought the car expecting to consider the well published W124 problems, so it is not something that I have gone into with my eyes closed. I wanted a good Estate E280 with a nice interior, (leather, aircon, power seats etc,), good body, (limited rust) plus a good service history and few owners. I found one with only 160,000, last owner 14 years and 140,000 miles, never smoked in, for well under £2,000, (my budget), so i am happy to spend money and hours.

It is a "second car" that I want to enjoy - appreciating the MBZ build quality and integrity, (great words - we will see what happens), - if I really like the vehicle it will either be the best restoration that I can do or sell it and buy the "best" W124 that I can afford to keep now that i have reached "free bus pass" and winter fuel allowance time.

I also looked at the later model, (not sure of the model ref W2??), Estates, I have had a E320CDi which was great and I should never have sold...........but I have seen so many with rust all over the place...even in the middle of the bonnet, doors and tailgate - some X and Y reg vehicles were just a disgrace. I much prefer the W124.