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Oil leak from head gasket

5K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  David in Australia 
#1 ·
There's oil on my garage floor so I took it into the dealer for the service A it needed anyway and they said it needs a new head gasket, $395 for a head gasket replacement kit and 9 1/2 hours labor or about $1,400. There's no coolant in the oil otherwise it vapor would come out the tailpipe and the performance of the car is normal so there's no misfires or codes or anything like that, just oil leaking on the floor. Is this common the SLK230? Ours is a '98 with 94K miles. I see that Ben replaced his himself but then reported it was still leaking, is this really a DIY job? Are there any stop leak type products that will seal it long enough to get another year out of the car?
 
#2 ·
Check 2 other items 1st.

1.Camshaft position magnet at front of cyl head.
2.Rear drain hole at back of rocker cover, rear bolt inside comes loose and oil runs down over head and block.

Then give engine an all over wash and see where its coming from inc 1 and 2 above after a run.

Bazzle
 
#3 ·
a bit off topic but also on head gasket, my fren's c200k head gasket gave way after he swapped the s/c for a turbo. now car in the workshop waiting for a custom all metal head gasket. his car will misfire if he revs above 6000rpm without upshifting manually. they claim its the safety cut off built into the benz auto gearbox if it sends enormous amount of torque/power to ensure the reliability of the gearbox. up till now they are not able to break this code...
 
G
#5 ·
andychiew76 said:
a bit off topic but also on head gasket, my fren's c200k head gasket gave way after he swapped the s/c for a turbo. now car in the workshop waiting for a custom all metal head gasket.


his car will misfire if he revs above 6000rpm without upshifting manually. they claim its the safety cut off built into the benz auto gearbox if it sends enormous amount of torque/power to ensure the reliability of the gearbox. up till now they are not able to break this code...


Blown head gasket due to higher boost is normal. The engine rev limiter is a safety feature for the engine, not the gearbox.
 
#6 ·
OK, I cleaned the engine, drove it for a few miles and after a half hour of searching with mirrors and flashlights, here's a picture of the leak. You are seeing a 4" round mirror reflecting under the rear of the engine on the exhaust side just below the exhaust manifold in the rear corner of the head gasket. It does appear that the head gasket is leaking something there. Also, I found of drop of oil coming out of the oil pan drain bolt. That actually had a drop of oil coming from it, the head gasket is just moist at the point but I didn't see any oil dripping from it. Also, looking at the gasket, does it look like someone put putty or something there to stop the leak or is that just crud buildup?



Close up -

 
G
#7 ·
Wow......so the dealer was right. I have never ever see or heard oil leak from the head gasket on any cars. This is the first. Well, I hope you got in contact the person I reffered you to. Just make sure that the head need to resurface and check for warpe before re-install. The cheapest route would be, find a low mileages engine on Ebay since your car is around 100K miles.
 
#8 ·
Talked to the mechanic, he said that's very rare for that car to need a head gasket and it's normal for some oil to weap out over time, even on a new car. So I wiped the area down and the head gasket looks good to me. He said drive it for a week and check to see if it's really leaking from there but he doubts it. I'm pretty sure the leak is from the oil pan drain bolt as I wipe it and 15 minutes later another drop forms.

So far the MB of Laguna Niguel told me I need

1. a head gasket and that's questionable
2. shocks and they all work fine to me, normal rebound, no rubbing, squeaking or oil leaking out of them.
3. rear brakes with 20% left, checked, there's 1/2" left, look and work fine
4. front brakes with 10% left, checked, there's 3/16" left, look and work fine

Cleaned up suspected leak area -

 
#10 ·
you could always just re-torque the head and se if that helps, adjust your valves while youre at it. use a new copper sealer washer to stop the drain plug next time you change oil. or just put a pan under it like an english car owner would and forget it.
 
#11 ·
Bazzle said:
Rear drain hole at back of rocker cover, rear bolt inside comes loose and oil runs down over head and block.
Bazzle.......any idea what this drain hole is supposed to drain :confused:

Rear bolt inside?.........

Just interested...... haven't got a leak

Having owned an MGA and TR6 I know what Berk means.......a few drips was standard......but always good to know where it's coming from.......a piece of cardboard or paper under the car overnight (or longer) and lining up the puddle will hopefully confirm the drain plug as the cause

Having looked at the head gasket repair thread I would take the watch and wait approach..........looks like you are going to do an oil change the good old fashioned way.....good opportunity to see if more oil comes out through suction or drainge :rolleyes:

Has there been a significant drop in the oil level on the dipstick?

Good luck Buel......

David
 
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