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Living with "blown" head gasket for 40,000 miles

11K views 73 replies 21 participants last post by  tuttebenne 
#1 ·
After four years and 40,000 miles of living with a "blown" gasket, I feel like offering some comforting words for those who could not afford $1500 to $2000 for a head gasket job or have no adequate tools and skills to do the gasket job themselves, "Kids, it is not too bad.", as Greg Gutfeld put it after Trump's victory to the weeping college kids.

First, it is really not a blown gasket. It is a leak from oil channel to coolant but not the other way around. The reason is that the pressure needed to push the oil into coolant at the location at the back of the engine where the coolant channel is too close to the oil channel is at least 3 bars. Yes, it leaks oil into coolant but it could be a small amount and it accumulates, manifesting itself as oil goo in the coolant reservoir tank. It is not a blown gasket but an annoying oil leak problem. You don't get coolant in engine oil, making it a milk.

I have lived with this symptom for four years with a 1994 E320 which otherwise runs so smoothly that makes us love W124 so much.

The answer is that it is not all that bad, and it is not the end of the world, if you are willing to put up with it.

This is how I put up with it. I only run water, not coolant, with some dishwasher detergent for cooling. This obvious won't work for folks living in cold area, but fine with me in North Carolina. I drain the coolant and flush my cooling system with my DIY suction tank once a few months. I replace, as often as needed, any bloated hoses. I have plenty water packed in my trunk for any emergencies with a few incidents when the hose leaked. Otherwise, the engine temperature runs at 87C or lower, all year round. No, no stop leak or gasket repair liquid worked, in my case. Yes, I have wasted some money, not much, on those Snake fluids.

No, it is not easy but I simply cannot justify spending $1500 for a car I paid $1500. And yes, I have not the skill, the tools, and the courage to do the head gasket myself.

So, what's the purpose of this post? First, I am bored after not posting for a long while to the forum. Second, I want to offer some glimpse of hope for those who are unfortunate to have this leaking problem (not blown gasket). Third, it is nice to get some rants from purists who spare no cost and tolerate nothing but factory specifications. Last, but not the least, I am actually rooting for real failure of the head gasket so that I can justify the purchase of a cabriolet for replacement. Unfortunately, the head gasket is still defying my wish after four years.


Jftu105
 
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#3 ·
LeftCoastGeek,

Don't even try to talk sense into jtfu105. He's just trolling and trying to get a rise out of some people on the forum. I ain't falling for his BS theories. I'm sticking with what a company with billions of dollars of R&D worth behind them prescribes.
 
#5 ·
In places where the temperature is below freezing, G05 is needed to avoid forming ice to crack the engine. Corrosion is the last thing I would worry about. I want the head gasket to fail completely and turn this car into a parts car, which justifies the purchase of a cabriolet to replace it. But, it keeps on going and the leak is not getting any worse after four years and 40,000 miles. It runs so well, you can't believe that it is "butter" (with oil in coolant).

Dishwasher detergent or high performance washer detergent is used for its low bubbling quality and its capability to dissolve oil.

It is GO5, 50%, with the other two normal E320 I have.

I got it when it was 104,000 miles and now it is 148,000 miles. By the way, it runs Dexron VI as the transmission fluid too. It has been Dex VI for over two years (since Oct., 2014 at 128,000 miles, for 20,000 miles). I stopped using Mobil One as engine oil because its low viscosity resulting in more leak. Now it is on DELCO 10W40 from COSTCO ($10 per gallon).

Like it or not, living with a "blown" head gasket is manageable, though challenging at times, at least for my case.

jftu105
 
#7 ·
... I want the head gasket to fail completely and turn this car into a parts car, which justifies the purchase of a cabriolet to replace it. ...
Why wait? Just remove the oil drain plug and floor it until the noise goes away. Then you'll have your justification to go buy and ruin your cabriolet.

With such twisted logic, conversation can serve no purpose.
 
#6 ·
While I agree that the issue is more one of weeping, rather than catastrophic failure. But I would also agree with the others about not running straight water. I don't really see why you are doing this. Even if you want to run the dish detergent, why wouldn't you still put some coolant in there? One of the main purposes of the coolant if to prevent corrosion, which is going to cause more issues. In addition, although I am not certain, I believe coolant has additives to maintain rubber parts (O-rings) and lubricate various moving bits (water pump shafts).

Come on now, just splash of coolant?
 
#11 · (Edited)
For those who are interested, I have tried many gasket sealers, like those cost $20 a bottle and you pour it into the coolant. This type of products is basically silica which hopefully will fill in the gap. In this case, it won't work because the leak is a narrow passage between the oil channel to the coolant channel at the back of engine where they are too close to each other. It takes about 3 bar of pressure to push oil into coolant. Therefore, any silica into the little passage won't hold because the pressure is one way.

Regular engine stop-leak, such as liquid molly's oil saver or Bar's stop leak stuff, they might help a little bit but the leak is still there after four years and a few tries. I stopped using them.

To manage this "blown" gasket problem, my method is now as I reported: 1) use 10W40 engine oil. 2) use water with dishwasher detergent and flush often, 3) avoid pushing the engine too hard when it is cold because this is the time when the leak is the worst (low coolant pressure and high oil pressure). Finally, 4) be prepared for any alarming signs by examining the hose condition, attention to the temperature gage, keeping plenty water in the trunk, and some extra hoses.

If corrosion gets to it and destroys the engine, I am happy because I finally can buy my cabriolet that I always want to. After four years and 40,000 miles, I only had to replace a few hoses and one radiator (over 100,000 miles). The water pump has been fine (oily water is a good lubricant, I suppose).

There are people who would opt for the head gasket job just for oil leak to the outside. I can live with oil in coolant for four years, so can you if you are not too picky. However, performance wise, my E320, all three of them, are running as new, with smooth idling, acceleration, quiet, efficient, with engine running parameters verified by Hfmscan to be within factory specs. As I said, it is running so good, you can't believe it is on "butter".

jftu105
 
#12 ·
The corrosion alert got me thinking. It is all about risk management. With oil in coolant, the risk is more related to the deterioration of the rubber hose than metal corrosion. Metal corrosion is more related to O2, acid, and chemicals. Water with dishwasher detergent should not be too corrosive for metal because it is what we have inside the dishwasher.

So far, I had to replace the heater hose (at the back of the engine), the radiator top hose (from thermostat to the top of the radiator), the front short hose (bypass hose, right behind the fan), and the reservoir.

As for metal corrosion, I don't see any risk to the aluminum pocket inside the engine or the heater pipe. Water pump might be at greater risk but so far so good. Temperature is stable, 87C or lower. Therefore, the risk of poor heat transfer due to metal corrosion does not seem to be a factor. Finally, the dishwasher detergent helps to clean and improve wetting for better heat transfer. On the detergent bottle, it states it could removed baked in oil on dishes. Just consider that I am in an eternal flushing cycle.

Finally, wasteful is a sin. Only stupid people will suggest destroying a car rapidly and intentionally. We kill our cars eventually, but killing it softly is better.

jftu105
 
#14 ·
Two suggestions:

- I see you are in North Carolina. Why not run some moonshine in the cooling system? It will negate the need for detergent, and will not freeze during chilly nights.

- Make up a stainless steel or copper tube that you can run down the oil return galley. The length of the tube should extend further down into the galley than the parting line between head and block (bypassing the head gasket). If you do it right the top of the tube will be flared to fit the head and you can epoxy it in place The oil will run down the tube and never get near the leaky gasket. This will allow you to run correct coolant, to keep oil out of your radiator, to save your water pump seal and all coolant hoses from the ruination of the oil and detergent cocktail and will save the moonshine for yourself.
 
#16 · (Edited)
This post is akin to a smoker saying I've been smoking for 30 years and don't have cancer here's how I did it. Just because your unwilling to fix the problem, it should not be a "DIY".

I find it funny the same guy who's using head gasket stop leak is the one advertising using Dex VI. I'll pass.
 
#18 · (Edited)
jftu105

What are your driving conditions in the E320 in North Carolina (The city/town you live and work in?) I can see how using the car in a non traffic stop and go environment would allow you to nurse the HG oil leak and coolant mixing through many thousands of miles but in cities like LA/NY or anywhere that involves stop and go driving over an extended period i cannot see this working, My first M103 W124 had a slow HG leak, Drove fine when on the freeway and moving along but the minute i was sitting in traffic the coolant oil mixture would start to heat up pretty fast.
 
#19 ·
This E320 which I bought with this oily coolant problem is my daily driver. My daily driving typically is 40 miles round trip. Thank god, no traffic usually, about 10 miles cutting through the town and 10 miles highway. I can keep the car idling indefinitely without overheating because the fan will kick in to cool it down, even in the hot summer, which could hit 100F. If I need to drive in a situation like in Arizona with 2 hours jam, my oily car probably won't survive if you have too much oil in the coolant. I get by with whatever situation given to me.

It takes some effort to keep it going. You need to remove as much oil in the cooling system as possible. I made this suction tank out of a garden sprayer. I normally insert a tube through the reservoir all the way to near the bottom of the radiator. I suck out coolant (water + detergent + oil). I then use a plumber wire with a piece of cloth to go in to wipe out the goo and slur whatever down there. I also open the front hoses to remove oil there or replace them with new ones. I put back everything and run the water with detergent. Drain it and repeat a few times until the water is quite clear. In this way, the majority of oil is out. From this point on, it is a maintenance routine to keep the oil from fouling the water too much.

Now, just imagine a chicken soup with some trace of oil film on the top. Once you keep it that way, the cooling is quite effective with just water and detergent.

Hopefully, this helps people who need to get by before the main gasket job.

Do the gasket job if you have the skill or the money. If this is a cabriolet which I paid good money for, I would have paid to replace the gasket already, but not for this car which I paid $1500 for.

A better analogy is like a person with the kidney issue, who does dialysis while waiting for transplant. I hope this analogy does not offend anybody.

jftu105
 
#21 ·
I must admit i tend to agree with this, I understand JFTU105's logic too, He spent $1500 on the car and the cost to repair the head would likely be close to or more than the purchase price which would also give me heartburn but 4 years of siphoning Chocolate milk ... Yikes... I nursed the 300E for about a year and then dumped it as the paint was on its way out and the car was no longer worth investment.

My solution would either be fix the head once pennies are saved if the car is in excellent cosmetic condition or just dump it and find another one with a good head and cooling system. Hell these cars are so cheap now anyway with very good examples trading hands for less than $2k or $3-4K on mint examples with documented history sometimes including the HG being done alone with other items.
 
#25 ·
I spent more time writing on this forum than flushing my cooling system.

If money and time are the only consideration, many of us need to have our brains examined for driving cars over 20 years old and spent hours and hours talking (arguing) about them.

jftu105
 
#27 ·
I rode a bad head gasket (oil in coolant only) for over 35,000 in extreme conditions. Only until hoses started bursting from oil saturation did I deal with it. Engine still runs perfect since being rebuilt, but I still get a glob of old oil every now and then from somewhere in the cooling / heating system.
 
#29 ·
Although it is good to know that I was not the only odd ball to put up with this oil in coolant problem for an extended period, I, however, have no intention to state that this problem can be ignored. In my earlier posts, I detailed how I deal with it but never just ignoring it. These engines are simply amazing with their fault tolerant capabilities. We still want to keep them within the spec as much as we can.

jftu105
 
#35 · (Edited)
I'm confused, is the cartoon implying a lack of funds?

If not, what does it mean?

If so, that's weak. Anyone less fortunate than me, I am grateful for my blessings.
And anyone doing better already knows, the more money you have the better person you are. (Insert Extreme Sarcasm Emoji here)

State your position and claim its sovereignty (and afford it to others). Why bother yourself how someone spends their money?
 
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