It might be the sight glass(if you have one of the early 140s. It can be changed, and might be still ($) available. It is fed by a hose from the tank, my MB friends tell me I could have removed and capped it, which can be done, since there is a dash indicator for low fluid. It is not that hard to change.
If it is the tank itself, be prepared to remove the front bumper (two bolts that also serve as hood bumpers, and two bolts behind the doors in the lowerpart of the bumper) supposedly it pulls off forward with slots at either end. You might have to loosen the headlamp housing. This looks like a job for more than one person. There is a panel underneath the bumper that has to come off.
bdonkersgoed - 8/9/2004 4:08 PM
I think my Dad's '93 300SE has a leak too, because I filled it up the other day and it is empty already.
It might be that the tube to the lamp washers is loose and throwing windshield washer fluid below the car. Try using the washer ( driving lights on ) and see if there any fluid leaking close to the front bumper.
I just looked at the 140 CD, it shows removing the bumper and the headlamp to get at the screws. The same concept as the ML bumper only a few screws (small) and it comes off, must be the reason you see bumpers laying along the road sometimes.
That clear plastic tube cracks and the water runs out, have fun!
I'm dealing with my fluid reservoir, now. Headlamp washer pump isn't
functioning properly, and I'm just doing a general clean up of the front end of the frame. It's much easier to work on with the bumper removed. Access to the nuts which hold the reservoir in place requires removal of the right side headlamp.
The good news is that the reservoir itself is probably fine. It's pretty thick plastic and unlikely, IMO, to split open. Suggestions to check the hoses are good. One of those could be cracked or could have come off. The other thing to check are the grommets that seal the fluid pumps to the reservoir housing. These are simply rubber and will harden and disintegrate with age. Bad grommets will cause leaks. Mine were old. New ones are cheap from any MB parts supplier. Very easy to swap out. Lift the pump straight up in the slot that it sits in on the reservoir, pry out old grommet, replace with new grommet, press pump intake down firmly in place through the grommet. This could probably be done w/o bumper removal, but access is difficult.
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