I went to get a oil change today and also get some rumbling noise checked today !!
Well the rumbling noise turned out to a front wheel bearing which I am getting replaced for $130 parts and labor!!
During the check they discovered the head gasket is leaking from behind.. !!! well they think so ... !!
I had see some sludge in the coolant but I that that was because of the petroleum jelly I used some months back to replace the upper coolant hose ( Hose was tight and I could not get it all the way - so i applied some of it on the inside of pipe).
I have not seen any water inside the oil - but yes I did see very little sludge in coolant - over the period it has not increased !! it also does not float on the water but seen on the underside if the cap of reservoir bottle..
Now big question is it is a $1200 job .. and is it worth it.
mine is a 1992 190e 2.6 with 137,000 miles _ i have had it for just 1.5yrs .. and I have spent
1) $180 on belt.. and other minor stuff. ( a yr back)
2) $340 Water pump replacement (within 2 months of buying it)
3) Blower motor for $150 total ( 5 months after buying - started squeaking all of a sudden)
4) $200 - 2 tires - since they had bumps and would wobble ( they both had less than 50% wear - some wacko during a pervious oil change filled 55 PSI)
4) heater valve replaced - cost me $100
4) bought front and center muffler - yet to install ( both rusted and has holes) - total cost will be $430!
5) bearing will be $130 now
Other problems which still remain - to be fixed -- stalling issues - when braking hard !!
and this major one(head gasket)!! - I doubt if it even worth keeping the car. I had paid $2600 when I bought it .
I am sick of spending money ..on it!!
What do you guys suggest - I was looking to buy a new car in 6 mts to yr anyways..
1) SHOULD I get the head gasket fixed?
2) if not how long before I am in bad trouble...
3) I should sell it maybe look a another car !!
Pls advise ....
Last edited by StarGazer : 09-09-2006 at 01:22 PM.
Reason: typo
Personally i would change the head gasket myself but if you are not in a position to do that then the cheapest option would be to change the oil and filter and see if it returns. If it does then it would be safe to say the head gasket has definately gone. Have you noticed any coolant loss?
With regards to the stalling under heavy breaking I would be looking at the vacuum pipe that runs from the brake servo to the inlet manifold it may be split or the one way valve may be faulty.
During the check they discovered the head gasket is leaking from behind.. !!! well they think so ... !!
I had see some sludge in the coolant but I that that was because of the petroleum jelly I used some months back to replace the upper coolant hose ( Hose was tight and I could not get it all the way - so i applied some of it on the inside of pipe).
Now big question is it is a $1200 job .. and is it worth it.
Pls advise ....
1) Where are you located (in class you want to sell the junk car to me).
2) Who is "they discovered the head gasket is leaking from behind.. " do you trust them? Do they replace head gaskets?
3) Since the oil filter on the 2.6 is near the "leaking from behind" and it is easy to waste oil on the engine when changing the filter, is that what could have happen?
4) If it is the head gasket, it will tell you in the future, just wait and keep driving.
Just my 2 cents.
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First ...DAN to answer your question .. I have not seen coolant loss so far .. bo drops .. I usually check the coolant every 2nd week and I have only refilled like 2 times in a yr since I replaced the water pump..I also donot see any oil loss .. where I have replaced oil after 4000 miles
I checked the oil and coolant today .. no sludge in coolant and oil looks crisp and new !! - well had it changed yesterday...
Now for BGOIN's questions
1) NO ! I am not junking the car yet. not till it dies completely ...
2) They - is "Firestone" .. I guess they are okay but i will surely take a second opinion.. I have having my bearing replaced at a mercedes independat specilist so will ask him to take a look too.
3) the oil behind the engine could very well be dropped oil form the filter during change.. nee to check on that ..
QUESTION; What happens when a head gasket is going.. i mean what symptoms do I see..
this could help me see hwo things go ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by bgoin
1) Where are you located (in class you want to sell the junk car to me).
2) Who is "they discovered the head gasket is leaking from behind.. " do you trust them? Do they replace head gaskets?
3) Since the oil filter on the 2.6 is near the "leaking from behind" and it is easy to waste oil on the engine when changing the filter, is that what could have happen?
4) If it is the head gasket, it will tell you in the future, just wait and keep driving.
First ...DAN to answer your question .. I have not seen coolant loss so far .. bo drops .. I usually check the coolant every 2nd week and I have only refilled like 2 times in a yr since I replaced the water pump..I also donot see any oil loss .. where I have replaced oil after 4000 miles
I checked the oil and coolant today .. no sludge in coolant and oil looks crisp and new !! - well had it changed yesterday...
Now for BGOIN's questions
1) NO ! I am not junking the car yet. not till it dies completely ...
2) They - is "Firestone" .. I guess they are okay but i will surely take a second opinion.. I have having my bearing replaced at a mercedes independat specilist so will ask him to take a look too.
3) the oil behind the engine could very well be dropped oil form the filter during change.. nee to check on that ..
QUESTION; What happens when a head gasket is going.. i mean what symptoms do I see..
this could help me see hwo things go ...
Heh, Firestone discovered that my coolant is, in their words, a "milkshake", so I checked it myself and they're right. I'm investigating how much that'll cost to have fixed.
As people have said make sure it is the head gasket gone. It could well be something like a incorrectly fit oil filter.
Also you said leaking from the back? this is curious. Do you mean the head gasket between the block and cylinder head or the rocker cover gasket between the top cover and the cylinder head? If its weaping there then it takes about 5 minutes to replace!I only mention this because a friend of mine had got it confused on his car so its always worth double checking!
Also do you have much history on the car? if its had the head gasket go before and someone lazy did the work they may well not have properly flushed the cooling system through. After doing mine and putting clean coolant in a bit of sludge re appeared (i was not happy) but i realised the oil was coating the entire system. Rad flush and then 8 full flush thoughs of clean water after it ensured there was no oil left in the system to worry me!!
If you decide to replace the head gasket yourself (or with a mechanically minded friend to help!) Make you get the head tested and skimmed while its off. Also its not a hard job but it involves a bit of time and planning. If you document what you do and follow the haynes manual guide theres no reason that you cant do it. I taught myself to do it on my car when I blew it, the stealership wanted £1200!!! The car only cost £500 but i decided it was no reason to junk the car.
Since you have spent loads on yours I would consider that its worth giving fixing it youself a go because you only stand to gain. You certainly wont recoup much of your out lay by selling the car with problems.
Andy
just converted $1200 to money I understand and they want £650 to replace the head gasket, that seems steep to me. Maybe shop around and find out what people would charge.
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*Its amazing how a 20 year old mercedes is more reliable than a 10 year old landrover*
Hey ANDY...
I donot know how to even know how to answer your question. I yet to figure what the hell is a head gasket ( I know what a valve cover gasket) -- so anyways I try ans answer that question in a day or two when I go to an independent mechanic.
I donot have history on the car .. the guy whom I bought it from didnot have any -
i donot now if the head gasket was ever repaired. But as on now I think there are 2 things I should do first
1) Confirm it is the HEAD GASKET and nothing else - like oil drain from filter from changing etc.
2) Second - i know my oil is clean - no water there so watch it
3) get my cooling system flushed ... get rid of the petroleum jelly and see how the coolant turns out.
I will continue posting on this thread everything i find etc- maybe it can help others.
I also wanted to add that I have learnt so much from these forums about my car. I can't thank enough.
Thanks guys !!1
When I wnet to firestone this guy took me to show where it is leaking... from underneath if you look up just where the front bonnet of the car ends and the cabin starts - u see this big roundish thing - mettalic colour- u will see some bolts around it circumference - on that you see oil .. so that what they showed me - and said head gasket is gone..
Its odd that he could show you oil leaking out from the outside of the car. When my head gasket went it just dumped nearly all the oil in to the coolant system! No external signs of it apart from a belch of smoke as i booted it off down the road!
Hopefully this will help a bit. The cylinder head is the top bit of the engine, that lump of metal that just below the rocker cover! Its about 5 inchs high or something normally. It sits onto the main block of the engine. In between the main block and the cylinder head is a gasket. Its sort of plasticy with big holes in for your cylinders and small holes for where the water of the cooling system runs through the engine. Its job is the make sure the head and block are tight together and to keep the oil and water seperate!! It tends to "go" when the engine gets to hot consistently and it warps the cylinder head thus making the head gasket fail and so oil can flood in to the coolant system and vice versa. As far as i'm aware it tends to be an internal thing. My friends golf had oil leaking out and he was told head gasket... but it wasnt it was just the rocker cover gasket.
As you suggest, clean the affected area with some gunk, replace the rocker cover gasket as they do perish and do let oil leak out!! You could Change the oil and put a new oil filter on. Make sure its got its washer one and is proper!! Get some rad flush aswell, i used Holts which was about £3 from an auto shop you drain the system and put fresh water in with the rad flush and run it for about 30 miles then drain it out and flush it through fully, repeat this until the water runs clear. It will most likely be filthy at first so dont worry about that!! You will need to make sure you properly flush the system so the thermostat needs to come out (useful time to replace it really) and you need to drain the coolant from the engine block aswell. on the 2.0 right hand drive its a big nut under the exhasut manifold.
Hope that helps and doesnt just teach you to suck eggs!
Bad News !! Head gasket!! 
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