[5literrag]

I just bought a gorgeous 97 500 SL and I'm starting to comb through it before I start putting some miles on it. Found this small drip oil leak and I'm trying to get to the bottom of it. Where might this be coming from? Drivers side of engine bay kinda far back but not from oil pan or any obvious coolers....
I'm under the car now, so just toss some ideas out if you can from these pics... Thanks in advance. ✌🏾

 

[Regnillub]

Use BrakeKleen liberally to clean the oil from the area. Drive around and check it again to pinpoint the leak. Mine had a leak in that area that I traced to a couple of o-rings for the hoses to/from the oil cooler where they plug into the engine. It was a cheap easy fix, but took some time to locate.

 

[5literrag]

Actually I found the leak... Steering gear is the majority of it, with a contribution from a leaking valve cover gasket at the back of the head. Not sure how to handle it yet... I think I can get that steering gear out. Valve cover should be an easy 30 min.

 

[robm.UK]

Leak from steering box through radial oil seals is common problem. You don’t have to take steering box out. Remove the Pitman arm and replace the radial oil seals. Make sure you replace the inner and outer o-ring seals. I think MB sell a repair kit. Easy on car job. Takes about 1hr.

 

[5literrag]

Do you know of any good links describing how to replace those seals?