LOTS OF OIL ON THE GROUND
LOTS OF OIL ON THE GROUND
its been a while since i have been here to STD.COM, but now i have a big problem and not much knowledge of MB or diesel for that matter.
First off, i have a 1991 350SDL Turbo. 140k well kept miles. i have only put around 2-4k miles on it since it was given to me by my father. i drive it a little harder than my woman, but its there for her to drive it.
I keep a very clean car inside and out. the engine bay was spotless until about a month ago. there began to be a black area around the IP. it was not a drip or a spray, it seemed to be more of a spread from a central location. but it seemed nothing severe and again not enough to make a drip.
well after this christmas weekend, i noticed that there are two SUBSTANTIAL puddles of oil from the last two times we have moved it. its bad, and i cant figure out from where. it was a mess everywhere, not worse in one area. i cleaned it all off with something and now it looks as it did when i got it.
so i wait for the drip (with that mess there has to be a drip) and nothing. i start it up and let it run for 20 minutes, occasionally bringing the idle up to a driving condition. im still not confident enough of what it is to go drive it. based on the wet spots on the road it seems as if it could be something that leaks after oil pressure is built up and then spills at the weak point after the engine is no longer running. but since i have cleaned it, and let it run, i still cant find the mess.
based on the spill, THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE.
im am assuming its a bad gasket, but i dont want to pull things apart that dont need pulling apart. i hoped that you guys might shed some light on my problem. maybe prevent unecessary tooling.
the woman is complaining and i want to fix this car.
i had a similar problem on my 300sd a couple months back. everything was pretty much new in my car and it was dripping oil only after it had been driven and then parked which was very annoying.
so i drove it for 30mintues and brang the car to my mechanic. he put it on the lift and after couple minutes we found the culprit which was the 2 gaskets from the oil filter housing. Also the lower oil cooler hose was dripping very slightly.
ordered those parts had them replaced and not a drip since.
best thing would be to replace your gaskets and check your oil lines.
also not to be harsh but the 350 diesel engine is one of the worst mercedes diesel engines ever created. if i was you i would fix the problem sell the car and get a om617 powered car if you want something thats bulletproof and will probably outlast me and you.