Mercedes 129 titivation
Discussion
Got the car back today. Not good. I noticed a deep, low humming at speed (like, 90 plus) and a stench of oil when stationary. I looked underneath and the newly rebuilt diff has a massive leak. Up on stands, check the oil level and there is none in. Not good at all. I think it is leaking from the (new) left side seal. We'll see what he says tomorrow but I'm a bit hacked off.
FFS, sorry to hear that, it's been an emotional few months for you on the car front.
I think the diffs on these can be quite tricky to seal. When I had new seals on mine a few months ago the chap told me up front to keep an eye on it for leaks and that it may need re-doing.
Hopefully just one more visit back to the garage and all will be well. Good luck.
I think the diffs on these can be quite tricky to seal. When I had new seals on mine a few months ago the chap told me up front to keep an eye on it for leaks and that it may need re-doing.
Hopefully just one more visit back to the garage and all will be well. Good luck.
I spoke to my regular mechanic and he assures me the gearbox man is reliable.
It required approximately 600ml of fluid to bring it up to level (capacity is 1.6litres). That's after 40miles' driving. I'll see what he says tomorrow but I am thinking of trucking it there rather than driving another 30miles with fluid pissing out.
Needless to say, I have got the disgusting stuff in my hair again.
Edit: I had another look at it just now and there is none on the garage floor and no more on the diff casing. I could see a lot higher up the diff and on the underside of the car, so I suspect the new breather that was fitted is no good. Which is a bit tedious because the diff has to come out to fit a new new breather.
It required approximately 600ml of fluid to bring it up to level (capacity is 1.6litres). That's after 40miles' driving. I'll see what he says tomorrow but I am thinking of trucking it there rather than driving another 30miles with fluid pissing out.
Needless to say, I have got the disgusting stuff in my hair again.
Edit: I had another look at it just now and there is none on the garage floor and no more on the diff casing. I could see a lot higher up the diff and on the underside of the car, so I suspect the new breather that was fitted is no good. Which is a bit tedious because the diff has to come out to fit a new new breather.
Edited by r129sl on Wednesday 26th October 22:14
An update.
Gearbox man removed the diff and found there was no staining on the breather side: it was all on the other side. On turning the diff upside down, oil came out of the casing. Not from a seam or join but from a series of small holes caused by corrosion. So he has been stripped it, cleaned it, repaired the holes, re-assembled it and tested that it is leakfast, and it is. Now I would have taken all this with a pinch of salt but for the fact that he refuses to charge for the additional work.
Gearbox man removed the diff and found there was no staining on the breather side: it was all on the other side. On turning the diff upside down, oil came out of the casing. Not from a seam or join but from a series of small holes caused by corrosion. So he has been stripped it, cleaned it, repaired the holes, re-assembled it and tested that it is leakfast, and it is. Now I would have taken all this with a pinch of salt but for the fact that he refuses to charge for the additional work.
Lowtimer said:
Interesting. Never heard of that in a diff casing before, but I suppose nothing made of metal is forever immune. What's your mileage on that car now?
Happened to one of our trucks recently. Though it has done more than double the mileage of the OP's car at 800k km.I suspect the diff housing was suffering from corrosion and a good scrub in the parts washer has disturbed the 'goodwill' that was keeping things ticking over. Now the holes have been repaired it'll be as good as new.
The repair of our diff housing cost £200 plus VAT. MAN wanted £3,400 plus VAT for the housing alone. German sense of humour...
Annual service today at 262,243 miles. Cost was a grand total of £115.03, which must be about the cheapest bill I have ever had from MB Newcastle. They used my oil, saving £60. In fairness they were very good, identifying a couple of wants of repair.
There is an oil leak from the oil filter housing. This has been bothering me a while but I thought the source was the rocker gasket. I have just ordered three new gaskets (£30) and a 46mm socket and will DIY following these instructions: http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w163-m-class/14951...
They noted that the ABS ring on the nearside rear axle is starting to go. Happily I have two spares. And they noted that the stone guard on the same axle is starting to corrode. In due course, I'll have each hub stripped and re-assembled with new stone guards, new wheel bearings and the new ABS rings.
There is an oil leak from the oil filter housing. This has been bothering me a while but I thought the source was the rocker gasket. I have just ordered three new gaskets (£30) and a 46mm socket and will DIY following these instructions: http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w163-m-class/14951...
They noted that the ABS ring on the nearside rear axle is starting to go. Happily I have two spares. And they noted that the stone guard on the same axle is starting to corrode. In due course, I'll have each hub stripped and re-assembled with new stone guards, new wheel bearings and the new ABS rings.
I tackled the leak from the oil filter housing this evening. This has the potential to be a very easy job. Except I sheared one of the bolts which holds the oil cooler to the filter housing. Boring. I don't have much luck when working on cars. It is not the end of the world because the filter housing is off the car and hopefully Terry (Penfold to Baister's Dangermouse) can extract the remains. If not, a new filter housing is only £55. I am going to fit new bolts. £1.92 each. My mistake probably was doing the job on a warm engine. Or maybe it was just bad luck.
Edit:
Here are the new seals:
And here the oil filter housing off the car:
And here the sheared bolt.
The problem is a steel bolt in an aluminium housing: corrosion holds it fast in place. Terry says there is nothing I could have done differently. He can get the remains of the bolt out but MB Newcastle can get me a new housing by tomorrow for £46, so I have gone down that route.
Looking at the pictures it is not clear to me that these seals have been leaking. But there can be no harm in changing them. I think the culprit is probably the familiar rocker cover leak. These m113 engines are pretty notorious for tiny oil weeps. I'd like to get mine bone dry but maybe it's too much to ask.
Edit:
Here are the new seals:
And here the oil filter housing off the car:
And here the sheared bolt.
The problem is a steel bolt in an aluminium housing: corrosion holds it fast in place. Terry says there is nothing I could have done differently. He can get the remains of the bolt out but MB Newcastle can get me a new housing by tomorrow for £46, so I have gone down that route.
Looking at the pictures it is not clear to me that these seals have been leaking. But there can be no harm in changing them. I think the culprit is probably the familiar rocker cover leak. These m113 engines are pretty notorious for tiny oil weeps. I'd like to get mine bone dry but maybe it's too much to ask.
Edited by r129sl on Monday 3rd April 10:17
Crikey, just read this entire thread start to finish having previously gone unnoticed! I followed your 190 purchase with interest though. I applaude your perseverance OP, it's quite remarkable; save for an engine and gearbox rebuild the car must have had at least a double new bill of health throughout the years. Top marks for running a car of this vintage for the daily grind too, no doubt it turns heads on the commute amongst a sea of modern dervs.
I love the 129, I should have gone for one when prices bottomed out years ago, they've only gone north since. It would have to be a later car like yours with the revisions to the inside. I plumped for a 1988 635csi instead which I tax and use in the summer. Old BMs do not appreciate at the same rate Mercedes SLs historically have, they're a cheaper way of jumping on the bandwagon of owning a German coupe of that era approaching classic car status. It was within budget however I think the Merc has a touch more class.
Anyway, keep up the good work!
I love the 129, I should have gone for one when prices bottomed out years ago, they've only gone north since. It would have to be a later car like yours with the revisions to the inside. I plumped for a 1988 635csi instead which I tax and use in the summer. Old BMs do not appreciate at the same rate Mercedes SLs historically have, they're a cheaper way of jumping on the bandwagon of owning a German coupe of that era approaching classic car status. It was within budget however I think the Merc has a touch more class.
Anyway, keep up the good work!
I frequently bemoan my mechanical ineptitude in these pages. But tonight I hit a new low, even by my usually rock bottom standards. The new oil filter housing and associated bits and bobs came into Merc Newcastle and, my wife being away, I thought I'd get on with fitting them. They came off easily enough, after all.
Not so fast. First off, access on re-assembly was a lot harder than on disassembly. I had to take the radiator top hose off to get in. Second, the oil filter housing is not tapped. I was paranoid about stripping any thread I made and I was well aware that the specified torque for the four bolts which attach the oil cooler to the filter housing is only 11Nm. Long story short, I didn't tighten the bolts enough. I was far too timid.
When I test fired the engine to check for leaks, it sprayed oil everywhere. It was upwards raining oil in my garage. I shut the engine off immediately. It must have been on for no more than 10 seconds, certainly not 15, and no revs. It wasn't until I looked down after about ten minutes that I realised how bad a mistake I'd made. There was a huge puddle of oil on the floor. Picture to follow. In no more than 10 seconds it dumped five litres of oil out of the tiny gap between the oil cooler and filter housing. Testament, I suppose, to the oil pressure. But I have probably worn the engine more in those ten seconds than in the whole lifetime of the car to date. I say that only half in jest. (Brief internet research suggests no harm will have been done.)
With nothing to lose, I tightened the bolts up, torquing them to precisely 11Nm each. Almost needless to say, they tightened up nicely and the looseness I'd feared was the start of stripping was no such thing. I cleaned the engine down. I refilled with oil. I cleaned the floor (which took a lot of time and blue paper). And I lit the kitchen fire.
Now I'm off to shower with Fairy liquid.
I hate this.
New parts:
Nasty mess:
Warm fire:
Edit: this morning there is a new puddle of oil on the floor. I can't figure out whether this is because there is still a leak or whether it is simply that the stuff which came out last night has gradually made its way down there. The dipstick (operated with long nose pliers) is still showing full. I certainly can't see any new leak but it is so tight in there it is impossible to tell. I think I'll forget about it and come back to it later. Oh woe.
Not so fast. First off, access on re-assembly was a lot harder than on disassembly. I had to take the radiator top hose off to get in. Second, the oil filter housing is not tapped. I was paranoid about stripping any thread I made and I was well aware that the specified torque for the four bolts which attach the oil cooler to the filter housing is only 11Nm. Long story short, I didn't tighten the bolts enough. I was far too timid.
When I test fired the engine to check for leaks, it sprayed oil everywhere. It was upwards raining oil in my garage. I shut the engine off immediately. It must have been on for no more than 10 seconds, certainly not 15, and no revs. It wasn't until I looked down after about ten minutes that I realised how bad a mistake I'd made. There was a huge puddle of oil on the floor. Picture to follow. In no more than 10 seconds it dumped five litres of oil out of the tiny gap between the oil cooler and filter housing. Testament, I suppose, to the oil pressure. But I have probably worn the engine more in those ten seconds than in the whole lifetime of the car to date. I say that only half in jest. (Brief internet research suggests no harm will have been done.)
With nothing to lose, I tightened the bolts up, torquing them to precisely 11Nm each. Almost needless to say, they tightened up nicely and the looseness I'd feared was the start of stripping was no such thing. I cleaned the engine down. I refilled with oil. I cleaned the floor (which took a lot of time and blue paper). And I lit the kitchen fire.
Now I'm off to shower with Fairy liquid.
I hate this.
New parts:
Nasty mess:
Warm fire:
Edit: this morning there is a new puddle of oil on the floor. I can't figure out whether this is because there is still a leak or whether it is simply that the stuff which came out last night has gradually made its way down there. The dipstick (operated with long nose pliers) is still showing full. I certainly can't see any new leak but it is so tight in there it is impossible to tell. I think I'll forget about it and come back to it later. Oh woe.
Edited by r129sl on Wednesday 5th April 07:22
d! I've just finished reading your 124 thread from start to finish and now this has popped up! Here we go again! I feel for you. I know these moments of self-loathing only too well. Mopping up oil is not fun and the resultant stain mocks you for years to come.
Many years ago I changed the oil filter on my BMW 3-series and was very pleased with myself. Except it transpired after a long motorway trip that I had seated the o-ring in entirely the wrong place on the housing thread and the bulk of the oil had escaped, saturating the engine, the entire underside and rear of the car. I wasn't too far away from seizing the engine.
The highs are high and the lows are low. At least Summer is upon us and you have a great car. These things are First-World Problems, as I keep telling myself.
Many years ago I changed the oil filter on my BMW 3-series and was very pleased with myself. Except it transpired after a long motorway trip that I had seated the o-ring in entirely the wrong place on the housing thread and the bulk of the oil had escaped, saturating the engine, the entire underside and rear of the car. I wasn't too far away from seizing the engine.
The highs are high and the lows are low. At least Summer is upon us and you have a great car. These things are First-World Problems, as I keep telling myself.
Hereward said:
Many years ago I changed the oil filter on my BMW 3-series and was very pleased with myself. Except it transpired after a long motorway trip that I had seated the o-ring in entirely the wrong place on the housing thread and the bulk of the oil had escaped, saturating the engine, the entire underside and rear of the car. I wasn't too far away from seizing the engine.
One morning about three decades ago I attempted to change the oil on my RS2000 and failed to replace the sump drain before refilling the engine. It took a _lot_ of oil...
Thanks for your kindnesses. I still feel a total knacker.
Having discussed it with Terry this morning, I am hopeful it is not leaking and confident no harm has been done. This would make sense: the oil level is not going down and the volume of oil dumped in the bottom of the engine compartment yesterday might be expected to drip out of the undertray overnight.
I am home alone tonight—ladies, are you reading this?!—and so after work I will thoroughly clean the engine with brake cleaner and an air line, remove the undertray and carefully test for leaks. I picked up a further 8 litres of 229.5 spec oil this morning and when I am satisfied it is leak-tight I will replace the oil. I also bought a huge drain pan and funnel because I am always spilling waste oil. And maybe finally I will get back where I started.
Having discussed it with Terry this morning, I am hopeful it is not leaking and confident no harm has been done. This would make sense: the oil level is not going down and the volume of oil dumped in the bottom of the engine compartment yesterday might be expected to drip out of the undertray overnight.
I am home alone tonight—ladies, are you reading this?!—and so after work I will thoroughly clean the engine with brake cleaner and an air line, remove the undertray and carefully test for leaks. I picked up a further 8 litres of 229.5 spec oil this morning and when I am satisfied it is leak-tight I will replace the oil. I also bought a huge drain pan and funnel because I am always spilling waste oil. And maybe finally I will get back where I started.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff