switchblademark

Hey Guys,
So the other night, I was driving home on some twisty back roads I was unfamiliar with. I made a dumb decision to reach for something while taking these turns, which caused me to veer of the shoulder and hit a huge bump of some sort. It turns out to look like I've cracked my lower oil pan. To the point where it all steadily leaks out and I can't even keep any oil in the engine. I'm kind of in a tight spot right now.
I've looked online for the cheapest part replacement, but the part isn't what I'm worried about. On this repair, from my research, it doesn't look like a DIY project, and that the labor might be hours upon hours. This really sucks and obviously will be hundreds if not thousands over one dumb decision. I'm thinking of taking pictures tomorrow and showing the damage.
Any inputs or tips would be awesome to hear!
Thanks,
Mark

switchblademark

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vinceC

When you say lower oil pan I assume your are talking about the squarish, approximately 50mm section at the forward bottom of the engine. The lower oil pan can be changed by a competent DIYer. It will require some "female torx" sockets and the M-B silicone sealant.

switchblademark

Yes, that is what I'm referring to. I thought part of the repair required moving the entire engine up a few inches, taking off engine mounts, etc? If this is not required, then I will definitely look into a DIY...!

Thanks,
Mark

vinceC

I see no reason to move the engine up. Access to the bolts is tight along the front but 1/4" drive sockets/extensions work (the gap between the pan and the front section of the subframe is narrow). The operation that requires the most care is applying the sealant. The bead must be no more than 2mm wide, run along the middle of the flange except towards the inside at the bolt holes. Too much sealant is a common mistake.

How competent are you as a DIYer? I do almost all my own work, including rear main seals on these engines, so shifting things around a bit doesn't bother me, I just figure out how to make things work. Drop the plastic under tray and take a careful look, then decide. I'm actually surprised you don't have other, more concerning damage. The oil pan sits pretty sheltered within the subframe on a W210.

Plutoe

If the damage is limited to the bottom oil pan section---yes that is simple with the only trick being the correct path of the factory speced silicone. However if the upper portion was damaged that is not a DIY and yes the engine(113) must be lifted along with other suspension parts removed to remove the upper portion--the silicone path also applies to the upper section!!

vinceC

I posted the M-B document with the required sealant path here:

https://mbworld.org/forums/attachmen...l-scn_0035.pdf