rocafel1a

As you guys might know, i have the 05 C230K on very low mileage, and last friday I got two dashboard lights that went on simultaneously at the same time: one was oil sensor malfunction, and the other was coolant level check. I was like ok, maybe its just some computer error, or that my coolant was low. So I took it in to the garage where I worked over summer to get my oil change and to have them reset the light, but then I found out that I have coolant leaking into my engine as they were draining my oil!?!

As it turned out, they think I need to replace my cylinder head gasket, so I went ahead and did some research over here, and I think i do, and its soms **** about leaking in the 4th cylinder...FML cuz i know its an expensive and long job. plus I drove the car with the light on for far away places over the weekend, so hopefully the bearing and bushings arent f'ed as well


any of guys have experience with the 271 engines with this type of job or why it's happening on our 203's?

C230 Sport Coup

There's a guy on benzworld who replaced the valves on his 271.
Take a look over there. Good pics. DIY.
The thing about leaking on the 4th cylinder was probably related to the M111 like what I have, 2.3L.

FrankW

matt, if you need good shop recommendation let me know. i can give you the shop info where I had the repair last time.

TemjinX2

i would do a compression test before jumping to the conclusion its a head gasket.

rocafel1a

hey frank, can you pm me the address and contact info?

i just took it to the garage i worked for over summer so hopefully i can get a quote sometime at the end of the week..thanks man

rocafel1a

actually, my co-worker said its more common on the 111 2.3L engines...

sigh its probably going to be an expensive job

LILBENZ230

I've read a lot on this forum during my tenure here, and I've never read about a head gasket failure on a M271 engine. I've heard about cylinder head replacements on the M271 because of a valve problem, but supposedly that was resolved by the time the 2005s hit production (this isn't confirmed).

I would definitely get a second opinion, though those errors make sense. Have you got the pigtail adapter wires installed on your cam sensors? Oil leaking from there can cause all sorts of weird errors in the OBD system.

How many miles do you have?

rocafel1a

yeah exactly, its rare to see it on our 271's, so when I heard about it, i was shocked. since it was sitting in the garage for the longest time when it was first bought, its got like 10k miles, no joke. maybe tough luck?

funny thing was, i drove the car long distance over the weekend with both lights on, but the car never died on me considering the fact that when i brought it in to the garage, there was no coolant left in the reservoir, and the meter gauge on the dashboard seemed normal. no leaks on the floor, no leaks in the hoses, but i didnt get a chance to see if there was white smoke coming out from the exhaust when revving...

i havent heard from the guys yet...if they cant diagnose it, ima take it to another place that frank recommended.

Glyn M Ruck

Very, Very rare to see a M271 head gasket fail unless severely overheated. Check the diagnosis.

LILBENZ230

Ouch 10,000 miles? It's been sitting for how long?

I just don't trust a car rarely driven. This furthers that.

rocafel1a

well, it wasnt until this last year that i started driving it more...the first 2-3 years it would be sitting in the garage untouched...but since 07, its been a commuter

im hoping its a from wear and tear, or just i was unlucky to have gasket leak

SickSpeedMonte

You work for the department of redundancy department, don't you?

+1 on getting a compression check done.

rocafel1a

lol good time to crack a joke LOL yeah i just realized that

im giving my guys a call today and see what they say...

LILBENZ230

Cars aren't made to sit. Seals deteriorate.

rocafel1a

apparently so...its goin to be pricey lesson haha

TemjinX2

i still have doubts on the head gasket. My integra was 14yrs old on the original head gasket. At 171k..the head gasket was just starting to go.

rocafel1a

yeah, hey sorry to be dummie and for being too lazy to search, but what is a compression test?

TemjinX2

basically they attach a device where the spark plugs go and measure the psi in each cylinder. Optimally you want the same psi across the board. That means you have a healthy engine.

If you have a leaky head gasket you'll get lower psi on one of the cylinders since air is escaping in the cracks of the head gasket or if your psi rating is too low, you have some problems.

You can rent one for free at autozone and do it yourself if you wanted too.

nlpamg

you're not the only one man. that happened to my C230 a year and a half or so ago. when the car had about 60k miles. the dealer did the repair for me and I paid about $400.

rocafel1a

hmm ill make sure to mention it to my boss when i get a chance to talk to him through the phone tomorw

thanks man

rocafel1a

did you have extended warranty, or were you just under the regular warranty when it happened? i dont know if $400 is expensive or cheap though...

LILBENZ230

Oh wow.. so Phil's 05 C230 has had this happen, too? That's interesting.. hope it's not something that will start happening to more of these cars as they get older.

SickSpeedMonte

Just tryin to cheer you up a little bit man.

$400 is probably a little less than I would expect to pay someone else to do this on a Benz... there seems to be a Mercedes tax on everything associated with these cars.

Personally, I would take a crack at this myself and just take my time and be very thorough. I have a good bit of experience with working on cars though.

nlpamg

I had no warranty coverage whatsoever. I just paid out of pocket. I think I was having a Service B done as well, so they cut me a deal.

rocafel1a

yeah if i had the time and the right tools in hand, it would be a DIY and i would follow the forum thread over here.. but i don't know too much about the front end and stuff like that

im surprised at $400 , hope thats how much i need to fork in