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The cam magnet sensor usually starts leaking around 60,000-80,000km. That said, if you don't at least have a pigtail on,... then you got *****!
Yes,... new cam magnet sensor and old are the same design,... at least the same part number,... so new one will eventually leak too,.... but it won't leak until at least another 60,000-80,000km. I'm not 100% sure,... but I think what's causing the oil leak in the old cam magnet sensor is the rubber seal at the electrical plug,... over time, with exposure to engine heat, rubber will loose some of its elasticity and shrink a bit,... and as a result the oil leak,... at the electrical plug of the cam magnet sensor. These cars are already 10 years old,.... I don't think Mercedes want to put in any more R&D money into fixing M271 issues,...
If you don't replace the cam magnet sensor,... the oil leak will likely get worst and worst,... plus, you'll be getting oil all over your belts (unless you do the double pigtail like in my previous post),.... and you'll have to constantly top up your oil,....
You should look at replacing cam magnet sensor every 60,000-80,000km,... as routine maintenance,... just part of the pleasure of owning a Mercedes with a m271 engine,....
The cam magnet sensor usually starts leaking around 60,000-80,000km. That said, if you don't at least have a pigtail on,... then you got *****!
Yes,... new cam magnet sensor and old are the same design,... at least the same part number,... so new one will eventually leak too,.... but it won't leak until at least another 60,000-80,000km. I'm not 100% sure,... but I think what's causing the oil leak in the old cam magnet sensor is the rubber seal at the electrical plug,... over time, with exposure to engine heat, rubber will loose some of its elasticity and shrink a bit,... and as a result the oil leak,... at the electrical plug of the cam magnet sensor. These cars are already 10 years old,.... I don't think Mercedes want to put in any more R&D money into fixing M271 issues,...
If you don't replace the cam magnet sensor,... the oil leak will likely get worst and worst,... plus, you'll be getting oil all over your belts (unless you do the double pigtail like in my previous post),.... and you'll have to constantly top up your oil,....
You should look at replacing cam magnet sensor every 60,000-80,000km,... as routine maintenance,... just part of the pleasure of owning a Mercedes with a m271 engine,....
LOL...Im at 200,000+ km now and just noticed the oil leak. Never had to go near that area of the engine before. That being said....I do love to gamble...only when theres a chance I might come out on top though, and doesnt seem like this is one of those.
Im making a trip out to New Hampshire next weekend with my car (no sales tax...being a Torontonian, you know what I mean ). Might pick up the required parts when Im there (cam sensor, pigtail, center block piece).
Im seriously hoping that the oil leak down the harness hasnt reached any expensive parts like the ECU, O2 sensors etc. Atleast I have an M111 so its only 1 cam sensor as opposed to 2 on the M271! Thanks very much for the info. I might ping you with any questions once Im back from my trip and start the DIY cam sensor replacement.
Holly crap,.... 200,000km and still no pigtail,... wow, you're a gambler like Kenny Rogers,.... and I bet you like counting your money at the table! Man, all the sudden I have a craving for KennyRoger's chicken,... its the wood that makes it good!
If you're buying parts from USA,.... you might want to consider buying from an online store since its cheaper than MB dealership and get it shipped to your American destination,... and if they ship FedEx,... on tracking webpage you can request a "hold at FedEx location",... like a FedEx Kinko Office,.... it's free (unlike UPS that charge an extra $5), but you only have 5 regular business days to pick up the package once it arrives there.
BTW,... grab a can of CRC QD Electronic Cleaner and spray any oil you see near ECU connector and O2 sensor sender unit plug.
Last edited by SunnyRayToronto; Jan 4, 2013 at 11:39 PM.
Holly crap,.... 200,000km and still no pigtail,... wow, you're a gambler like Kenny Rogers,.... and I bet you like counting your money at the table! Man, all the sudden I have a craving for KennyRoger's chicken,... its the wood that makes it good!
If you're buying parts from USA,.... you might want to consider buying from an online store since its cheaper than MB dealership and get it shipped to your American destination,... and if they ship FedEx,... on tracking webpage you can request a "hold at FedEx location",... like a FedEx Kinko Office,.... it's free (unlike UPS that charge an extra $5), but you only have 5 regular business days to pick up the package once it arrives there.
BTW,... grab a can of CRC QD Electronic Cleaner and spray any oil you see near ECU connector and O2 sensor sender unit plug.
Haha...Im thanking my stars as well. Never realized what a serious issue this was. Damn
SWEET! Makes sense..Ill see if I can find an online source for the parts. Any recommendations? I normally use RM European for the suspension stuff, but I dont know if they carry engine components. Ive done the hold at Fedex location before. Works like a charm. Ill give that a shot. I saw your thread about the deal at pepboys for 0w-40 oil...but I was too late to grab it. Oh well..
I just went back down to the car and took a look. Couldnt find the ECU or the O2 sensors or the corresponding connectors/plugs. Can you point me to where I should be looking? I have the M111 engine. Will definitely pick up some CRC cleaner to get rid of the oil. Also, in one of the other threads I heard a sugestion to by some silicone sealer to apply to the back of the cam sensor before installing, to prevent leaks. Thoughts??
On m271, ECU is relatively close to cam magnet sensors so their ECU plugs seem more prone. On m111, I think ECU is in front SAM so its more protected,...
O2 sensor is below header at catalytic converter,.... one post-cat and one pre-cat.
The cam magnet sensor already has O-ring for the back,... so you don't need silicone sealant there,.... just make sure you get that little pencil eraser size plug that goes in the hole of the cam magnet sensor,.... a lot of people forget that and then when they start the car, oil is squirting everywhere.
I highly recommend (Charlie) McNally Auto at 49 Toro Road (south-east of Finch & Keele) in Toronto,... they're the best Mercedes Indy in Toronto area,.... they do everything including alignment,.... and they're great at troubleshooting,... and only charge for time actually spent on the car,.... www.mcnallyauto.com
Thanks...I had a great indy when I lived in Ottawa - Young Street garage. Havent had to find one since I moved to Toronto. Ill check out Charlie @ McNally.
The cam magnet sensor usually starts leaking around 60,000-80,000km. That said, if you don't at least have a pigtail on,... then you got *****!
Yes,... new cam magnet sensor and old are the same design,... at least the same part number,... so new one will eventually leak too,.... but it won't leak until at least another 60,000-80,000km. I'm not 100% sure,... but I think what's causing the oil leak in the old cam magnet sensor is the rubber seal at the electrical plug,... over time, with exposure to engine heat, rubber will loose some of its elasticity and shrink a bit,... and as a result the oil leak,... at the electrical plug of the cam magnet sensor. These cars are already 10 years old,.... I don't think Mercedes want to put in any more R&D money into fixing M271 issues,...
If you don't replace the cam magnet sensor,... the oil leak will likely get worst and worst,... plus, you'll be getting oil all over your belts (unless you do the double pigtail like in my previous post),.... and you'll have to constantly top up your oil,....
You should look at replacing cam magnet sensor every 60,000-80,000km,... as routine maintenance,... just part of the pleasure of owning a Mercedes with a m271 engine,....
I was following this thread for a while and just could not find right words to say "you must really like to gamble ... you got *****!". Also, I just do not get why it takes 150+ posts to just tell - replace the damn thing as it is a "routine maintenance".
Let me know if you will be looking for a job
Igor.
Last edited by AccelToronto; Jan 6, 2013 at 10:22 PM.
I was following this thread for a while and just could not find right words to say "you must really like to gamble ... you got *****!". Also, I just do not get why it takes 150+ posts to just tell - replace the damn thing as it is a "routine maintenance".
Let me know if you will be looking for a job
Igor.
Yea I agree with you...I shouldve taken care of this way sooner. Oh well..sue me! I had no idea how serious this was...so glad I I havent had any issues so far.
Yeah you should snap SunnyRay up with a job if you can. Not many local people in TO with so much MB knowledge...
I highly recommend (Charlie) McNally Auto at 49 Toro Road (south-east of Finch & Keele) in Toronto,... they're the best Mercedes Indy in Toronto area,.... they do everything including alignment,.... and they're great at troubleshooting,... and only charge for time actually spent on the car,.... www.mcnallyauto.com
Would just like to add my personal recommendation for McNally Auto Sevices at 49 Toro Rd. Charlie is a nice guy who knows Mercedes vehicles inside-out. He runs a spacious clean shop with excellent diagnostic equipment, fair prices, and good customer service. I know several really solid mechanics in the GTA, but going forward I will be bringing my beloved ML55 AMG to Charlie for the specialized service it deserves.
Hi
I have had the main wiring harness and oxygen sensors replaced because of the oil leak. The camshaft Adjuster Magnet Wiring Harness has also been replaced. The mechanic reports the new sensors are reading 'out of range...' ie 840 volts vs 800 volts (volts..or whatever units) being the max allowed. He suggests I now replace the camshaft adjuster magnets. Oil never got into the ECU. Could there be some other reason?
Michael
Not necessarily, in my opinion as an amateur. But...has your oil level dropped &/or were you prompted to add oil by a warning light/message? Can you trace back the wiring harness to a connection and confirm its clean? Alien, it would be best to replace the camshaft wiring harness as you've pictured, in my opinion. Michael
Not necessarily, in my opinion as an amateur. But...has your oil level dropped &/or were you prompted to add oil by a warning light/message? Can you trace back the wiring harness to a connection and confirm its clean? Alien, it would be best to replace the camshaft wiring harness as you've pictured, in my opinion. Michael
In 7000km I lost 300ml oil. Which is normal quantity for any engine to burn especially as I have a moded pulley and running 13psi at high rpms. So probably I have no leak issues. Nevertheless after seeing this thread I decided to check the sensor
UPDATE. i went back to check the harnes. to all the plugs i checked there was no oil. BUT the sensor plug it self had very little oil residues. I am sure that the sensor leaks oil BUT very very little . So i will go ahead and buy a new sensor and a pigtail-catcher just to be sure.
By the way when i tried to unplug the harness plug it just disintegrated in my hand. That plastic was coroded maybe by temps and all those years. So now i have an issue as you can see in the pic. I will install the pigtail and use silicon to electrically seal these two metals
Last edited by AlienHack; Jul 4, 2014 at 01:05 PM.
Do you really think you lose much oil through the cam magnet?
Then the harness would be instantly soaked with oil
m111 engines have only one adjustable camshaft, m271's have two.
Looks to me like you have some leakage. That may also explain why the plastic disintegrated.
It's just that the plug orientation on m111 engines is somewhat 'preventing' the oil from getting into the wires (on m271 the [two] plugs are angled downwards, to assist the oil getting into the harness)
Do you really think you lose much oil through the cam magnet?
Then the harness would be instantly soaked with oil
m111 engines have only one adjustable camshaft, m271's have two.
Looks to me like you have some leakage. That may also explain why the plastic disintegrated.
It's just that the plug orientation on m111 engines is somewhat 'preventing' the oil from getting into the wires (on m271 the [two] plugs are angled downwards, to assist the oil getting into the harness)
I agree with you. Looks like I have a slight leak only on the plug. But as you said the upwards ankle prevents the oil from continuing down the cables.
So although I am OK I will replace the sensor so as to have my engine in top condition.
So my engine has only 1 variable camshaft the incoming air one so only my income valves are adjustable.
I don't like the isolation wire fix, because it does not address the real problem. Using the same part number will only result in the same problem down line. What I did was remove the cam sensors and drilled out the lead rivets, and separated the top and bottom to discover a faulty rubber gasket was the culprit. I took it all apart and cleaned it with a good degreaser. I next used sensor safe RTV and put everything back together and used a clamp while everything dried over night. there is no need to worry about the rivets as the bolts that connect it to the engine hold everything together. Mine has been leak free for over 6 months. Total cost $6.
I don't like the isolation wire fix, because it does not address the real problem. Using the same part number will only result in the same problem down line. What I did was remove the cam sensors and drilled out the lead rivets, and separated the top and bottom to discover a faulty rubber gasket was the culprit. I took it all apart and cleaned it with a good degreaser. I next used sensor safe RTV and put everything back together and used a clamp while everything dried over night. there is no need to worry about the rivets as the bolts that connect it to the engine hold everything together. Mine has been leak free for over 6 months. Total cost $6.
hello i have a clk200 kompressor 2005 - My MOT failed the emissions test my car has done 140k.
The problem i am facing is that everytime i switch of my car i smell a burning smell..Smells like if a plastic bag has caught under the exhust and melted.But thats not the case.There is no black smoke,car runs fine pulls great.I do have an engine light on and every 2 or 3 months my computer is telling me to fill up a litre of oil after the next refuel.
when opening the bonnet the engine is clean but there is oil at the front part of the car (where the bonnet shuts) Im not to sure what the issue is,Could this be the same problem as yours?
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). Might pick up the required parts when Im there (cam sensor, pigtail, center block piece).
