Crankshaft Oil Leak
05-22-2024, 10:11 PM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Crankshaft Oil Leak
2003 C230 with +200k miles on it. Found a large oil puddle under my car. Local mechanic diagnosed it as coming from the front crankshaft with seal coming out of the timing cover. No other tests were performed, but speculated piston rings must be bad or other "terrible" internal engine damage. Engine runs perfectly smooth otherwise. It is a little slow to crank but otherwise no engine light on. Ran a STAR diagnosis at home and found engine misfire codes on all cylinders. However this could have been from a long time ago, and after clearing the codes and driving the car for about 15 minutes no engine codes have reappeared. I would think this would preclude any major cylinder issues? The valve cover has been replaced around 150k so unlikely to be an issue. Could a fault in the PCV system cause a pressure/oil buildup in the crankcase instead? Something more easily fixable than replacing the whole engine? I have been driving the car for close to 20 years, replaced most engine/electrical/anything plastic parts once or twice already, and would miss driving a 6-speed stick shift! Any suggestions as far as next steps? Note that I did overfill the oil following the leak, but immediately stopped the car upon getting the red warning message and drained it down to 5 liters.
05-23-2024, 04:28 AM
#2
MBWorld Fanatic!
When I was a young man, I had a Toyota pickup that blew the Crankshaft seal. I removed the pulley and the old seal and installed the new one. My 1st attempt it blew again, didn't get it clean enough don't really remember if I had to use some sealant or something but stayed the 2nd time. So just replace the seal and go on with your life! Frickin mechanics.
2003 C230 with +200k miles on it. Found a large oil puddle under my car. Local mechanic diagnosed it as coming from the front crankshaft with seal coming out of the timing cover. No other tests were performed, but speculated piston rings must be bad or other "terrible" internal engine damage. Engine runs perfectly smooth otherwise. It is a little slow to crank but otherwise no engine light on. Ran a STAR diagnosis at home and found engine misfire codes on all cylinders. However this could have been from a long time ago, and after clearing the codes and driving the car for about 15 minutes no engine codes have reappeared. I would think this would preclude any major cylinder issues? The valve cover has been replaced around 150k so unlikely to be an issue. Could a fault in the PCV system cause a pressure/oil buildup in the crankcase instead? Something more easily fixable than replacing the whole engine? I have been driving the car for close to 20 years, replaced most engine/electrical/anything plastic parts once or twice already, and would miss driving a 6-speed stick shift! Any suggestions as far as next steps? Note that I did overfill the oil following the leak, but immediately stopped the car upon getting the red warning message and drained it down to 5 liters.
05-23-2024, 11:20 PM
#3
Member
Thread Starter
Before I go through the trouble of replacing the seals, should I do an engine compression test? Just to rule out any other issues with the piston rings etc possibly causing excessive crankcase pressure? Would a problem with the PCV system show-up with engine codes?
Last edited by wanderlust360; 05-23-2024 at 11:26 PM.
