Oil leak with 21k miles?
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 15
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2007 CLK550
Oil leak with 21k miles?
Hello everyone.
Please bare with as I'm trying to give you the full details with my question.
I bought a 07 clk550 with 20300 miles on it about a little less than 2 weeks ago. The car drives great, doesn't show any signs of problem whether driving local or on the highway. Idles vibration free. In other words it drives just fine. But after driving for about 5 to 10 minutes I would smell burnt oil kinda smell and it would be quite obvious outside the vehicle and the smell becomes less obvious after some more driving. And today I freaked out as I saw some oil on the floor of my garage where the clk is always parked. I didnt check the floor for all these days. Please give your opinion on if I'm looking at a major disaster or something minor. If any of you had a similar issue can you please give me an idea on what the repair costs are going to look like. I am not a mechanical person and would have to take it to the shop. Also the car has not shown me any oil low sign either.
Like always your input is appreciated.
Please bare with as I'm trying to give you the full details with my question.
I bought a 07 clk550 with 20300 miles on it about a little less than 2 weeks ago. The car drives great, doesn't show any signs of problem whether driving local or on the highway. Idles vibration free. In other words it drives just fine. But after driving for about 5 to 10 minutes I would smell burnt oil kinda smell and it would be quite obvious outside the vehicle and the smell becomes less obvious after some more driving. And today I freaked out as I saw some oil on the floor of my garage where the clk is always parked. I didnt check the floor for all these days. Please give your opinion on if I'm looking at a major disaster or something minor. If any of you had a similar issue can you please give me an idea on what the repair costs are going to look like. I am not a mechanical person and would have to take it to the shop. Also the car has not shown me any oil low sign either.
Like always your input is appreciated.
Super Moderator
Joined: Jun 2008
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Likes: 192
From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
The most likely source of your leaks is the cam bore blanking plugs on the rear of the heads. They are known to leak & were redesigned. Very minor fix.
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...ngine-bay.html
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...ngine-bay.html
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,227
Likes: 61
From: Atlanta Metro
2008 clk550 - Navigator - Frontier
I had the same problem at 20-25k miles and it was due to the plugs referenced by Glyn. It was under warranty at the time. The dealer replaced the oil fill cap also.
Just recently I had a leak at the oil drain plug. Had the oil changed at a general service shop. I just tightened the drain plug more, but it probably needs the plug seal replaced. I have the seal and will replace it and the plug when I change oil in 2k miles. After which I will be changing the oil always myself from the top and will not remove the drain plug.
Just recently I had a leak at the oil drain plug. Had the oil changed at a general service shop. I just tightened the drain plug more, but it probably needs the plug seal replaced. I have the seal and will replace it and the plug when I change oil in 2k miles. After which I will be changing the oil always myself from the top and will not remove the drain plug.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
2007 CLK550
The most likely source of your leaks is the cam bore blanking plugs on the rear of the heads. They are known to leak & were redesigned. Very minor fix.
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...ngine-bay.html
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...ngine-bay.html
Will you guys be able to tell me how much the mb dealer charges for a job like this, approximately? Also I did purchase a power train only warranty. Do you think something this would be covered in the type of warranty I purchased?
MBworld Guru
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 10,782
Likes: 1,011
NO LONGER ACTIVE
Well, you're not going to get out of the shop for less than an hour's labor, plus parts and "shop charges", so my guess, $200. If it is the cam plugs, they are less than $20 for the parts, and if you change a spare tire, you can DIY. The leaking cam plugs are on rear of the engine on the left (US driver's) side. Remove the engine cover and run your hand down the back side of the valve cover and feel for the plastic caps on the end. If your fingers come back oily, they are the culprits. They just snap in place - use a screwdriver to gently pry the old ones off and pop the new one in. Here's a diagram showing them:
