When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Lent my W123 to my nephew, it came back leaking oil from nearly every gasket.
Last year my nephew's W210 M104's head gasket finally called it quits at 240,000 miles and I lent him my W123 while we looked for another car. My W123 didn't have any fluid leaks whatsoever, and the oil cap test showed no dancing, no oil on the cap, and no plumes of vapor while hot or cold. This apparent lack of wear led me to purchase the car at 158k miles. The vacuum pressure was decent, clean shifts and door locks would engage after the car sat for about 5 days.
He returns the car to me a month and 2k miles later, the engine is drenched in oil and leaking everywhere, there is now moderate blow by especially when warm with the cap being covered in oil and puffs of vapor coming out of the valve cover with the cap off. The transmission now hesitates to shift into drive and has slightly harder shifts, and the door locks lose vacuum pressure after a little more than 24 hours. This is all aside of the ripped off antennae, cracked windshield, and the abc gum in the ashtray.
Turns out he overfilled the oil by as much as 2 quarts when doing the oil change. I had my mechanic replace the turbo seals and a few other gaskets, as well as torque the less-than-a-year-old valve cover and oil pan gaskets. The oil pan and valve cover are still leaking a small amount, but all the other leaks seem to be fixed. The vacuum pressure is still down, and the blow-by hasn't improved.
It's summer up my way, but the W123 starts after one cycle when cold.
I'm wondering what the hell happened, and more importantly, if this is a lost cause to restore. The body and interior aren't perfect, having been in an accident and repaired by a home mechanic.
08-29-2022, 11:17 PM
Lent my W123 to my nephew, it came back leaking oil from nearly every gasket.
