I just discovered an oil leak on my 1995 E320 with 92K miles. It is located high on the front of the motor on the passenger side. There is some oil on the front bolt that holds the manifold. Is this the site of a typical valve cover gasket leak, rather than a head gasket? How much does it typically cost for just a valve cover gasket vs. a head gasket repair? I typically use the dealer, so I am sure my price will be on the high side.

 

The source of the oil is most properly the top front cover of the cam shaft housing. The oil leaks out and the air drives it along the side of the engine and so it appears to come from the valve cover or even the head gasket. Just clean it properly and spray the area talkum (a white powder showing the source of the oil). The amount is little my guess, so no need to repair.

 

I am pretty sure it is the upper timing chain cover. The dealer in West Chester, Brandywine Mercedes, quoted about $800 for the upper and lower timing chain covers and about $1600 to do both the head gasket and timing chain covers. It would also be about $1100 or $1200 for the wiring harness, although I think that may have only been for the main harness. I am not sure I need the harness yet, but everything else seems to be going wrong with my car, just as everyone else has predicted.

I have to admit that it is a bit frustrating to have to spend so much money on my car at 100K miles. This year it was the water pump, along with the serpentine belt and thermostat. In addition, the throttle actuator on the transmission, along with replacing all the leaking transmission seals. Now it is the gaskets and I suspect the harness, since the harness has to be manipulated for the gasket job. I guess I will be at around $5000 to $6000, maybe even more, by the time this is over. I can rationalize by saying to myself that $5000 isn’t really all that much to spend on a car that was $50,000 when new, but it really doesn’t help me feel all that much better about it. I guess I did have 8 years of relatively lower maintenance costs and the thrill of owning my W124. I do love to drive my car and it never left me stranded or anything bad like that.

I think I may go for the entire head gasket job, since it sounds inevitable and there is some cost savings to do both at one time. In addition, a bad head gasket could actually end up hurting my vehicle, so I think I would like it fixed before it fails. I may wait on the harness, depending on what the mechanics say about the condition as they complete the rest of the work. My car has had a rather easy life in a temperate climate, so it has never been run very hot. Since heat seems to be a catalyst for degrading the harness, maybe I can wait on that repair.

 

If the amount of oil you are loosing through the front cover is little, I would not do anything. It is a "cosmetic" issue. I had with my car starting at about 60.000 miles and I had the car for another 180.000 miles w/o any trouble. At the end I lost about 1/2 a quart per 1000 miles (probably not only through the valve cover) Just clean it sometimes and spend your money for something better (or for a new piece of transport in the future) I got the W220 last year wohhhhh. Best car I ever had. This loss does not harm the car as long as you keep the oil level ok. changing the head gfasket w/o need is nonsense, the same goes for the wire harness. They (MB) change it because it is simpler then taking the old one out check it and put it back w/o failure (and you pay).

 

I am just afraid the leak will get worse at very inconvenient time, say on my 2-hour trip on Wednesday to interview for a new job. If something happens and the leak suddenly gets worse on the way to my interview, it could affect my chances of getting to the interview on time. That could impact my life for a very long time. If something happens during a trip with my family, then that would certainly put a damper on a family vacation. I am definitely going to fix the leak, sooner rather than later

I think it would be nonsense if there wasn’t overlap with the front timing cover job and if the head gasket was not a well-known issue because of a poorly designed gasket. The new gasket is supposed to be reinforced at the problem spot, so it may be good for a very long time, if I just do it along with the front timing cover. I do think I am going to wait on the harness, because there may be absolutely nothing wrong with it. Here again, however, it does seem to be a well-known issue that could cause other damage when it goes bad.

 

Hey, bamberger 1, long time no see. How is your W220? Most of the stories I hear about them are horror stories.

 

Hey Arnie,
up and on I draws me back to the "roots" of he W124's I drove. The W220 is by far the best car I ever had. It's now 10 months, and it still thrills me every morning to get in the car and drive to work. For me it is the ultimate driving experience. The MB-dealer I bought it from did check and fix the "weak" points known, and (knock on wood) nothing negative to report eversince.

 

i got my head gaskets and everything replaced maybe a year or so ago.. it ran me around 1200. i got it done at one of the local dealers. my main issue as to getting it fixed was because i hated the damn oil on my garage floor!!

-carino