1997 E420
i did a search on google and ive heard it could the cats or lifter's or codes.

i have a vid clip of the annoying ticking and it seems like it's comming from the bottom.

also is there anyone on this forum from newyork suffolk longisland that knows about these cars?

FYI: I JUST BROUGHT THIS CAR FOR A SIDE PROJECT SO DO YOU GUYS THINK IT MIGHT JUST NEED A OIL CHANGE??
previous owner had used synthetic penzoil from all the reciepts he gave me .

and the miles are 128k and heres the vid clip






also what do i need to buy?
http://www.autohausaz.com/search/gro...0%26%20Gaskets

you have m119 motor in you 1997 e420, which is notorius for oil tube failure. do a search on "m119 oil tubes". http://www.peachparts.com/Wikka/M119OilGuides suck a quart of oil out and replace it with automatic transmission fluid, that might take care of the ticking for a few days, but you need to change the oil tubes(or guides). good luck

also you might want to list your vehicle year/make and also location. the reason i know you have a 1997 e420 is after i clicked on the autohaus link you provided.

THANKS for letting me know just edited.

what does tranny fluid do? also how whats the going rate to change the tubes ord guides?

should i try out seafoam?? after reading many ads from google that this might solve my prb if i put it straight in the motor


http://www.srtforums.com/forums/f75/...atment-454079/

is it a rattle noise ? the 8 cyl rear cats start as a tick then rattle tap on the cats with the car off see if it s rattles

not sure to tell you the truth but i can take another vid today if you want.

just did the seafoam for the motor so now im going for an oil change tommorow and need to know is 10-40 regular oil good?

if not then whats the right dino oil to get and is fram filter's good for these cars?

Don't jump into a project based solely on what you read on the internet! I have an e420 sport and it has always been serviced with conventional 10-30 oil by the dealer, Rallye Motors. Synthetic was not called for on this year, and started in 98 430's. Heavier oil in the winter may develop too much pressure and blow out the caps in those oil tubes. In the winter I added 8 oz. of Marvel Mystery Oil -MM ( MM is a great top oil and solvent and sure looks like ATF) and my mild ticking stopped. So it probably was a clogged valve lifter that the MM cleared. I think you have a slight exhaust leak at the front joint off the head pipe - it is just a press fit there and an easy fix. My cat has been rattling for years - but a shop told me it was a heat shield which I preferred not to remove. The replacement cats I have seen look pretty crappy compared to the originals, so keep them as long as they don't throw a lot of codes.

benznyc,

Did you find a solution to the ticking? Was it an exhaust leak, blown cam oiler tube, or did the seafoam help?

100% sure blown oil tube.. is an important issue in the E420's change all as soon as possible because fail in lubrication to the lifters cause blown lifters.. if you have many time with the ticking sound you can damage the lifter too (major job)

Fabio Daniel

HARDLY TICKS ANYMORE BUT IT COMES AND GOES TIME TO TIME

Yup, the blown oiler tubes is definitely common. But I've had ticks w/o blown end caps, so I've used tank of Techron with WOT driving, and the tick would go away for about half a year. The theory is that the valves have carbon deposits, so WOT and Techron cleans them.

benznyc, did you use only the Seafoam in the crankcase, w/o checking the oiler tubes? Also, did you drive it hard, or no change in your driving style?

Also, does the ticking back only after you've driven sedated for a several weeks, and go away after driving hard?

im dealing with the same thing. after reading so many threads on this at least i have a good idea. anybody care to share how much changing the oil tubes would cost?

$15.50 each at autohausaz.com
$14.40 each at rmeuropean.com

If you want aluminum instead of plastic, about $23 each.
If you need replacement valve covers for the job, about $27 each.

Very easy to do. Highly recommend you do it yourself.

...i just gave it to the shop this morning. i havent done this before so i was worried i would mess up the timing and chains... plus the that motor is sqeezed in there so tight i cant even get to the bak bolts to open the valve cover.

im paying $450 for my mb tech to change all the tubes on the driverside and replace the valve gasket. i really hope this fixes my problem

for anyone who would like to attempt it though i did find couple links that describe the process pretty well. here they are.

http://www.peachparts.com/Wikka/M119OilGuides

http://www.k6jrf.com/MB_lifter.html

You could get those parts for about $150, so you're paying him another $300 for him to turn a few screws.

There's no chain or timing to touch for this job, so next time, if you're doing this on the passenger side, definitely go at it yourself.

thanks jsap. will do!