I think my differential is leaking fluid on my 97 E320. Has anyone else had this? I'm guessing it's a gasket somewhere. The car has 100k miles on it. Any suggestions?
Thanks

 

I noticed the differential leaking about 9 months ago when my 1997 E420 only had about 43K miles. I was surprised a MBZ should have such a problem so soon and have not done anything about it so far.

 

yeah, I had to replace the seal on the differential housing 3 times on my car. All 3 times it was the dealer doing the work. So far it has not leaked but I think this is a common problem.

 

You had to replace it 3 times?? How many miles do you have?

 

I currently have 125,000+ miles on it but the leaking problems all occured before 60,000 miles. There is no more problems at this time and I am hoping that it will be ok.

 

I know that 4matics are prone to "sweating" on the diffs. Both my 1998 E320 and my 2000 E430 had the problem. Nothing to do.

Leaking? Is it possible the fluid was changed and overfilled?

 

In my case all 3 leaks did not have anything to do with an over fill.
When they started to leak, I took it to the dealer and the drained and replaced the seal and then re-filled it. I am assuming that the dealer filled it correctly.

 

I don't think mine has been messed with. So, it's due for a flush anyway. I'll just change the seal while I'm at it. Hopefully, that'll fix the problem. I just didn't think it would be leaking already. But, as we all know, stuff happens.

 

One thing that I noticed for all 3 leaks that I had was that the leak was not noticeable. There was no leaking under the car. I only noticed the leaks when I took the car to a mercedes mechanic that I use for oil changes. They put it on the lift and I noticed that there were some oil residue around the differential.
So be extra observant and check for any signs of leaks big or small.

 

A little while back a service tech noted that my diff was leaking, but that it wasn't significant - though he said that I would have to address the problem soon. To date, I have yet to notice any adverse effects from this situation. What exactly should I expect to notice, and how much is this going to cost to fix (I'm at 93,000mi, so I'm no longer under warranty)?

-Adam

 

you may not notice anything for awhile.
In my case, I didn't notice any difference in performance. It was only when the vehicle was on a lift that I had a visual on the leak.
I am not sure what it would cost to fix it as all 3 of my leaks were covered under warranty.

 

There was no leaking under the car just some oil residue around the differential.

I got exactly the same problem when my car was brand new (5 Miles). They fixed it and so far so good. It has been almost 3 years now. Will see.

 

I noticed the same thing on my 2001 E320 (35k miles). There are oil residues on the top side of the differential case. Strange.

 

There is a breather on the top of the diff.

My 1998 E320 also has some oil on the top of the diff. The local MB specialist told me he is more worried when he sees a diff with no oil on it.

 

In my case, the top side of the diff. case is moist, it's not soaked and there is no drips forming. I wiped it clean and after 3000 miles, there is no sign of new oil.

How does the breather work? Does it let the oil out if there are too much oil in it?

 

That is an ineresting comment from that MB specialist. I'd interpret it as saying that don't worry if there are oil on the diff. The oil came out from the breather when there are excess oil in the diff.