Hello, I recently bought a very used 2000 E430 from a friend of mine in need of some TLC. I noticed yesterday that the car while parked and running continued to have white smoke come from the exhaust pipe also, I noticed some milky substance on the oil cap but not the oil stick. The engine has about 193,000 miles on it. The engine is not overheating and there is no sweet smell but I also noted he had water in the coolant tank.

So my question is could this be a bad head gasket. I have spoken to a few mechanics and they said these engines are solid and they do not usually see a head gasket go on them. Please let me know your thoughts on this matter.

 

White “smoke” (it’s steam), milky substance on oil cap and water in the coolant reservoir mean failed head gasket.

Because water, rather than coolant, is in the system, there will not be a sweet smell from the exhaust. Sweet smell is from evaporated coolant, which evidently you do not have any of in your engine.

Pull all of the spark plugs and compare them. If any are “washed” meaning one is cleaner than the others, this indicates failed head gasket. Use a bright LED flashlight and look into the spark plug hole. If any of the pistons are “washed”, meaning clean and bright, this indicates failed head gasket.

Please post photos of all of the spark plugs if you decide to remove them to check.

 

Thanks for the update. I was told I do not need to pull both plugs per cylinder just one since the condition should be the same. What
are your thoughts ?

 

@Beckmb I would remove and inspect all plugs. I err on the side of thoroughness. The person who suggested to remove one plug to you may be right, and may have a “good enough” mentality.

 

Thanks I will pull the plugs over the weekend.

 

I wouldn't necessarily jump right to head gasket over some condensation on the oil cap. The water and emissions from the tailpipe aren't encouraging signs though. Friend offer any history on this car?

 

I had some time today and started the car and let it run for about 45 minutes. One other thing I noticed was the temperature of the engine . It seemed to hit about 100 C would this be considered overheating ?

Temp gauge after running 45 minutes parked.

 

Strictly speaking, no. If the temperature was stable during that period, except for the warm up from cold phase, it's not overheating. If when you took the photo, the temperature continued to climb, it might have been overheating. Was the temperature stable, or climbing?

 

Hi the temperature did not continue to climb it stayed locked in at 100C.

 

So far you are doing fine - Spark Plugs should be OE equivalent ONLY - no added anti-seize - current Bosch 9652 (FR8DII33X) - only replace wires/coils if you have specific misfire


Fresh coolant MB or Z05 equivalent - if diluting concentrate use Distilled Water - not tap water for correct ph

Pull thermostat to check for signs of corrosion

Fresh air filter - Mann or Bosch - fresh fuel filter usually Bosch - might need replacement screw clamps if original MB trickster clamps are still there

1/2 bottle Stabil Blue (Marine) in fuel tank to cleanup fuel sensor and fuel system AFTER fuel filter replacement.

Clean engine to get rid of oil seepage/dirt accumulation from normal gasket seepage - only concern if you have "fluid drips".

Rubber hammer "taps" on rear muffler to sound out if floating catalyst chunks are there - can cut out - empty/clean and weld back up

"Soft" spot is tranny - check forum for proper tranny service - replace "tranny adapter as well when you do that tranny service - MB or Mopar OE part only $14 - check and pull TCM (Tranny Control Module) - if any fluid present - or even if not any fluid present - and flush clean both sides with MAF cleaner - let air dry and reinstall .

Check engine mounts - failure there leads to vibration thru and early failure of cat elements - replace with correct mounts - procedure for V8 here on forum or check YouTube.

Off the top of my head - that's a solid start - and frankly not that pricey DIY - oh - knuckle scrapes on Spark Plug Job getting the rearmost done... happens Swivel Socket and "pop-off" wrench "kits" with both on eBay and probably Amazon.

 

Make sure you only use MB coolant or you'll damage your cooling system. MB cooling systems are made with aluminum and non MB coolants will damage the aluminum. I've read too many horror stories on the various MB forums who used non MB coolant and damaged their cooling system.

 

Your friend was in need of TLC or the car was? Can't exactly tell from the way it was worded. My guess is the car needed TLC, but maybe you were a good friend and gave your friend some TLC

 

I bought the car for short money since he was moving. The car needs more than TLC it looks like.
Bad right rear brake line. Headlight issues, back rear window has broken electric motor and the doors do not lock. It also has a broken Emergency brake handle. The body has little rust .

Looks like I may ship the car to the junkyard.

 

Milky or Mustard color?
Some people do not correctly describe the color of the build up on the underside of the cap.