Sooty engine?
I'm new here and new to cars in general. I have a hand me down 2003 E320 that I'm hoping to keep alive.
I recently replaced the camshaft position sensor and I noticed that the front area of both sides of the engine are very sooty. I wiped a bit off and it is pretty thick in some areas. Looks like it might be burned engine oil? I am not sure. Any idea if this is a leak of some sort, and if so what area? Here are pictures of both sides of the engine:
Thanks,
Ed
The initial pictures seem pretty close to what my engine looks like. I'll wipe it down and see how bad the leak is.




Do the job in the afternoon, apply RTV on the cover and hand-tight only the bolts.
Let it dry overnight and then torque everything.
I did breather 2 months ago and having differential RTV on the shelf- that is what I used.
No leaks.
Do the job in the afternoon, apply RTV on the cover and hand-tight only the bolts.
Let it dry overnight and then torque everything.
I did breather 2 months ago and having differential RTV on the shelf- that is what I used.
No leaks.


