nc211

I have an oil leak and I'm not entirely sure what I am looking at? Knowing to look to the highest spot of the leaking, I am led to this piece circled below. Appears to be a sensor of sorts. Is this the common cam position sensor leak thing? It has run down the front of the engine and has been going on for a while now. It's the reason for the stinky smell when the engine is hot (oil is cooking). I have a feeling this is a common issue, I think I've seen it before on here but "search" isn't working very well for me today.

Mine is a 2014 V6 (not sure what engine number that means?)

Thanks!

konigstiger

Camshaft solenoid could be seal part # 0169975045 if solenoid needs replacement 2761560790. See attachments.

nc211

Thank you K’!!

Doing a little internet research, this one appears pretty common. I’m not getting any error codes, so I wonder if it is just the rubber gasket seal that has given out.

Is this a big job? I spoke to my mechanic to schedule an oil change next week and have them take a look. I mentioned the possible cam sensor and he said it’s a pretty hefty job, lots to remove on the front of the engine to get to it. But he wasn’t the actual guru who knows the most, that gentleman was not available to talk.

Thanks!!!

chassis

Yes, it's the cam solenoid that's leaking, and yes it's common with the M276 V6 engine. My dealer re-sealed the solenoids as a warranty claim. I had to badger them three times and they finally did it when I was 2k miles from end of warranty coverage. Mercedes does not willingly stand behind their products.

I would said it is a "medium" job, a similar order of magnitude as changing spark plugs on this engine. The cam solenoid fasteners are aluminum, and are single-use and not reusable as noted in the WIS procedure. Torque spec needs to be carefully adhered to.

LILBENZ230

My 2016 also had this issue, also repaired under warranty around 38,000 miles. Unlike @chassis , Mercedes did not give me any grief and repaired it without fuss the first time I asked, as my dealership always does (even thought I use them for warranty only, never service). Having a good dealer matters a lot.

I checked my paperwork but there's no indication of how many hours of labor it was. If it is similar to a plug change, well my dealer quotes $575 for that.

nc211

Thanks guys! It’s heading to shop next week. I’ll let you all know what the diagnosis is. Going to take it on a 2,000 mile road trip soon, so want to make sure she’s ok!

chassis

Keep us updated @nc211 . The 2014 E350 uses the M276 3.5L naturally aspirated V6.

nc211

Thanks Amigo, will do!

I put a claybar detail to it a few weeks ago, only second time ever (last time 3 years ago). Went with a ceramic this time to see how it does. MB really did this series right in the design area in my opinion. 6 years old, yet still looks better than most on the market in general.

chassis

Great looking E-Class. How long did the clay bar treatment take?

LILBENZ230

Indeed.. the facelift W212 is still one of the best looking cars on the road IMO. My car had full paint correction (including clay bar) and was ceramic coated. Highly recommended.

chassis

@LILBENZ230 How much did the full paint correction and clay bar treatment cost? Does "full correction" include touch ups from rock chips, for example leading edge of hood?

LILBENZ230

It was a DIY endeavor... took a long time. Probably worth paying someone in retrospect.

As for correcting chips, yes. However, there were only a couple on the entire car and miraculously none on the front. Still not sure how that's possible.

nc211

Ok - well the sensor seals are leaking, but so are the cam covers too. Front of the engine is basically coming off and replacing all of the seals. $1,100.

Also doing the plugs ($500), cleaning the MAF, and a couple of other minor nits and bits for $1,700 total.

nc211

Final conclusion (got the car back this afternoon).

leak: timing covers resealed, replaced 4 cam magnets. Also while the front was off, replaced the thermostat since it was easy to do. All-in, $1,350. She’s as dry as a drum now, no leaks, cleaned up, and noticed no more smell when parking in the garage after a run.

plugs: all replaced, $470.

oil/filer and new air filter.
MAF cleaned.

Result - purrs like a kitten and smooth as glass. The power comes on a lot more smoothly and effortlessly. I think the plugs were close, but I think the biggest improvement was simply cleaning the MAF. It drove fine before, but now it’s perfect. This along with the new mounts and trans service and diff fluid change earlier this year, the car feels brand new.

as a side - i commented on a new battery post a few weeks ago. A member commented about needing to pair the car to the new battery to let the car know it was there. I was getting a weird pre-safe error message every now and then via the front passenger seat (according to the scan). The shop opened a log entry on it, and was pointed to the battery that I replaced myself about a month ago. They realized the wasn’t paired to the new one. They did that, and no more pre-safe error message. I also noticed the start/stop feature became available much faster. So - if you put in a new main battery, you do need to sync it to the car somehow. I don’t know what that process is, but there is one apparently.

all in a tick above $2k, and $4k for the year to bring her back to new for the next several years.

LILBENZ230

So the facelift W212s do need battery registration to the car? I need to figure out how to do that as I am not using the dealer for battery service.

Johnny Rad

Good to hear about the oil leak being fixed.

By the way, it looks like you’re running pre-facelift wheels on your face lifted W212. Interesting... do tell.

pierrejoliat

Interesting, I changed out both my pre-facelifts myself, we did my buddy's '15 in the Auto Zone parking lot a year ago, I don't believe he had any issues, maybe we got lucky.

nc211

honestly I had no idea on the wheels, car just came with the car. They’re AMG wheels and I’m really not a big fan of them. But now that you mention it, I don’t think I’ve seen them on another facelift version either. Previous owner leased it. It’s also one of the few without blind spot monitoring, which is ok since I don’t really need it.

pierrejoliat

Well I have those wheels on my '13, I like them. They are easy to clean, but I would like to powder coat them a darker gloss grey. I love "Mud's" wheels, especially the color.

lauer87

Some early 2014s came with the pre face lifted wheels like these. Then switched over. Assuming it was either a supply issue with the newer ones at first or they had surplus pre facelift wheels to use.