bozapp

Has anyone had a rear main seal leak oil on a S 430 ? Had the dealer check for a oil leak on my car,they said it was rear main seal leak ,cost $2,165.00 wow...

kraut56

So how bad is the leak?

(drops per minute)

Oil is cheap!

bozapp

Not seeing any oil hit the ground only smelled something at idle one time. When I had a passenger and the door was open while idleing. And saw no smoke. I went 5k btween oil changes and checked the oil level was maybe down half a quart. But oil is collecting on the under car sheild.

wallyp

WARNING! OPINION FOLLOWS!

One of the old techniques to get a better price when buying a used car from an individual:
1) Test drive the car.
2) Immediately lay the newspapers that you brought out on the ground, and pull the car over them.
3) Let the car idle while you discuss the car and the price with the owner.
4) Pull the car off of the papers.
5) Look at the oil spots on the papers, look at the owner, shake your head sadly, and start negotiating.

There are very, very few eleven-year-old cars that won't leak a few drops of oil. My Mercedes isn't perfect, and won't be. Neither is yours...

Enjoy it for what it is, fix anything that really needs fixing, and don't sweat the small stuff.

bozapp

Thanks for good advicev makes me feel a lot. Better. Don't. Sweat the small and it is asmall leak but found a reputable trans shop to do R & R the tranny and replace the seal for 400.00. I hate leaks, no leaks allowed.

Quadcammer

I haven't seen an M112/M113 with some miles on it that didn't have a weep from the RMS.

If it isn't dripping, I wouldn't bother.

that $400 quote seems quite low for an RMS R&R

bozapp

Yea, I think that I'm going to just sit on it for a while its not that bad. I will focus my attention on other maint. And adress other issues as they arise. Get ready for summer 100 degree weather.

tusabes

Leave it alone
spending $400 to get this fixed is likely to lead to other problems

bozapp

What is M112 & M113

Quadcammer

M112: 3v 3.2L V6
M113: 3v 4.3/5.0L V8s

same architecture

bozapp

Gotcha,good looking out

clmallow

I have an '01 S600 that is leaking oil from various places. The dealership I bought the car from used black silicone around EVERYTHING under the car (lower oil pan, crankshaft, etc.), and I'm terrified that I have a RMS issue. How, exactly, can I tell if this is the case? I know the lower oil pan is leaking, but to my understanding, that's a fairly easy fix. Remove lower oil pan, scrape off old gasket, squirt new gasket maker on, remount. (I'm not a mechanic by ANY stretch of the imagination - but I'm researching this forum trying to get an idea of what kind of repairs I'm getting myself into with this car since I've only had it 35 days now.)

So far, I have to replace both front brakes, the CPS, the ABC isn't functioning, oil is leaking from a lot of places under the car (since the incorrect silicone-method was used by previous owner, I'm not sure just how bad the situation really is - it's only leaking a few small spots per day RIGHT NOW, but the problem is that the entire underside of the bottom of the engine is covered in oil). I'm thinking that as the silicone used around everything begins to degrade, I'm screwed. There's two CDs (yes, two) stuck in the COMAND Nav system, a Cyl 8 misfire is detected (already know why: the driver's side ignition coil pack isn't mounted to the engine properly), something's rattling under the car when going over mildly bumpy terrain, etc., etc. All told, yes I got hosed by the used car stealership, but I'm wanting this car to be my fav, so......

I'm really trying to ascertain whether or not I'm looking at a couple grand in repairs on this car through my Indy mechanic who cuts me a GREAT deal on labor charges.

So to recap, how can I tell if my RMS is leaking?

kraut56

1) You remove the plastic under-engine and under-transmission floor pans
2) at the bottom of the bell housing (that's between the engine and the transmission) are 2 square holes about 1/2 inch, that should have a plastic cover in them
3) Remove cover, run engine. If oil comes out of the holes, it's the RMS; if however oil runs down from the engine above, different problem.

Good luck - a couple of grand are nothing on an S600, even if you do most yourself.

clmallow

Kraut56:

Thanks a million for the information! This will be INCREDIBLY helpful in trying to dx where all the oil leaks are coming from!

I have been advised by a friend that has an S55 AMG that to maintain these works of mechanical art, it's easy to spend $5,000 - $7,000 A YEAR in maintenance.

Guess that's the price we pay for owning the cars we do.

kraut56

What's your ABC problem "not functioning"?

Quadcammer

sorry to say, a 2001 S600 is a money pit of the worst kind. pray you don't have an oil cooler leak.

clmallow

Kraut56:

The ABC issue I seem to be having is the car is leaking hydraulic fluid from around the reservoir.

I am ALSO having issues with the control/switch that is supposed to allow me to raise the car a couple of levels higher while driving (I can't remember what this feature is called). Probably a compressor or something affecting that little glitch.**

**After researching it on Google, I found that indeed ABC and the car's driving level are one and the same system. So I guess no compressor is involved, so I am not sure what my issue could be.

Quadcammer:
Where is the oil cooler located on this engine? I thought that this would be the smaller radiator-looking thing in front of the actual radiator...? Is that incorrect? To the best of my knowledge I have no leaks coming from the front of the car - most seem to be coming from under the engine towards the back...

clmallow

Follow-Up to my previous post above:

I also think that an indication of the ABC not working properly is the fact that when I hit a bump, the car seems to want to kind of veer....not really a good word, but best way I know how to put it.

Not being very car-savvy (which is why I am here), it's difficult to try to dx what's going on with the car. I just don't want to run to the dealer for every little thing if I don't have to. That's why we have this forum, after all, right? Even complete "newb's" like me can learn, given the correct information.

Trouble is, I have to search hundreds and hundreds of threads until I find something that is similar to my symptoms, then start exploring options until I can rule things out. Oh, well. Part of the process.

I already appreciate the little bit of help I've been given today. I'm sure I'm about to become a lifelong member of this forum, since I'm not giving up on the '01 S600 so soon (despite Quadcammer's warning about them being the worst kind of money pits). I read somewhere on here that the S600, no matter what model year, is a special car that you develop a special kind of relationship with.

kraut56

You need to get organized:
1) Read the 400 page manual for this car (I did) - there is a link in the Wiki here to download the manual.
2) The manual will tell you that the "raised" positions of car height are only for deep snow and snow chains, NOT for normal driving; for normal driving the red lights should be OFF. The car will change ride height automatically according to speed .
3) If you have a leak around the reservoir, it may well be overfilled or not closed properly - search the threads here for PROPER filling levels WITH THE CORRECT FLUID!!!!.
4) The ABC selection (red light on) gives the "firm" ride with firm steering
5) Do you have any ABC warning messages?????
6) The "sideways" bounce when driving over a bump is an indication of too much toe-out (or possibly toe-in) - get the alignment checked; only toe in the front and chamber in the back is adjustable.

Quadcammer's oil cooler scare is easy to check: lots of oil running down from both both sides of the top of the rear engine.

Have a beer and slow down before running to any dealer with this car: It's over 12 years old, and no mechanic at MB remembers anything about it!

clmallow

I am already aware of the fact that I "need to get organized." That's why I'm here.

1. The manual didn't come with the car - I had to spend some time trying to find out where I could get a digital copy of it to read, from start to finish (which I did - all 452 pages of it), and even then I could only get one for a 2002, which despite the seeming similarities between Production (Model?) Years, there are some differences (e.g., I don't seem to have the TPMS the manual references I should have.)

2. When I read about the raised position of the car, I also read that it is to assist with particularly rough terrain, such as potholes that the city of Columbus, Ohio is plagued with. I read that Level 2 raises the car up a certain amount once a speed of over 60 mph is reached, and Level 3 raises it up a bit more than Level 2. And since someone who had the car before me put low-profile, oversized tires on this vehicle, every time I go over a moderate bump, the RR tire scrubs the wheel well; hence my desire to raise the car up a little more while driving at freeway speeds.

3. I will definitely take the time to research the threads on the ABC reservoir. Definitely going to be a worthwile read.

4. There are actually TWO red lights on my ABC switch: one press of the switch is supposed to raise the car to Level 2 (as mentioned above) and lights one red LED. A second press of the switch raises the car to Level 3 (also as mentioned above) and lights two red LEDs. A press of the opposite end of the switch decreases the ride levels in accordance with the number of times the switch has been pressed, until it is back to Level 1. Unless I am referring to this feature by the wrong acronym, I'm pretty sure of these facts...? Again, I am a new MB owner, so I am open to the possibility I'm sorely mistaken. To reference my point in Item 1 again, the manual states that as I press the ABC switch/button on the dash, I am SUPPOSED to see a message in the driver's information center in the instrument cluster that states the car is leveling, raising, or something to that effect. No such message ever appears on my dash. Either my model year doesn't have that feature, either, or the system isn't doing what it's supposed to.

5. I have not read any ABC warning messages on the driver's information display in the instrument cluster; if you are asking if there are any OBD II codes showing for this system, unfortunately I have not been able to hook a Dyno up to it while it was in a running state in order to make that determination (due to the CPS failing).

6. Thanks for the information as far as the car wanting to lurch/veer when hitting a bump. I will definitely get this checked as well.

With regards to the oil cooler comment from Quadcammer, I will be checking for this symptom as well once the CPS has been replaced tomorrow evening.

I sincerely appreciate all the insight and information so far, gentlemen. I know this particular thread is supposed to only be about the RMS, and I appreciate no one hollering at me for going "off topic."

Very Sincere Thanks,

Chris

kraut56

The "ABC sport" switch has only one light , the car LEVEL switch next to the left has the 2 lights for level (not ABC mode) function (unless your car is different from mine).

If you don't have any ABC warning messages, relax!

The center ABC sport message only lasts a few seconds; as long as the red light is on in the switch, it should be in that mode (the steering feels firmer).

OBDII tells you almost nothing on this car - you need the MB DAS system.

Forget about Dyno-testing with this car for now!

Maybe you should start a new thread for your car.

The "oversize" tires are always a hassle (I run mine on standard size specified on the sticker). Rubbing on fender skirts with oversize tires is always a problem on this model (and should be avoided).

I would be very cautious with any wheel alignment with oversize wheels/tires, as it might give wrong results; the alignment equipment computers only know "stock". So if you have different wheels, (offset etc) the wrong info gets to the alignment equiment, with then wrong adjustment calculations.

From what I understand, the rear links can be adjusted to prevent rubbing, but I don't know what that will do to the chamber.

Quadcammer

The oil cooler sits in the valley of the engine. If its leaking, removing it requires taking the heads off. Given the value of an early s600, its nearly enough to total the car (if done at the dealer), especially if other things are found.

clmallow

DAS system? Is that something that a fully-loaded dx system called The Determinator would have in it automatically, or is it something that only a dealership is going to have access to? I didn't realize that OBDII is next to worthless on these cars.

And considering what Quadcammer just said about the "value" of early S600's, does that mean I shouldn't put much money into repairing this car? What would be the logical cutoff point in dollars?

With regards to the OS wheels, I detest them! The dealership asked me how I liked the low-pro wheels a week after I had to take the car back to them for some issues they promised in writing to have fixed (which incidentally they did not, but that's another story for another forum), and I said, "To be perfectly honest, I'd rather have had the stock wheels and tires the vehicle CAME with!" Everyone just stared at me and kept saying, "But those are Asanti wheels!" I replied, "They could be made by Tiffany & Co for all I care...they handle like crap!"

So I guess all in all, I need to just take things one step at a time, try to figure out what is causing the oil to continue to leak, determine what the cost in both time and money will be, and hope that in the end it's going to all be worth it.

Thanks for all the tips, advice, and help on how to check certain things, Kraut and Quadcammer. As I stated before, I am already certain I will be back to this site at least a hundred more times for help!

-Chris (frustrated newbie MB owner)

kraut56

if you search under my nick here and on Benzworld.org you will find lots of info on MB DAS and Xentry

clmallow

I am reading through your "saga" on your '02 on Benzworld right now. May give me renewed hope, or cause me to throw in the towel already!