Blown Head Gasket?
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Joined: May 2016
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2003 s430
Blown Head Gasket?
Hello- I bought a 2003 S430 about 1 month ago, with 60K miles. The last couple of days I noticed that there was a lot of oil/grease present. Can anyone tell me from the pictures whether this is an issue, or if its normal given its age?
Last edited by DGS430; May 17, 2016 at 09:59 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 2,473
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From: Ball Ground, GA (N of Atlanta)
2003 S500 2007 GL450
Welcome!
Normal for a thirteen-year-old car. You can clean it in several ways - one being to buy several cans of brake parts cleaner and a roll of paper towels. Do the cleaning outdoors, and don't breathe the fumes...
Whatever you do, don't wash the engine!
While you are under the hood, use a flashlight to look down in the large plastic grille at the back of the engine compartment. Make certain that the drain hole at the bottom is clear. If it gets plugged and water builds up in the area, it will spill over into the passenger compartment and cause serious electrical problems.
Normal for a thirteen-year-old car. You can clean it in several ways - one being to buy several cans of brake parts cleaner and a roll of paper towels. Do the cleaning outdoors, and don't breathe the fumes...
Whatever you do, don't wash the engine!
While you are under the hood, use a flashlight to look down in the large plastic grille at the back of the engine compartment. Make certain that the drain hole at the bottom is clear. If it gets plugged and water builds up in the area, it will spill over into the passenger compartment and cause serious electrical problems.
Member
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 111
Likes: 14
From: NH/Boston
2004 S600 Biturbo
A lot of times those bolts work their way loose. The torque spec is pretty minimal. See if any can be removed with your fingers. If they can, re-torque them and you will get some life out of the existing gaskets. Luckily, the gaskets arent expensive or hard to change. Just be very careful to follow torque specs. Those bolts are very easy to strip out.
