E55 1999 bad head gasket? Help diagnose it
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Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 9
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W210 E55 1999 & W220 S500 1999
E55 1999 bad head gasket? Help diagnose it
Hi
Been riding my E55 for a year now. But it has problems.
Its taking cooling water.
Cant find any leaks. Doesnt smoke from tailpipe. Has driven ok but takes a whopping gallon every 500 miles.
Since last month it has been acting up. Throwing up codes like issfire on 5,6,8 cyl and random missfire code.
My dealer says they dont think it the head gasket as they are bulletproof. But I really cant find any outside water leak.
How would I diagnose it correctly? Dont want to tear down the engine in vain.
I have a new oil cooler bought but not fitted, but its not mixing water in the engine oil. But i have some tiny sludge in the water container.
It doesnt shoot air boubles in the water container and its so little oil slugde in the water container i really wonder .No water in transmissionoil either.
Is my left head gasket dying and how would I diagnose it correctly?
Car has not overheated and it run fine until a week ago when it started to run rough from one day to another. (Engine light on sometimes since July but running fine even then)
//Peter from Sweden.
Been riding my E55 for a year now. But it has problems.
Its taking cooling water.
Cant find any leaks. Doesnt smoke from tailpipe. Has driven ok but takes a whopping gallon every 500 miles.
Since last month it has been acting up. Throwing up codes like issfire on 5,6,8 cyl and random missfire code.
My dealer says they dont think it the head gasket as they are bulletproof. But I really cant find any outside water leak.
How would I diagnose it correctly? Dont want to tear down the engine in vain.
I have a new oil cooler bought but not fitted, but its not mixing water in the engine oil. But i have some tiny sludge in the water container.
It doesnt shoot air boubles in the water container and its so little oil slugde in the water container i really wonder .No water in transmissionoil either.
Is my left head gasket dying and how would I diagnose it correctly?
Car has not overheated and it run fine until a week ago when it started to run rough from one day to another. (Engine light on sometimes since July but running fine even then)
//Peter from Sweden.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 3,966
Likes: 1,315
From: Republic of Texas
'99 and '05 E55 AMG
Engine leak down tester and an air compressor.
Example here:
Note this is NOT a standard compression tester; this one indicates how bad the leak is and you just go to the exhaust pipe, air intake, coolant reservoir, or oil fill cap and listen for leaking air.
Example here:
Note this is NOT a standard compression tester; this one indicates how bad the leak is and you just go to the exhaust pipe, air intake, coolant reservoir, or oil fill cap and listen for leaking air.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 6,130
Likes: 1,117
A gaggle of MB's
Frankly at about 160K miles my E55 developed a similar "issue" - and I would have to top off the reservoir every 3-4 weeks.
I have a full complement of MB tech's - and they couldn't find the coolant loss either - and they are all under 35yrs old.
Before I went to tear down - I called Franz - my MB buddy - who has been a MB tech for 40yrs.
"Yep" - he recommended using 2 "Bar's Leak Tab's" in the coolant reservoir - NOT Bar's powder and NOT anything else - and drive for 2-3 weeks - and Franz said the loss would either go away 100% or reduce substantially.
You put them into the reservoir cold - and drive immediately for 1/2 to 1 hr to give good time at operating temp right away - nothing abnormal at all.
Yep - 2/3 weeks later the loss had reduced substantially but had not gone away entirely.
I called Franz again - and he said "use 2 more and no more than that"
2-3 weeks later the leak was totally gone... and in 40K miles since then has never reappeared.
It worked fine - I have changed my coolant on schedule twice since then - no issues whatsoever.
Whatever works - costs next to nothing - again Bars Leaks Tabs:
I have a full complement of MB tech's - and they couldn't find the coolant loss either - and they are all under 35yrs old.
Before I went to tear down - I called Franz - my MB buddy - who has been a MB tech for 40yrs.
"Yep" - he recommended using 2 "Bar's Leak Tab's" in the coolant reservoir - NOT Bar's powder and NOT anything else - and drive for 2-3 weeks - and Franz said the loss would either go away 100% or reduce substantially.
You put them into the reservoir cold - and drive immediately for 1/2 to 1 hr to give good time at operating temp right away - nothing abnormal at all.
Yep - 2/3 weeks later the loss had reduced substantially but had not gone away entirely.
I called Franz again - and he said "use 2 more and no more than that"
2-3 weeks later the leak was totally gone... and in 40K miles since then has never reappeared.
It worked fine - I have changed my coolant on schedule twice since then - no issues whatsoever.
Whatever works - costs next to nothing - again Bars Leaks Tabs:
Member
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 181
Likes: 7
From: Dallas, TX
1999 E55 AMG, 2004 Big Turbo A4; 2005 C240 Wagon 4matic; 2003 G500; 2013 Sprinter 172
IF you have a head gasket or cracked component leaking internally, 99% of the time it will end up one of two places: engine oil or a cylinder. A borescope will usually show evidence of coolant in a cylinder, or bank, in that the pistons, valves, intake runners, etc. will be much cleaner where the leak is, even a small one. Not fool proof, but I have found many small leaks from HGs and cracked heads this way, even when I couldn't smell it in exhaust or see steam from a tailpipe. Simple oil analysis will tell you if there is coolant in oil, even if it does not appear to have sludged up.
Last edited by NAFT1; Nov 8, 2017 at 07:28 PM.
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