Yeah I heard about this in a different mechanic's video. Sounds pretty scary...and of course a big job to fix.

 

He's right about one thing, these engines aren't worth repairing. They are basically throw away units, you'll be lucky to see 150k miles from one. By that time the vehicle is worth less than $15k. Planned obsolescence.

 

Probably a good opportunity to push used oil analysis. Maybe this is the car that finally pushes me to do it (i.e. Blackstone).

 

That’s what I’m going to get done on mine later this week. Local CAT dealer does them for $18.

 

Has anyone in this forum experienced this kind of failure with their M157 equipped E63?

 

Discussed here:

https://tuningpro.co/the-5-most-comm...gine-problems/

And here

https://dustrunnersauto.com/mercedes...-need-to-know/

 

Disagree. Those both seem to refer to external coolant leaks, not internal ones.

 

Yes but you may not get contextual feedback like Blackstone provides. They also usually have data on the engine (i.e. our M157) and that will greatly enhance the usefulness of the UOA.

 

Alright you convinced me. I’ll send it to Blackstone.

 

thanks for correction

 

But this guy is pretty vague on what the actual cause is. Just talks about oil mixing with coolant. But due to what? Head gasket failure? Something else?

 

At 1:00 into video

 

"Up to vehicle production date December 2013."

I see...

 

Mine was made in November of 2013…

 

Mine is April 2013.

 

So it is doable to resolve this. Just gonna cost $$ if you can’t DIY. Best thing to do is check the oil regularly for coolant mixing it would appear along with coolant tank level. Funny and sad thing is that when I did the water pump, I had access to the timing cover. I’m assuming the oil pan has to be removed as well in order to remove the cover?

$8 gasket lol

https://www.mbpartsource.com/oem-par...UtNWwtdjgtZ2Fz


About the production date though. Makes me wonder if they used an inferior gasket or if they revised something else on later production dates?

 

This reminds me of the oil pickup tube O-ring on the M113K. Pretty major job. This M157/M278 seal behind the timing cover might be easier in car though?

 

Mine is dec 2013, 46,000 mi

 

sounds like something to do for preventive maintenance for earlier cars, although I didn't hear him say that in the video (maybe I missed it?)

I'm also curious about cost for a shop to do this.

 

Ya the way he made it sound like was at 100k you’re screwed, throw your engine away. But my thinking is, replace the gasket once the vehicle is about to hit 100k and be on your way.

 

Mine is 99k....

My coolant level is perfect. I guess that's step 1. I may even pursue oil sample extraction via dipstick tube because I am like 4800 miles from next oil change.

Another option is to roll gasket replacement into a future WP job since that is part of the process.

 

Quick-Draw Pump | Blackstone Laboratories (blackstone-labs.com)

I'll probably do this. I choose to operate under the assumption that if you are a DIY type, this issue shouldn't sneak up on you if you are paying attention (and especially with regular oil analysis). I kind of doubt the gasket just fails and gushes coolant into the sump. Catching it in the very early stages is probably adequate to avoid total engine failure. It's when the vehicle is owned by someone who does not pay attention and maybe also doesn't have the best mechanic that is the biggest issue. But I'm also partially saying this to make myself feel better.

FWIW, as loaded as these forums are with multiple types of horror stories, has anyone ever seen a thread on this particular issue? Seems like it is fairly new to most of us. Then again, maybe I should ask if there is a history of "coolant mixed in my oil and now my engine is toast" threads even if they don't pinpoint the cause before engine replacement. Sounds like a job for the search function.

 

i haven't seen this type of thread ... yet ... been here since 2014

however ... these m157's are just now commonly approaching 100k miles sooooo.....

 

Aren’t there several guys here with well over 100k on their M157s?