Diagnosis of wet patches around engine

aulday

New member
Hi guys

So I took the under engine protection cover off today in order to get to the sump plug and change the oil.

While I was underneath I have a good look around with my head torch and noticed various areas that were wet to the touch, or at least wet enough to be shiny.

Some areas I would say were oil and others maybe other fluids.

What stood out the most was the alternator casing appeared to be soaked and the engine block next to it was wet also.

I've done 1000 miles since owning it for a few weeks and the oil level did not appear to go down in this time. The engine protector was not wet with oil or liquid either.

I've attached all the photos and circles the wet areas. Can someone tell me what the likely causes are and if any are of great concern?

Thanks!!
 

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cahaak

New member
I had some areas like that when I first bought my sprinter also. You have some much that it makes it difficult to diagnose fi there is a leak in a particular area. You should also remove the top engine cover and look underneath it for black death or any deposits there. Here is what I did that I found helpful - you need to give the engine a thorough clean and degreaseto wash away all of the existing deposits and get it as clean as possible. I'm assuming that you are in a current warm area so that this will be possible. You don't need to use high pressure, but you will need to use a good degreaser. Once you have everything clean, keep an eye on the engine for the next X amount of time and you should be able to locate the source of any leaks much more easily. It can be things like a clamp that needs tightening, leak in the turbo resonator and in your case, it looks like someone in the past spilled oil on the refill. Once it is clean, it is much easier to check things and then you ccan reclean periodically to keep it that way.

Chris
 

aulday

New member
I certainly hope there's no black death. it starts and runs as smooth as anything even after leaving for days and a frosty start. I'll get the cover off and have a look. Can't be too much fluid leaking all the levels are fine.
 

aulday

New member
okay pretty inclined to think I have BLACK DEATH here :(

I can only get 3 of the bolts off and prize a small gap, feels very wet in there and some deposit with an odd smell to it a bit like the smell of an old diesel train railway station.

To see it properly I need to get the casing off and as far as I can tell it's under a manifold. What do I need to do to get the cover off?

See attached images. thanks!
 

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MikeHowe

2003 Sprinter 413 CDi
Hi, I've attached your pic with annotations to show which bolts and which covers need to be removed to be able to see the injectors properly for black death. Don't worry you can't really damage anything by removing the pipe, bolts and covers.

Once you've removed them have a good look at the bases of the injectors. It should be pretty clean. My guess is if you have black death it'll be pretty obvious, with lots of black gunge.

If you do have black death get it sorted immediately otherwise you will have many more expensive problems.

Good luck, Mike
 

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MikeHowe

2003 Sprinter 413 CDi
Thanks a lot for that Mike that's really helpful

If it is black death I have a quote from someone in the UK who fixes black death for a living. He done me a flat rate quote of £450 and will let me pay in 2 instalments.

I will get pics so we can clarify that is the issue.

Here is his advert, I've seen he was recommended on a UK benz forum: http://www.gumtree.com/p/business-s...iped-threads-vito-sprinter-ml-c-e-s/100550313
If it is black death that service looks very good and well worth the money as it's good to use someone who knows what they're doing. I had a very bad case of black death so I've been through the mill on this issue - let us know how you get on, there are loads of guys on this forum with tonnes of experience. Mike
 

aulday

New member
Right so here are the excellent results from that service

Before and after.

It took him 4 hours and the whole lot was done, newly cut seats, washers and retaining bolts.

Company details are:

Modern Diesels
Unit 1 Dovecot Street
Stockton On Tees
01642 676465
07577473486
Email. Moderndiesels@icloud.com
TS18 1 HG


The actual guy who did the job for me: indigomerc@me.com

Total of £450 and he came to me to do the job with 12 months warranty.

Excellent!
 

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stroud_omnibus

New member
Looks like a top job to me! It's good to know these guys are about but doubt he'd want to come down to me from Stockton without charging extra unless he has local agents.

A couple of weeks ago my friend had 'blow-by' on his Mazda 6 diesel. The whole injector set up took mere minutes to remove. New washers were fitted and all back together in no time without holding your breath wondering if something's going to snap or strip. Much, much better thought out and engineered than Mercedes.
 

aulday

New member
Well he travels the country doing it and had come all the way down to Devon from up north to sort me out. He was doing jobs all over the shop
 

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