Coolant leak from head gasket??

dbratcher

New member
I checked out an 03 with 150k on the odometer, tall and long, exactly what i am looking for. The van was really clean but i noticed one issue. There appears to be a very small amount of coolant seaping from the passenger side rear of the head, directly under the exhaust port. I am almost sure it was coolant due to the green tint. It was not enough to even drip, just discolor the area. I searched the forum here but could not find this. Any ideas?
 

poiuytrewq

New member
i dont think sprinter antifreeze is green, should be red- i have oil seeping for years, very small amount at rodker cover. Your right though, only thing it really could be is antifreeze. I read another post indicating that after a dealer replaced antifreeze with wrong type leaks appeared all over
 

abittenbinder

Doktor A (864-623-9110)
I checked out an 03 with 150k on the odometer, tall and long, exactly what i am looking for. The van was really clean but i noticed one issue. There appears to be a very small amount of coolant seaping from the passenger side rear of the head, directly under the exhaust port. I am almost sure it was coolant due to the green tint. It was not enough to even drip, just discolor the area. I searched the forum here but could not find this. Any ideas?
The MBenz recommended HOAT coolants typically leave white residue when seeping and drying.

If this vehicle has green coolant in the radiator, it is remotely possible that someone botched a broken exhaust stud repair, drilled too deeply and broke through into a coolant passage. Coolant passages are just beneath the exhaust stud bores.

Also, the exhaust manifold nuts are copper. It's possible you are seeing normal oxidation stains from these fasteners. Doktor A
 

Zymurgy

Buckeye Zymurgist
A little off subject. I am concerned that I my have put the wrong antifreeze in my van. It however, has been in there about 2 years. It shows none of the signs of the previous posts.

I installed a block heater topped it off. I then over 6 months, I was topping it off on occasion, because I didn't get the block heater element tight enough, and it was leaking.:doh:

The van is 5 years old and has almost 70,000. Should I change it any way? I did a search and couldn't find when the coolant should be changed.

Thanks
 

scubanw3

Member
We are beginning to see this type of leak in this same location on the early model Sprinter. And no, there were no broken exhaust stud repairs make on these vans. I believe this weeping will only be found on a very small percentage of Sprinters and most likely not a wide spread problem. However, this is something every T1N owner should keep an eye out for. Headgaskets can weep like this for extended periods of time without need of repair. Hope this helps.

Thank you, John
Sprinter Store
http://sprinterstore.com/
A division of Upscale Automotive, Inc.
19460 SW 89th Ave.
Tualatin, OR 97062
503-692-0846
 

KEC

2002 2500 SHC
I also have this same leak. it seeps out from the head gasket at rear of head on pass side.
Sometimes for days its not there and dry, then others it drips down to cross member. At this point i am keeping an eye on it.
 

abittenbinder

Doktor A (864-623-9110)
I also have this same leak. it seeps out from the head gasket at rear of head on pass side.
Sometimes for days its not there and dry, then others it drips down to cross member. At this point i am keeping an eye on it.
I have rebuilt quite a few Sprinter cyl heads, have a large number of Sprinter cyl heads and engines here and a rapidly growing pile of old throw-away cylinder head gaskets.

I have never seen any erosion of the head gasket, cylinder head surface or top of engine block in this area. The coolant passages between head and block are identical at each cylinder location and in the rear corner in question, is even further from edge of casting.

I would ask that owners and shops with this coolant seepage to please inspect more closely, gather more clues and kindly report back. Doktor A
 

Hit The Road Jack

2006 Roadhouse Sprinter
I have rebuilt quite a few Sprinter cyl heads, have a large number of Sprinter cyl heads and engines here and a rapidly growing pile of old throw-away cylinder head gaskets.

I have never seen any erosion of the head gasket, cylinder head surface or top of engine block in this area. The coolant passages between head and block are identical at each cylinder location and in the rear corner in question, is even further from edge of casting.

I would ask that owners and shops with this coolant seepage to please inspect more closely, gather more clues and kindly report back. Doktor A
How about a source for the proper coolant used in our Sprinters?...:bow:

Our low coolant level light is intermittently flashing Dok...:thinking:
 

dbratcher

New member
I just bought this sprinter and i will keep an eye on the head gasket. I cleaned the area and then drove it and so far no leaks. I do have green coolant in it, should i change this out and if so to what?
 

GEARS

2005 140WB standard roof
Has anyone tried that crazy Gunk Solder Seal stuff? I am very skeptical of any magical fix-it type stuff but I've used that stuff many times in the past with excellent results. While it won't stop a blown head gasket it'll stop just about any coolant leak.
 

greg555

New member
I have rebuilt quite a few Sprinter cyl heads, have a large number of Sprinter cyl heads and engines here and a rapidly growing pile of old throw-away cylinder head gaskets.

I have never seen any erosion of the head gasket, cylinder head surface or top of engine block in this area. The coolant passages between head and block are identical at each cylinder location and in the rear corner in question, is even further from edge of casting.

I would ask that owners and shops with this coolant seepage to please inspect more closely, gather more clues and kindly report back. Doktor A
Hey. Can you tell me if there are any surprises when rebuilding sprinter engine? Anything I should know? I picked up my first one, 05 3500, changed injectors but still got missfire on #5. Quite a bit of blow by so I'm thinking that previous owner drowe for a long time with bad injector and damaged the piston.
I've build many high performance gas engines but have 0 experience with diesels.
I understand head is flat - can it be resurfaced normally or is there special procedure?
Any special tools I would need? Anything that I should know?
Thanx a bunch
Greg
 

mawsea

sprinter guru
What am i supposed to do about this? I'm taking it in for the intake recall, should I have em go ahead and replace this head gasket while they have the engine torn apart? Or should i just keep an eye on it and not worry that this will blow wide open down the road?
164k never any overheating probs.
 

Attachments

Bob of QF

New member
I too would be interested in a reply to the question of which type of coolant to use-- I'm thinking of doing a coolant replacement, specifically to replenish the anti-corossion chemicals all modern automotive anti-freezes contain.

I had read elsewhere that it's of a special type, and not the ethelyne glycol formulas used by many modern engines. Perhaps MB switched to the slightly less toxic propylene glycol formula? Any information would be useful, here, together with possible brand names.

Thanks.
 

Bob of QF

New member
Thanks for the link-- there are several brands I recognize from autoparts over here. The specs, I haven't paid attention to (but now I will).
 

trailtoy

New member
What am i supposed to do about this? I'm taking it in for the intake recall, should I have em go ahead and replace this head gasket while they have the engine torn apart? Or should i just keep an eye on it and not worry that this will blow wide open down the road?
164k never any overheating probs.
Our 2004 Sprinter, 130,xxx miles has had the same leak for about a year. Every couple of months it takes about a pint to top it off. Time to trade it in?? I am very surprised Doctor A has not seen this in his travels.
 

forrestfire

New member
I also have this issue in the 2006 T1N I just bought (150k). The coolant leaks from the head gasket on the front drivers side, near the fuel pump area. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping the problem doesn't get worse, but will probably spring for a repair if the drips become more serious over time. I tend to pour a pint of coolant in every 500-800 miles, whenever the coolant light comes on.
 

mawsea

sprinter guru
I am now at 226,000 miles without any repair to the head gasket. It still leaks. It concerns me but i do not know of a competent sprinter mechanic in western washington.
 

random

05 140" SHC 2500 Cargo
Any reason I should not add Bar's Stop Leak to my coolant?
That stuff is bad news. Gunk's up passages and radiator tubes. It is a plug-it-and-sell-it fix. Its a good idea to remove radiator cap and look for that stuff when inspecting used cars.
So how many miles since you first noticed the leak? Has it got any worse? These are points to consider if contemplating a repair.

And look at the dates on these posts. This is the thread that keeps on giving!
 

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