How is the dip stick attatched to the engine?

Folke

New member
I have an oil leakage between the pipe for the dip stick and the engine in my Mercedes Sprinter 308D and I was hoping that maybe someone here knows something about this!

So I want to change the o ring between the pipe and the motor but I can't seem to get the pipe out of there.
There are two pins high up on the pipe holding it to the engine but after taking those out the pipe is still wont move.
The pipe is the "bent" type so it's not possible to twist it out as there are other things in the way of it for that.

I hope that maybe someone has done this before me and can give some helpfull advice!
Thanks.

(Sorry for crapy language, I'm from Sweden but I hope you get what I mean)
 

the-oilman

New member
Which engine do you have?

The OM647 2.7L 5 cyl pipe is pressed into the block. I don't think it can be removed from the outside / top. Remove the oil pan, and tap it out with a hammer from the bottom. Mine was so tight that after getting it loose I had to file the edges where hitting it flared it too big to get out. No o-ring on it. I used a little silicone form-a-gasket just below the flare/stop as a seal but it probably wasn't necessary.
 

220629

Well-known member
I have an oil leakage between the pipe for the dip stick and the engine in my Mercedes Sprinter 308D and I was hoping that maybe someone here knows something about this!

So I want to change the o ring between the pipe and the motor but I can't seem to get the pipe out of there.
...
First. Are you certain that the oil is leaking there and not being blown over to that place from somewhere else?

The tube isn't under any real pressure. Rather than risking damage to the tube during removal, I would wire brush the entry point, clean with carburetor cleaner, petrol, or acetone, and then seal the outside with automotive silicone seal.

If it works then you are done. (I believe that it will.) If it doesn't work you can still remove the dipstick tube later.

:2cents: vic
 

Folke

New member
Thanks a lot for the answers!

The Oilman: It's the 2.3 OM601.943 engine.

Aqua Puttana: I am not sure that it comes from there, it could be blown there from somewere else.
I had the same problem on another car (Audi) and it was the o ring between the pipe and the engine that was the problem and it was very easy and cheap to fix it so I thought I'd try the same thing here.

I will follow your advice and clean it with a wire brush and petrol.

If it doesn't come from there, is there a typical place from where it might come from?
It's hard to see down there because of the water pump and generator that blocks the view/access pretty good.
 
Folke. Last year I though that my dipstick was
Leaking I ordered a new one (dip stick)
When revived new part how long it was and
Knew at this point that it would be a huge amour
Of work to replace it (remove oil pan)
Decided to check where the leak was actually
Coming from. Found that a large brass nut
Behind the altinator was leaking . I didn't
Remove it just tighten and the the oil leak
Was fixed. Hope this helps PS it was on
My 06 3500
 

Folke

New member
Folke. Last year I though that my dipstick was
Leaking I ordered a new one (dip stick)
When revived new part how long it was and
Knew at this point that it would be a huge amour
Of work to replace it (remove oil pan)
Decided to check where the leak was actually
Coming from. Found that a large brass nut
Behind the altinator was leaking . I didn't
Remove it just tighten and the the oil leak
Was fixed. Hope this helps PS it was on
My 06 3500
Intresting, thanks for that. Do you happen to know what that nut was for?
I found one nut behind the alternator, below where the dip stick enters the engine, that was all wet from oil. I tightend it up and cleaned up as much as I could, wich is very difficult because of tight spaces.
I'll start it tomorrow and see if any oil comes out.

Thanks for sharing your experience!
 
You asked if I knew what was behind
The nut. Don't know but it was large
At least 18mm or larger and I removed
the alt. (alt was covered with oil) to get to it. It was warm weather when
I did mine so I washed it with break cleaner
And purple degreaser followed by pressure
Wash when I started the motor I could
Tell where the leak was. If you are having
Trouble finding leak add a leak finding
Solution you can get from auto parts like
Auto zone
 

Boater

New member
OM601 engine is covered in Peter Russeks workshop manual along with OM602. I can't see any different instructions for the 2 engines in relation to the timing cover so I'm assuming the front of the engines are laid out the same. All it says about removing the dipstick guide tube from the timing cover is to unscrew it from the timing cover, so presumably the end threads into the timing cover. I had the timing cover off my OM602 last year when I rebuilt it but I honestly don't recall if I removed the dipstick tube!

I had a lot of oil around the front of the timing cover which I decided was coming from the crankshaft oil seal and being spread around by the pulley/harmonic balancer, it was mostly pretty crusty though. Immediately above my dipstick is the water pump, which doesn't leak oil and the belt tensioner - maybe worth checking the oil is not from the tensioner damper, mine was shot and I replaced it.
There are a few bolts into the timing cover but none should go through it.
On the side of the engine above the alternator is a large hexagonal boss which is the timing chain tensioner, it is possible oil could be leaking here and finishing up at the dipstick, but you are also getting close to the turbo oil return pipe and they can be a bugger for leaking onto the alternator. Ignore that, no turbo on the OM601....

Also worth considering if it is just spilt oil, either from checking the level and letting drips fall off the dipstick, of given how close the filler cap is to the front of the rocker cover, could it have been spilt when topping up?

I was about to suggest oily air ducts, but without a turbo there won't be an intercooler - inlet pipe over the top of here so can that idea too!
 

Folke

New member
I cleaned everything up as good as I could and putted on silicone seal wich seems to have fixed the leak.

Like said earlier in the thread, there's not real pressure there that should make the oil come out there.
Could it be the crankcase ventilation that's plugged, causing this?

I've never checked the crankcase ventilation on this one, to be honest I don't even know where it is on this engine.

I know on some cars the crankcase vent freezes in the winter, has anyone experienced that with their Sprinters?
After all the swedish winter gives us a couple of mornings with 20c below zero.


Boater; lots of valuble information there, thanks a lot for that! You gave me things to check for there, I'm right on it!=)
 

Boater

New member
Crankcase vents through the rocker cover and into the air intake (usually just before the turbo, I'm still struggling with the concept of a non-turbo sprinter!) - probably a big black plastic connector on the top of the rocker cover. Pretty big cross section area on a diesel, not a PCV valve like on a petrol engine.

I've spent nearly 4 years chasing small oil leaks on my car, I do stop some but I can never find them all!
 

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