Coolant in oil?

[Cees Klumper]

This was posted on Pagoda113.com and the Yahoo! Pagoda site - anyone have tips?

"Just before I was about to go out for a spin this evening, I checked the oil and to my great dismay, I found the dipstick gooey and showing signs of fluid contamination!!!! AAAAAhhhhhh!!!!

I drained the oil and made note of the condition of the effluent. It was very dark but definitely mixed with water, because is was quite "watered" down. For now, I replaced the filter and gave it an
oil change like "nothing was wrong". Now what?! I know I can't leave
it like this, but what is my next move?

Okay experts, what is my prognosis? This morning, I drove the car to
work put about 50 miles on it before I found the problem. Ran it up
to 80 mph and saw no symptoms of the situation. The water
temperature reached 180F, normal for the conditions and the outside
temperatures (it was gorgeous today). I looked in the radiator fill
tank and noted that the coolant was a normal greenish/gold color.

Have I blown a head gasket? Have I worn out a seal somewhere that is
common?

1967 230SL
97,000 miles and no major repairs in the records"

Cees Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

[Benz Dr.]

Huh?  You did what?

 You drove the car hard knowing it might have an internal coolant leak? It might be nothing more than condensation on the dip stick but why risk the engine. You should have had a leak down test done or investigated your oil problems a bit further.

Dan c

Daniel G Caron

[ja17]

Hello,
It may be a good time to re-torque the cylinder head and see how things look under the valve cover.
You can also do a pressure check on the cooling system to see if it looses pressure too quickly indicating a leak. If the correct 1.0 atmosphere radiator cap is used (14.7 lbs), the system should hold 14.7 lbs. of pressure in the cooling system. Do the head re-torque first in case you have loose head bolts. Check to make sure your radiator cap is has the correct 1.0 marking. Hopefully you will only have a condensation problem. Good luck!

Joe Alexander
Blacklick, Ohio

[Mark in KS]

Cees, thanks for the posting.  Thanks guys, for your replies.

I drove the car in the daytime and didn't discover the problem on the dipstick until early evening.  It's definitely NOT condensation.  Too much flow to the effluent when I changed the oil (immediately).  I ordered a head gasket set from Ray Paul today.  I should be able to keep all bulletin boards informed of the progress.  Yes, I will be checking the torque values on the head in its present state.

BTW, would anyone like to have some photos of the repair?  I'm going to take pictures as I go, so I don't forget how to get it back together.  First thing is to drain the coolant.  I have a BBB and another old guide, so I'll be doing lots of "studying".

[ja17]

Hello Mark,
Be sure to loosen the radiator cap before beginning the re-torque sequence. Loosen each head bolt one turn then retorque, then move to the next. Follow reverse torque sequence.
Hopefully your anti-freeze has been changed at intervals over the years. Old coolant can become acidic and eat away at the cylinder head.
Yes I think everyone would like to see some photos when the process begins.


Joe Alexander
Blacklick, Ohio

[rwmastel]

Mark in KS,

When you do the work, you should decide if you want to document it here in this thread or over in the Cylinder Head Discussion thread.  (www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=1113)

Rodd
Powell, Ohio, USA
1966 230SL, Euro, Auto, Leather, both  tops
1994 E420