I own a 1984 190e with 97000 original miles on it. Recently I was checking on the air filters condition and found that it was saturated with engine oil in 1 spot and there was a small amount of oil pooled in the air cleaner housing. I know that the oil is comeing in through a tube connection the housing to the valve cover. I replaced the filter but oil comes back. I was thinking about putting a peice of white breather filter into the small cup like section in the housing above the tube to catch the engine oil and stop it from getting on my airfilter. Any ideas about this good or bad? Also should I be worried about the oil getting into the air cleaner housing ? what could be causing this?

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1984
190e 2.3L
107000 miles

I have same problem. Valve stem seal changed, but did not seem any help.

The PCV system consists of a liquid vapor separator inside the cam cover and a restrictor built into the idle speed air distributor - a plastic junction block located between the head and fuel distributor.

Under manifold vacuum conditions clean air flows from the air cleaner housing to the cam cover nipple, through the engine and into the idle air distributor. Flow is limited by the 1.5 mm restrictor built into the idle speed air distributor.

Under low manifold vacuum conditions the flow can reverse.

Recommend you remove the idle speed air distributor and associated hoses and throughly clean them out. If this does not solve the oil in the air cleaner problem it might be the liquid vapor separator, so you will have to remove the cam cover and check it for clogging and mechanical integrity.

If the PCV system is functioning properly and the engine does not have excessive blowby, you should only get, at worst, a light film of oil in the air cleaner housing near the nipple, but there should be no liquid oil.

Duke