99 E300 Fuel Leak - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Beaumont · #1 09-29-2009, 05:30 PM

Hi all,

I have noticed a puddle of diesel fuel under the engine area in the garage. The car has approx 144,000 miles. Notice it after the car has sat for a week or two. I don't drive it very often. Like the car very much but I use my TDI Beetle as my daily driver.

The question that I have is how much do you think the dealer would charge to replace all the fuel lines and o-rings? Not sure if that is the problem or not just trying to get a ballpark on the cost. Appreciate any advice.

Barry

nhdoc · #2 09-29-2009, 05:48 PM

You won't get out of any dealer for under $500, I can guarantee that. If you are lucky they will charge you less than a grand but that is becoming the new "minimum charge".

You can buy the parts and do it for under $100 and in a couple of hours. In reality the only parts which are bad are probably a dollar's worth of o-rings.

lupin..the..3rd · #3 09-29-2009, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nhdoc

In reality the only parts which are bad are probably a dollar's worth of o-rings.

x2 willing to bet your problem is just O rings. Cheap and easy DIY fix. Big bucks to have the dealer do it.

TMAllison · #4 09-29-2009, 06:14 PM

The dealer will want to pull the Intake manifold in order to replace the fuel lines. Will end up right around the $500 range NHDOC mentioned.

Fryerpower.com has a viton oring kit for the 606.962 for ~$25. That kit, and one hour of your time ought to resolve the problem. On a 1-10 scale, this project is a 2 or 3.

A mirror, flashlight and a little investigation on your part might get the job down to 10 minutes.....we'll even tell you where to look first.

Beaumont · #5 09-29-2009, 06:41 PM

Appreciate the info - I don't have access to a lift unfortunately. I just looked under the car and the leak appears to be in the middle of the car ( behind the front tires I guess nearer the firewall )- Does a fuel line run their?

TMAllison · #6 09-29-2009, 06:45 PM

Get a flashlight and look at the fuel lines in, on and around the IP. Look from the top side of the engine by the fuel filter and under the intake manifold. Thats where it ought to be leaking from.

If you've got your belly pan installed you won't be able to tell where the leak if comming from by looking below.

Changing fuel lines and/or orings is all done from the top.

nhdoc · #7 09-29-2009, 06:47 PM

You don't need a lift, it can all be done from above. You won't be able to tell the location of the leak by looking at the ground because there is a pan beneath the engine which catches leaks and so where it finally comes out is not necessarily below the source of the leak. You can probably see more from above if you look at the ends of the plastic fuel lines and at the black shutoff valve.

lupin..the..3rd · #8 09-29-2009, 09:03 PM

Barry, where are you located? You forgot to include that in your profile...

hobbitss · #9 09-29-2009, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMAllison

Fryerpower.com has a viton oring kit for the 606.962 for ~$25. That kit, and one hour of your time ought to resolve the problem. On a 1-10 scale, this project is a 2 or 3.

I ordered up a set of the Viton O-rings and installed them on the plastic lines I had ordered from Phil.. Left the car with the indy' who works on my brothers 98 E300 and had him do the lines and IP seals while I was visiting...
He told me that Mercedes now ships the 606 plastic lines with Viton O-rings...
Visually the Vitons I ordered looked identical to the O-rings on the lines Mercedes shipped, can anyone confirm that Mercedes ships lines with Viton??

lupin..the..3rd · #10 09-30-2009, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hobbitss

He told me that Mercedes now ships the 606 plastic lines with Viton O-rings...
Visually the Vitons I ordered looked identical to the O-rings on the lines Mercedes shipped, can anyone confirm that Mercedes ships lines with Viton??

I hadn't heard that one before. I suppose it's possible, but why would MB revise a part for a car that's been out of production for a decade now? Doesn't seem likely.

Besides, there's no need to replace all the little lines, it's just the O-rings that go bad.

nhdoc · #11 09-30-2009, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lupin..the..3rd

I hadn't heard that one before. I suppose it's possible, but why would MB revise a part for a car that's been out of production for a decade now? Doesn't seem likely.

Besides, there's no need to replace all the little lines, it's just the O-rings that go bad.

They do redesign on parts all the time. The 722.6 transmission has been out of production since 2006 yet they just introduced the third redesign of the plug seal which has been problematic since production began. I can see them changing materials on the o-rings if they felt the viton would last longer than the neoprene ones they originally spec'd for the lines.

TMAllison · #12 09-30-2009, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hobbitss

I ordered up a set of the Viton O-rings and installed them on the plastic lines I had ordered from Phil.. Left the car with the indy' who works on my brothers 98 E300 and had him do the lines and IP seals while I was visiting...
He told me that Mercedes now ships the 606 plastic lines with Viton O-rings...
Visually the Vitons I ordered looked identical to the O-rings on the lines Mercedes shipped, can anyone confirm that Mercedes ships lines with Viton??

I've not heard that either; and doubt that it is correct. They definately used to come with Buna Nitrile rubber orings from the factory.

A durometer would tell you which material they are now.

Beaumont · #13 09-30-2009, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lupin..the..3rd

Barry, where are you located? You forgot to include that in your profile...

Sorry about that. Updated....

Barry

hobbitss · #14 10-01-2009, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nhdoc

They do redesign on parts all the time. The 722.6 transmission has been out of production since 2006 yet they just introduced the third redesign of the plug seal which has been problematic since production began. I can see them changing materials on the o-rings if they felt the viton would last longer than the neoprene ones they originally spec'd for the lines.

I would expect that most of the small parts are standard across all models and if they need the Viton for the newer models for the Ultra Low Sulfur that they would also start using them for the OEM replacement parts when the old inventory ran out...

I was just looking to see if anyone else could confirm it or had heard something similar...

nhdoc · #15 10-01-2009, 09:37 AM

Getting back to the original post...basically if he ordered the set of o-ring and removed the washer bottle he could replace every seal in the fuel system without having to R&R the manifold and could do the whole job in about an hour. The only one you cannot get to without pulling the manifold is the internal o-ring on the banjo bolt at the back of the IP, but that one should not cause an external leak. So, basically, you can replace the o-rings at each end of the fuel lines, the one at the pre-filter and the one at the shutoff valve for just a few dollars.

If you can see the top of the injector pump and it is wet going down the sides then you might have to replace the delivery valve seals too...that is a more advanced DIY project and does require the R&R of the manifold for most people.

So, the first thing to do it look under the hood and see where the leak is!