OM642 V6 diesel: leaking oil cooler seals in the engine valley
Typically above 120,000 km. It does not show up on every car.
expensive
severity
above 120,000 km
mileage
up to 2,000 EUR
repair cost
3 sources next to the write-up.
The fault
How you spot it
The oil cooler sits in the V between the cylinder banks, and its seal becomes porous over the years. The leak is characteristic: there is no visible trace on the outer sides of the engine, because the oil collects in the V under the intake and drips down from there. A smaller oil puddle can therefore appear under the car, while the place of the leak cannot be found from outside. As the fault gets worse, oil can also get into the coolant, and that shows up as oily streaks in the expansion tank. It gives no fault code. The repair is expensive because the cooler can only be reached after removing the intake and the swirl flap actuator. In a specialist workshop it can run up to 2,000 euro. The fault comes up above 120,000 km. One thing is worth asking even after the repair. If the V is not cleaned out thoroughly, the remains of the old seal and the soot get into the oil circuit, and there they can ruin the bearings and the oil passages as well.
Which model
Who it affects
The card opens the generation, the engine or the transmission.
Engines and transmissions
Engine
OM642DE30LA
Engine
OM642LSDE30LA
Engine
OM642DELS30LA
Checklist
OM642 V6 diesel: leaking oil cooler seals in the engine valley
What you would check for this fault. Take it to the car.
Before you buy
Checklist
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Sources
How we know
KFZ DietrichMercedes OM642: Welche Probleme hat der V6-Diesel?Drallklappen, Ölkühlerdichtung, verkokte VTG und AGR sind die vier Schwachstellen des 3,0-Liter-V6 – mit Fehlercodes, Symptomen und Prüfschritten.
Gebrauchtwagenberater.deMercedes OM642: Zuverlässiger Dauerläufer oder Kostenfalle?Typische Probleme und Schwachstellen beim Mercedes-Benz OM642 (280, 300, 320 CDI) ▻ Mängel ✓ Haltbarkeit des Motors
What BreaksUsed Car Weakness Database46,895+ weaknesses models engines
Information, not an expert opinion
We write the descriptions, and we put the source next to them. A person reviews them before they go out. They are still information, not a technical expert opinion.
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