EMERGENCY. I'm STRANDED. Crazy Engine Temps

[Sulaco]

Help! I'm stranded home from the 4th and MUST get back ASAP.

On the way to see the fireworks display I decide to add some water to the coolant. It's had a slow leak for nearly a year now, and I have to fill it about every 3-4 months. So, I fill it and drive on to see the fireworks (about 20 minutes away).

I get there and right as I park, the coolant low-light comes on and I kill the car. I hear water boiling. Temp is 100'ish. I realize I forgot to put the coolant cap back on. I drive home.

On the way home temps slowly climb and hover around 100. The oil-low light comes on. I've never seen this light come on in the 7 years I've driven this car. Coming down this steep hill I decide to shift to N and let it coast/cool down. It dies. It wouldn't start for a couple minutes. Finally, about 45 seconds from my house temps hit 120 so I kill it immediately. My father comes with a bucket of water and the radiator cap. We pour the bucket in and cap it while it's boiling.

Drive home with the temp barely staying below red.

After fighting it for a good hour, we get water in it and cap it off. But now it won't start. We just leave alone and about a half hour later, it starts, but it's running BADLY. Missing on 2 cylinders I'd say. Oil light staying on.

I add TWO QUARTS of oil to even get it to touch the dipstick! Light goes off. Try to leave to go back to my college town (with it still misfiring). Temps shoot up to 120 again, transmission is sticking on every gear, but the misfiring stops and the engine seems to be running perfectly. I bring it home and decide to let it cool overnight and try it again this morning.

No good. I took it for a test spin. At crank it idled a tiny bit rough. Test spin suffered strange, fluctuated engine temps. Would quickly shoot up to 100, then quickly drop down to 83-84. Did this 3 or 4 times then started slowly climbing to 120 again. I bring it home. As I'm parking, OIL LIGHT COMES BACK ON (after adding TWO quarts 5 hours ago!)

Did the trip home from fireworks blow the head gasket?

[OzC36]

It's probably a bit late now, but you should only add MB coolant to top up, never water, except in emergency, once only, get-home situation. After such an emergency situation, you should immediately have the cooling system repaired and flush completely and top up with MB coolant.

Using water over a period of time can be very bad for the engine materials depending the alkinality level of the local water. Engine alloys can be destroyed quickly depending on the acid/alkaline state. MB Coolant (and I guess most other coolants) is an anti-freeze and anti-corrosive mixture as opposed to the water-cooled systems of olde.

A cheap and easy cooling system repair if not carried out, can soon develop into a very expensive engine repair.

[sanf]

94, 160k on ur benz. you got a good use of it. if it cost more to fix than it's worth, let it rest...

[Proven Guilty]

it sounds very likely that you may have a blown the head gasket from the way your car is running. not having the cap on likely caused the water to boil out in the first place. check the oil levels today, and if it's a milky color you're in some serious trouble. most any mechanic shop should have the proper tool to check compression on your cylinders to determine if the head gasket was blown or not.

[Sulaco]

I've been fooling with it since 5 AM. I think it's full of water. The oil level appears to be fine (judging by the dipstick).

Here is the current state of affairs.

I crank it, there's white smoke the first minute or 2 of running. But the engine runs pretty much fine. I take it for a test spin and everthing appears to be perfectly fine for about 3 minutes. Then, the engine starts losing power and can hardly get the car up hills. At this point the temps start climbing up up and up until 120 again. I nurse it home and it feels like it's missing on at least 2 cylinders again.

Only starts running bad once the car is at normal operating temp for a few minutes. Not a good sign.

Any theories? Is there a chance my engine is completely shot?

[Proven Guilty]

white smoke + rough idle at operating temps after severe overheat = head gasket 100%

it's not an easy D.I.Y. but it is very possible.

[Sulaco]

Originally posted by sanf
94, 160k on ur benz. you got a good use of it. if it cost more to fix than it's worth, let it rest...

I have about $400 to my name, college debt of 24,000, a year of college to work through, rent to pay, and my mouth to feed.

And this car is worth quite alot to me. A whole hell of alot more than the awesome 1995 Accord (on it's second or third tranny) I could trade it in as a down payment for, at least.

[Sulaco]

Third post in a row, but very interesting:

I parked the car not 10-15 minutes ago with the temp gauge sitting at 120. I go out to check it now and it's at around 65-70. There's no way it cooled off that well in that amount of time while not running.

Plus the oil light comes on and off even though the oil level is fine.

Is that the oil LEVEL light or oil PRESSURE light?

[Sulaco]

Originally posted by Proven Guilty
white smoke + rough idle at operating temps after severe overheat = head gasket 100%

it's not an easy D.I.Y. but it is very possible.

I've done D.I.Y. water pump, wiring harness, and countless other odd jobs on the car. My father rebuilt the 360 V8 in his Dodge himself. I believe between the 2 of us we can get it done. What's the expected time frame on a job like this? 8 hours?

[Proven Guilty]

8 hours minimum. with the two of you, would probably be 8-10 hours. i would honestly get the cylinders checked for compression etc to be certain that it's a blown head gasket. it sounds text book to me, but without actually seeing/hearing the car run, i can only speculate.

if you guys go through with it, you'll want to have the head machined as well. usually when you have a severe over heat like that, they tend to warp ever so slightly. having the head machined back into being "true" will ensure longevity of the repair. they basically just shave it down 1-4mm to make sure its got a perfectly flat surface for being reinstalled.

good luck, and keep us posted

[Sulaco]

Well, we're definitely going through with it. I'm borrowing my sister's w203 for a few days then coming back this weekend to get cracking on mine.

What parts do I need? I know there's a guide out there somewhere on how to do this DIY. How much should I expect to spend on these parts?

How much would it cost to get the head machined?

Anything else I should know before-hand?

[NISMOPOWERED]

also check for air pockets in the cooling system. this can also cause it to run poorly. as far as the oil light it is possibly for the oil to get so hot that thats why the light came on. the oil system is about 40% of your cooling.

[irieite]

Originally posted by Proven Guilty
[B]white smoke + rough idle at operating temps after severe overheat = head gasket 100%/B]

I second that. Very likely to be the head gasket. Hopefully you didn't crack the head..

[c280nz]

compression test it before you strip it down.
my guess is head gasget too. if it only got to 120 hopefully the head wont be warped, but it may have gone past that?
also check out the availability in your area of a second hand motor out of a crashed car, it may be easier as you may have damaged more than first thought

[OzC36]

Try here and good luck:

http://www.mercedesshop.com/Wikka/M104HeadGasket

[OzC36]

PS: You will most likely have coolant in your engine oil or engine oil in your coolant. When you do the job, change both and put in a new oil filter. Recommend also you replace the thermostat (cheap item).

[OzC36]

PPS: Different car but might be helpful around the radiator area:

http://www.mercedesshop.com/Wikka/W124Radiator

[Sulaco]

Thanks for all the help guys. I'm leaning towards head gasket myself, seeing as how all 94-96 m104's have this problem. From what I understand, I'm lucky I've gone this far without needing a new head gasket.

My father's tinkered with it today in my absence and believes it's "air bubbles in the cooling system." I have no idea how there could be air bubbles in the system at this point...or how they could cause this much trouble. And he believes I've shorted another coil "because it only misfires when it's hot." When a coil needed replacing last time it would misfire CONSTANTLY--not only at operating temp.

So, compression test is next?

[NISMOPOWERED]

1> test compression one sign of a head gasket is misfire when warm.

2> air bubbles can cause lots of problems! If you have a leak anywhere then thats how they get in.

[Sulaco]

I'm in a mild state of panic right now. I have zero funding to worry about this problem.

Does anyone know if this qualifies under some kind of insurance coverage? I have state farm full coverage, I believe.


Edit:

Father and brother are looking into the damage/cause right now. They're saying the car cranks and runs fine, but still starts running extremely poorly once it gets to operating temp. Pulling the spark plugs reveals water sitting on the piston in cylinders 2 and 3.

??

[NISMOPOWERED]

blown gasket or cracked head
pull head off and have it check at a machine shop.
if its ok replace the gasket and you should be done

[OzC36]

Suggest you do what NISMO says. You do NOT have any other choice (except get rid of the car as a non-goer). It may only cost the the price of a head gasket.

Do NOT run the engine again. If you get a hydraulic lock in the cylinders you may destroy the engine.

[Sulaco]

Yeah, I come from the south. People here are pretty much born with knowledge of engines. Sad but true.

I'm terrified of the TBA wire harness... Assuming it IS just a busted head gasket, I'll likely have to get a new throttle body assembly also.

Know how much I can find a good 97 C280 for? High mileage no problem...

Any other car recommendations in case this thing is DOA?

[Rey99C280]

I don't have this problem yet (knock on wood). How much is it to replace a head gasket? I have a 99 C280, 96K miles.

[dc36]

i just had head gasket done in march 95 c36 .
it started at about 1400 but ended up around 1800 1900 cause alot of the vacuum lines and breather hoses where dried out and needed replacing p.s. other things you may run into. but it all depends where your are located as far as labor hours. i actually wrote an email to steve brotherton and asked him if he knew any good shops in my area. he knew one that was not to far and was a lil bit cheaper than other quotes i had gotten. so shop around for a good shop with a good price.