Hi guys I am new here and have a question? My mom has a 1997 c280 sport with 68000 miles on it. Thequestion is she just drove it from Salt Lake to Las Vegas and right has she got to Vegas the check engine light came on and it started running rough. After she parked it we noticed it was leaking oil. Checked the oil and it is low but it still shows up on the dipstick. Is the motor shot? or is it something that can be fixed? This car is immaculate and has never leaked oil.Any help would be great! Thanks in advance. I know its not crusier related but i've seen you guys answer problems on other cars. So i was hoping someone could help me thanks again.
newbie needs help badly
- Thread starter mbmnotso
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First of all before driving it make sure she has her oil and has her other fluids topped off, then, drive it to an AutoZone (use the phone book to look the closest one up) and have them read the code to the CEL; they will read it for free. If the engine is overheating at all DONT DRIVE IT, just wait til tomorrow and tow the thing to the MB dealer. Once she gets the code (assuming its not overheating and she can drive to the closest AutoZone), post it up and we'll try to help. Without the exact code it is impossible to know what is working or not. Also, where is the oil leak? 
Could be couple thing bad catalyic converter, 02 sensor.What is this a Mercedes Benz forum now?mbmnotso said:
Same as cruiser its the front seal.
mbmnotso said:
What size leak would you say it is? I think the main thing to say is if it is really leaking oil like you can see it leak as it runs or if it really has a large grapefruit size spot underneath after you park for an hour then I would not drive it anywhere, just tow to the dealer or a reputable independent Mercedes Shop in the area and get it looked at. If on the other hand it is leaking minimally and you can top it to full then great, if you cannot top it to full (IOW, you have no oil with you) and there is still oil above the "low" mark on the dipstick you can prolly gettaway with going to the closest gas station, mc parts place, etc to get the right oil and top it to full. Again if it is overheating do not drive at all, just tow to the shop of choice. HTH,
PS. Dont worry about LX, he's not helpful to anyone, its not just you!!! 
- Thread starter
- #8
Took the car to autozone there is a sensor out. Not sure which one it is but the # 4 cyl. isn't firing. Thanks for the help. I went to a mercedes forum first and i only got one reply and they told me to take it to a mercedes mechanic and not a general mechanic. (real helpful). Your guys replys were quicker and more helpful. Thanks again for helping with a non cruiser related problem.
I didn't have a chance to reply to this before everyone else chimed in to help. Thanks from me for being cool. This really helped them out and no one really flamed him too bad.
Gotta luv Land Cruiser.....owners that is. The truck is pretty good too!!!
Cheers, that makes me proud to be part of this forum. I know thats
, but it's the truth! again!!
Doug
Gotta luv Land Cruiser.....owners that is. The truck is pretty good too!!!
Cheers, that makes me proud to be part of this forum. I know thats
, but it's the truth! again!!Doug
For future reference, my SOP for breakdowns is to first of all check the oil and coolant levels, if they're OK and the gauges/lights are OK its normally safe to drive it to the workshop. If not tow it, it's not worth the risk making an easy to repair problem an expensive problem. Of course every breakdown is different but as a general guide that usually works.
