Hey Scotty, I got a 2000 Mercedes Benz SLK230 with 167,000 miles. I have had it for about a year and a half now and it runs good. I have taken it on six hour road trips, and drive it everyday to work. I have a question about coolant leaking behind the engine. About 6 months ago my mechanic did an oil pan service and he noticed I have a slight coolant leak behind the engine. He says its from the cylinder head. He told me just to check my coolant once in a while to make sure its topped off. So far I have only had to add coolant every 9 months. I even tried a Kseal sealer that worked pretty well.
My main concern is if that head gasket will eventually be a problem in the future? I am aware that it is an expensive job. I do not drive the car too hard and I change my oil with full synthetic every 5000 miles.
Could be the head gasket but it's also possible there's a core plug in the back of the cylinder head that's corroding through after 22 years. (Some engines have them in that location. I don't know if yours is one of them.)
However if that's the case the head still has to come off to repair it and you'd be getting a new head gasket as well at that point. Whichever it is, "sealer" is just a temporary bandaid. It will likely fail catastrophically at the worst possible time. If you plan to keep the car as long as possible it needs to be repaired properly. On the other hand, if you've been thinking of getting something else to replace it - now is the time.
Yes, the blown head gasket will be a problem in the future, whether near or down the road. They do not repair themselves.
Thanks for the input. As far as I can tell the coolant is all external and it does not even hit the floor. It can only be seen when the car is lifted. I have not had any problems with the car overheating or anything. Also where I am driving, the temperature is often over 100 degrees especially over the summer. I'll just plan accordingly when the repair does need to be addressed in the future.
There is a slim possibility it is a corroded freeze plug. They cost about $4 and can be fairly easily replaced. You would have to have your mechanic do a leak dye test to confirm this.
I was able to find one forum online about the freeze plugs. I’ll bring it up to my mechanic. Again, thanks for all the help!