Is that a separate door on the steering pump reservoir?

Do these reservoirs just start leaking and the only way to solve it is replace with a new one?

I've had a major oil leak from that area starting a week after the XF was delivered a year and a half ago. While I've needed to only add a small amount of steering fluid, it is safe to say that at least a half pint of fluid has ended up on the floor.

I've replaced the sealant on the plates above the spark plugs and no additional oil is coming from them.

I've always wanted an oil tight engine/engine bay, but this isn't one of them.

 

Very common leak on all m112/113 engines (Mercedes). The usual culprit is an o-ring that the back of the reservoir uses to seal against the p/s pump. You can removed the reservoir and replace just the o-ring, or if you have higher mileage, you should replace the reservoir. The reservoir has a filter built into it and over time (usually a little over 100k) is will clog and cause your p/s to become noisy (especially under load). A good visual inspection can be done with a friend. Run the car with the cap off of the p/s reservoir, have a friend turn the steering to lock and look into the reservoir at the fluid. Is it aerated or visibly contaminated? If so, replace entire reservoir assembly with new o-ring. It's a pretty straightforward job and can be done in under an hour with the right tools.

 

I've gone to a Mercedes specific parts supplier and their drawing of the reservoir does not show the O-ring connector. Looking as well as I can on my XF it appears to be a short plastic hose to the pump with a square(?) clip which appears as if it might be difficult to remove. Is the O-ring inside? And how do I get the correct sized O-ring?

I'm leery of removing the reservoir without whatever it is I actually need for the direct connection to the pump. They're using Mercedes part numbers but that isn't going to help without that specific O-ring/clip.

 

Checking this out for you I went to rockauto.com and did a parts look up for a 2003 Mercedes SLK320. Under the steering category you will find both the reservoir and O ring. The O ring (ÜRO PARTS Part # 0004661880) is 89 cents. You can find ebay sellers as well.


I found an ebay power steering pump listing with one of the pictures showing a good view of the clip. It's a U clip that slides off to one side.



http://www.ebay.com/itm/2001-MERCEDES-SLK-320-R170-POWER-STEERING-PUMP-RESERVOIR-0004600183-OEM-/121507620127?hash=item1c4a6b251f&vxp=mtr

 

Toolman, thanks for the heads up on RockAuto. I splurged and bought two O-rings (though they call them gaskets). I also went with the Lemforder reservoir. I use their ball-joints on the Alfa's I restore and they're always excellent quality.

 

Sticky needed on this one, if it hasn't been already. This answers my questions...black srt is leaking..147K