This is my first time posting, so I apologize if I come across as an amateur.
Anyways... I have a 2005 Smart Diesel. It has roughly 85,000kms and has done a fair bit of highway in the last couple weeks. A couple days ago I pulled into the garage to notice that there were oil specs on the back of the car. I look under and sure enough oil is leaking from the left side of the engine. The drive shaft is dry as i've heard it could leak from there. I check the oil and noticed it was way over-filled by the last mechanic which was roughly 2000km's ago. I took it back to the mechanic, which they removed some oil and cleaned up the oil on the underside to see where it was leaking from. They said they ran the car and saw no leaks. Well sure enough by the end of the day, i see it leaking down again. I left it with the mechanic for the whole day today, they took apart some stuff at the top of the engine and got to the oil cooler.... I'm sorry for the lack of detail but this is all i got. Anyways, the mechanic (which has broken english) said he took the hose off for the oil cooler and noticed a fair bit of oil sitting in the hose. They again ran the car and could not see where the leak was coming from, but they suspect it might be internal.
I'm not sure if this is enough info but does anyone have any suggestions on what this could be? Also, for the last couple weeks the engine at times would idle rough. I've had this problem before and the mercedes dearlership just cleaned the injectors and everything was fine. Also, after just getting the car back from the mechanic today, their is a little bit of smoke, very little! But it deffinetly smells!
Your intercooler (charge air cooler that cools the turbocompressed air) has a hole in it, likely chafed by the plastic intercooler holder. There is a TSB (technical service bulletin) on this at CDN smart dealers, and an updated intercooler holder design to address the problem.
Although you would not expect there to be oil in the intercooler, they all have some due to the oil vapours that go into the airstream from the crankcase condensing on the cool fins of the intercooler. This gives rise to oil leaks. Overfilling the sump exacerbates the accumulation of oil.
My 2005 smart cdi had exactly the same problem and last Friday, at 4.75 years on the road and 127,000 km, the intercooler and the updated holder were installled at the dealer in Victoria at no charge to me. Considering how close you are to the warranty limit of 80,000 km, you should talk to the service manager where the car was bought and ask if they can do a "DPA" on this item for you. DPA meaning "free repair out of warranty".
Thanks for the response Mike T. I was relieved to hear the dealership might solve this problem at no cost, assuming it's the problem your describing. Personally I can't stand the MB dealerships here in Calgary and rather not deal with them. I have my doubts they'll do this as a DPA.
If we were to assume that this is not the problem with the original intercooler holder, is there anything else that this could be?
Mike T, do you know how much this job would have cost if it weren't for the DPA?
As bad as those dealers are, it's worthwhile going there for every second or third service, to keep them in the loop on your car and make them more likely to be sympathetic to post-warranty issues. But the main reason is that there is an electronic clutch adjustment that is done at every B Service that if it's not done, will cause expensive issues down the road. Unless the independent shop has a DAS machine, they can't do it. BTW I do most of my own services.
The overfilling of the oil by your mechanic leads me to believe that he's not at all familiar with the smart cdi and maybe ought not to be working on it. The cdi engine is extremely sensitive to oil level. It should be 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up the "normal " zone, no more.
So the car is in the shop and it is leaking from the Intercooler. RIght on! I talked to the dealership and asked about the DPA and the TSB report. They have no clue! Go figure. I was wondering if you'd know the bulletien number or would be able to get one? I'd greatly appreciate it!
Mike T , I just took my car to the dealer for service and was told that the intercooler is leaking oil, I asked about the TSB that you mentioned and they said they couldn't find it, any chance you can send me some more information about it so I can forward that to the dealership and hopefully get this replaced. Thanks,
Found out from the dealer my intercooler is leaking as well this TSB you mentioned when did that come out to the dealerships in Canada. My warranty ended in April 09 I asked that my car be looked at to see if anything needed to be handled under the warranty at that time. Should I go back and ask why this was not handled at that time?
Any help on this would be appreciated.
thanks
Kepi
Hi, I have oil leaks for several weeks already, now it's a puddle in my driveway, but i can never see it drips if i stare at it. Only after an overnight parked than a few drips the next day. Bring it to a private garage, the left side of engine, looked from underneath jacked up, all cover of oil, they say it needs to be shampooed, put some dye in to find out where the leaks is. My SMART FORTWO PASSION COUPE is 5 years old. Is this the same situation you folks are having? As this is my first car ever, i need a solution for you experts asap....THANK YOU!!!
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
Rana smartii
Snowball
Today
Linear Mode
