Hi all. I have a 98 e320 with a good oil leak on the left front of the engine.
The power steering pump is doing a fantastic job of slinging it everywhere.
I'm wondering if this is common and where the leak begins. It's dry beneath the vavle cover so it isn't that. Other than that I cant tell where it comes from other than it's the left side. Any help is welcomed. Thanks.

 

I'm no expert, I only just recently experienced the same thing as you on my '99 E320 4matic. It started as a very minor ooze, then suddenly became worse.
Mechanic told me whomever adjusted the valves didn't use the right type of sealant (if any) on the valve cover gaskets. (I've only owned this car for 6 months, so it was likely the previous owner's mechanic.) I was concerned that some bozo had either put too much oil, or too thick of a grade, into the crankcase; but he told me these abuses would cause the seals to leak instead.
It's been said that M-B's are very sensitive cars, so I would advise having only techs who specialize in Mercedes perform any maintenance or repair except what you are absolutely sure about. Suggest you follow the links in this site to the instructions that have been given positive reviews from other list members about how to do some of the easier procedures, and if you decide to d-i-y, follow the instructions closely.
Best of luck in keeping your Benz on the road!

 

Check W210 Benzworld.org forum. Your 98 E320 is a W210. There is a thread in that forum similar to your problem.

 

Sorry Dbird, but your mechanic is very wrong! First, valves on your car are not adjustable. Second, you should not use any sealent at all on valve cover rubber gasket.
I'm sure your mechanic knows this but he also knows, that you are not an expert and that is why he thinks, he can say to you anything he wants.

There are three common places of leak problem on the left side of these 3.2L engines.
One is the neck of oil filler/cap assembly.
Two is the valve cover gasket.
Three is the small rectangular cap mounted with two screws located between the oil filter assembly and belt tensioner.
Yes, there are nice links in this forum on how to fix these leaks.
You can check the M-class too, since ML320 has the same engine as yours.

 

I appreciate your help.
Regardless of what might have initially caused the leaks, all has been repaired. The "sealant" he said he uses is a thin coat of a non-hardening silicone gel. I'll let you know if anything further goes wrong with it... I used to use similar stuff on old British motorcycles that successfully prevented them from staining their parking places.
Now this same mechanic also mentioned something about grooves intentionally fabricated into the gaskets, and/or in the mating surfaces, that hadn't been cleaned out properly before it was reassembled. (We were trying to explain why both covers suddenly started leaking, the left one profusely, at about the same time.)
Anyway, I'm the 2nd owner of this car, so it's too easy to scapegoat the prior operators & techs when anything goes wrong. (There are other indications this vehicle may have been abused.)
Best, Dbird