Symptoms
Oil residue around the breather cover’s screws; in bad cases a burning-oil smell in the cabin as oil drips onto the exhaust manifold. A grimy belt tensioner hints at oil-cooler seal seepage.
The fix, step by step
- Replace the plastic breather cover/O-ring assembly — the rubber O-ring is what hardens and leaks.
- If the oil cooler is weeping, replace its seals at the same time and degrease the area so you can confirm the fix.
Tools & part numbers
- Breather cover assembly
- oil-cooler seal kit
- Torx/external-Torx bits (early vs later engines differ)
- brake cleaner
Where to buy the parts
Genuine Mercedes crankcase breather hose 273 018 05 82FCP Euro ↗Amazon ↗
Vaico crankcase breather pipe 273 016 01 34FCP Euro ↗Amazon ↗
Elring engine oil cooler gasket 272 184 02 80FCP Euro ↗Amazon ↗
Hunting a used or discontinued part? Search eBay Motors for Mercedes-Benz G 550 parts →
Rated for a competent home mechanic with a decent tool kit. Confirm torque figures, fluids and procedures against the factory service manual for your VIN, support the truck on stands rather than a jack, and work at your own risk (disclaimer). Some parts links are affiliate links, which pay us a small commission at no cost to you.