87 300d - bad to drive with bad head? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

jaw174 · #1 03-29-2015, 10:04 PM

Hello,
Newbie here, new to MB diesel, I come from a few years of idi and tdi vw experience.
Bought a beauty of a car on saturday for what i thought was a steal , even with issues.

Im pretty sure it needs a new head. Its a 603.960 #14 block. The one that breaks.

Tracked down the PO and he said it over heated. (However thought was injectors??)

He was driving it for a while, then traded it in because it was too much to fix.

It starts, but its very very rough. At idle, lots of white smoke. Oddly it seems to still have decent power when driving, but i have never experienced a well tuned 3.0 turbo. Boost guage reads somewhere in the 10-15 psi range, sounds normal enough, at least compared to my old 85 jetta turbo diesel. Still idles rough even when warmed up.

Is it bad that it was driven, daily, in this condition? I will not be driving unless its to move it to be repaired.

So, is it common to incurr additional damage, or is the head the only (very expensive) part ill be looking at replacing?

Partscarver · #2 03-30-2015, 01:55 AM

not mine but look here

W124 W126 Mercedes Benz OM603 Turbo Diesel Cylinder Head 014 P N 6030161401 | eBay

mannys9130 · #3 03-30-2015, 04:04 AM

If coolant is getting into the combustion chambers, I believe that can cause cavitations damage. Whunter had posted a 61X engine torn down with bad cavitations damage.

It's never good that an engine was ran with a compromised head gasket.

BTW, the #14 applies to the cast batch of the cylinder head. The block isn't faulty and won't break. The head is what cracks.

winmutt · #4 03-30-2015, 10:02 AM

It could also just be a failed HG, there were many revisions to headgaskets as well as heads. Pull the head, pressure test it. Get ready to shell out.

FWIW I got a <200k engine from a redneck junkyard for under 1k. #14 head but runs great, maybe thats a better option for you (with a warranty and put it on AMEX).

Maxbumpo · #5 03-30-2015, 11:56 AM

You won't know until you pull the head. How much coolant does it use? White smoke from the tailpipe is a sign that you are burning coolant.

You may find just a really clean (steam cleaned!) piston, or you may find deeper damage to the rings / cylinder walls.

Does the engine oil appear milky? If the oil is getting thinned too much with coolant, then there may be bearing damage.

jaw174 · #6 03-31-2015, 10:05 AM

I'll do a compression test on Friday, its supposed to be in the 60's!

I also got in touch with the PO again and he gave me the contact info for the mechanic who previously owned the vehicle. In a quick conversation, without looking at the engine, he said I got a really good deal, but this engine problem is not going to be cheap.

jaw174 · #7 04-10-2015, 10:55 AM

did not get a chance to do a compression test yet... But was sucessfull in getting the DMV registration issues squared away.

Have not taken it out on the road yet, but running it this past week, (based on prior experience with my old 85 turbo diesel VW,) the giant billowing clouds of white smoke smells and looks like fuel, not antifreeze.

(what type AF are we supposed to be running? this has green stuff)

Also found out the PO was doing around 115mph when it started overheating , at which point he put it in neutral till cool... but he said that is when it started running poorly...

so... Aside from possible head warp /crack issues, this might just be injectors or even piston rings. Hopefully this weekend ill have another update.

bricktron · #8 04-10-2015, 01:06 PM

if you really think it's fuel smoke and not coolant then there are a lot of other things you could check before taking the head off (e.g. valves, timing, ALDA, injectors). they may not pay off but they're probably easier than the head job!

Maxbumpo · #9 04-10-2015, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaw174

Have not taken it out on the road yet, but running it this past week, (based on prior experience with my old 85 turbo diesel VW,) the giant billowing clouds of white smoke smells and looks like fuel, not antifreeze.

OK, may be simple/cheap then! However, do you have to add coolant frequently? Does the engine oil look milky, or smell like diesel fuel? How does it feel? Raw fuel washing down the cylinders into the oil pan is not a good thing.

Unburnt fuel could be an EGR valve which is failed in the wide open position, bad injector(s), some air intake obstruction like a totally clogged air filter, maybe other things as well.

I'd start by blocking off the EGR valve, using a plate made from a steal can. Don't use aluminum, it may weaken and break over time, and then your engine may suck aluminum chunks into the cylinders, which won't be good for it.

After that, you probably need to have all the injectors tested. You can send them to Greazzer, a member of this forum, or you can find a Bosch injection service shop in your area to have them tested and serviced.

jaw174 · #10 04-10-2015, 07:11 PM

took it for my first official victory lap since buying it.

Two things:

weird bubbly/ sloshing noises coming from the dash - assumed heater core. Rhythmic, every 4-5 seconds

does not smoke quite as bad when warmed up... but def still smoky.

jaw174 · #11 04-10-2015, 07:38 PM

so.. i just found a video of my car from 2013. before the great smoky times.

I recognize the name as the 2nd-to-last PO.

I have an inter cooler. Didn't see that till now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CPS01FVU3o

jake12tech · #12 04-11-2015, 01:31 AM

I've seen the car for sale and some of his other cars as well for sale. He wanted a ridiculous amount of money for it before the bad head. It never sold.

I also recall him saying he was a mechanic as well, I guess that was a lie on his end obviously. I didn't trust the guy at all.

Stop driving it as well till you know what's wrong. That's a terrible idea.

Maxbumpo · #13 04-12-2015, 08:41 PM

Bubbly sloshing noise under dash could be low coolant level or water trapped in the evaporator box, which had plugged drains.

jaw174 · #14 04-13-2015, 12:28 PM

some videos:

The check engine light is on... also there is a buzzer going off untill the engine starts, even while the glow plugs are heating up. did not see that in other people's vehicles.

Cold Start:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJmKAdk3Gug

Cold, idle and "accelerating" a little to demonstrate smokeyness:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbIHatDOzBU&safe=active

After it has been warmed up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oixw5hgjec

Phillytwotank · #15 04-13-2015, 12:45 PM

holy smokes!

There is not a generic CEL in there. there are individual light for individual systems. Its perfectly normal for them to all light up before you start and that buzzing is normal as well.

Couldn't quite see by the video but it looks like you've got the low windshield washer fluid light on and the one directly to the right. the "bulb out" warning light.