215k miles no service history and sat in the UK for about 15 years, doing a hundred miles or less a year.

I followed the procedure for maintaining tension on the chain from start to finish. That said, there's always a chance while moving it through the head once the head was off that I let it slip a tiny bit but I was very careful.

Any suggestions on how one might plug the one port where the water pump assembly bolts on? I have some plastic beads that form a blob when heated, can be shaped then cooled and they are solid. Then just heat it up a bit to pull the 'plug'.

Can you install the pump to plug it and then just the hose connection needs to be plugged?

You can try starting it without retiming the pump then. It is absolutely critical that the valve timing is correct i.e., the marks are aligned before cranking the engine. I'd turn it by hand a few rollovers and triple check that, if the valve timing is off it gets ugly really fast. If the pump timing is off worst case it just won't start.

Good luck!!!

I could do that...but just scraped off the gasket and it has two hoses that would need crimped off. I might try that if my other ideas don't work...like a sailor's trick wedging a wooden dowel in to temporarily plug it, but to keep the liquid in rather than the sea out.


I will take that advice once it's back together. Ordered the gaskets from ************** just now. Checked voltage regulator and it's fine for now...just in case.

What To Do
 

I'm keen to see how this turns out .

liquid black crud in the cooling system isn't oil normally, it's just bad maintenance .

No coolant in the oil sounds like you may well dodge a bullet .

I thought you were going to do an engine swap, if so why waste any effort on the now dead engine ? .

I hear you about time and life getting in the way .

Photos help, not hinder threads .

These are images of cylinder one on the fuel pump side. I cannot tell if this is just where the water jacket (?) meets the block or if this is an actual crack, or if it's where the head gasket sits so there is a mark etched there. It's quite difficult to get an image as it depends on angles and light, etc. These 3 are of the same area but each with different lighting.

https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds

<a href="https://app.photobucket.com/u/northy_polk/a/25618cd0-89d8-4608-9817-207e615a8b0f/p/9724181f-f042-4e10-bbab-d53bba89af40?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds" target="_blank"><img src="https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/s181/northy_polk/IMG_7203.JPG?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds" alt="IMG_7203"/></a>

<a href="https://app.photobucket.com/u/northy_polk/a/25618cd0-89d8-4608-9817-207e615a8b0f/p/d52cde19-bf33-4525-9fbf-c83a874f3b16?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds" target="_blank"><img src="https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/s181/northy_polk/IMG_7205.JPG?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds" alt="IMG_7205"/></a>

Can you post pics of both sides of the head gasket focused toward that same area? Use a pointer to identify the area.

here is the side against the block

https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds

and the side against the head
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds

IMO, it's probably not a crack; but, it could be. You could try building a small coffer dam around the are with a bead of silicone and filling it with a low viscosity liquid that won't evaporate and let it sit for a few days to see if it weeps through. By looking at the fire ring on the head gasket for #1 it looks like the head gasket failed.

Good luck!!!

I think I'll just assume the gasket failed and put it back together.

I have some acetone cleaner coming.

I measured the head bolts and the longest ones are 3mm over the allowed 'stretch' but the others are within the acceptable range. For $30 I'll get six new ones and reuse the rest.

I think it's a bit of cross my fingers and hope, but the fact that it did not over heat and since I'm replacing some items and freshening up some items, it should have a chance of going a few more months.

Nate the reason to keep this motor in and running is, among other things, my rust free W210 is supposed to be my summer car (cry me a river) and the rusty but trusty W123 my winter car. Engine swap being a summer project...after my 2 post lift is in and garage more established to do the work.

Thanks very much for all your assistance!!!!

Moving Forward
 

Okay, now I understand .

FWIW, these engines use pressed in cylinder liners, what you're looking at is IMO just the steel liner next to the cast iron cylinder block's deck .

Sounds like you have a good plan and being able to have a Winter car is salt land isn't crying, it's good practice .

Thanks Nate! Good to know about those being pressed in. That sheds light on the subject.

Pressed In Cylinder Liners
 

You're most welcome Sir .

I had to have one replaced in my 1984 300CD's engine .

The deal is this : after pressing in a new liner the cylinder needs to be re bored back to specification ~ most Machinists are lazy or rushed and so take too fast a cut, this causes the next cylinder in line to become egg shaped, always a *very* bad thing .

I expect you're going to need to do some serious citric acid cleaning / flushing of the water jacket, be ready for this and do it with the heater's hot water valves fully open .

I happened to have a dowel that fit the hole. I'll cut it down and use the 2 water pump housing bolts and a small metal bracket of some kind to hold it in place, then fill the block with the cleaner Sugar Bear mentioned (or equivalent) and let it sit and sit and sit.

New thermostat coming, and I'll soak the other corroded parts or clean them somehow before putting all back together.

Any idea how to clean out the internals of the heater box? It's the 'desirable' manual setup. I assume that is done by circulating fresh coolant through the system? Then replacing/refreshing the coolant after a time?

I have the Mercedes coolant but was saving that for my OM605.

<a href="https://app.photobucket.com/u/northy_polk/a/cf8abe1a-7bcd-4703-a3e8-989dadea40fb/p/afbe5c02-5604-4664-9c3f-9709d3de782b?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds" target="_blank"><img src="https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/s181/northy_polk/dowel.JPG?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds" alt="dowel"/></a>

<a href="https://app.photobucket.com/u/northy_polk/a/cf8abe1a-7bcd-4703-a3e8-989dadea40fb/p/b2465be8-2a89-4313-a86e-089223ba2032?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds" target="_blank"><img src="https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/s181/northy_polk/mb_coolant.JPG?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds" alt="mb coolant"/></a>