1994 E320 Wagon--196000 miles, original head gasket

I'm planning to do a head gasket replacement in the next month or so. (oil leak, oil in coolant reservoir) I occasionally hear valve noise on startup, especially if the car has been sitting for a week or so. As a result, I'm planning on a valve job as part of this project. Can anyone recommend either a good machine shop in the St Louis area, or a good source for an "exchange" head. Any other tips/suggestions would also be appreciated.

Thanks,

J. M. van Swaay

Does you engine have a oil/coolant oil cooler built into the oil filter?

If so then that is a more likely cause of oil/water mixing.

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Thank you for your post. Engine serial number is 104 992 12 034665--It does not have the coolant/oil heat exchanger installed. This does however make me curious. In my limited experience, coolant leaks around a head gasket usually cause a brown milky frothy buildup inside the valve cover indicating coolant is getting into the oil system. What causes oil to get into the coolant system? Does the fluid with the higher pressure get into the fluid with the lower pressure? Could some combustion air leaking through a faulty head gasket carry some oil into the cooling system?

Thanks again for your reply.