...or didn't do.

Had the signs of a bad head gasket even after a shop apparently did the job three months ago. See if you can tell what they didn't do from the pictures...











The second picture probably tells the story best. Head is off to the machinist tomorrow, but overall this was a pretty easy job.

Car is a 1991 300E

They didnt replace the gasket? or didnt torque it correctly?by the way dont leave that coolant in the cylinders like that you will rust the cylinders.

If you where using any oil, now would be a good time to change the valve seals.

The head gasket was the first "big" job I ever did on my Benz. Ah, the memories......

__________________
Eugene

10 E63 AMG
93 300te 4matic
07 BMW X3
14 Ford F-150 Fx2

They didn't torque the head at all. One of the head bolts was bobbling around in its sleeve.

The water was removed, this was just after I took the head off.

That calls for a drug test in the shop.

What's in teh 3rd picture, manifold gasket piece?

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Prost!

Whoa! Hold on there pardner! Those guys oughta be testing their drugs at HOME, not in the shop!

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“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

The pictures are too blurry to make out much, even then the head pic as looks like they used a sanding disc for clean up.

Getting rid of the antifreeze in the cylinders needs to consist of a shop vac for suction and a compressed air blow gun to remove liquid from the piston ring area.

Yeah my hands were a bit dirty and I guess I got the lens dirty as well.

Not a sanding disc, but what looks to just be sand paper and hand sanding.

I think that one bolt just vibrated out because the symptoms started getting worse and worse as I drove it.

And the third picture was the intake gasket, yes.

at least their street address.

So that no unknowing,innocent darkens their doorway EVER!

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'84 300SD sold
124.128

Santos Auto Service

1217 Springfield Pike Cincinnati, OH 45215

Another reason why you shouldn't take a Mercedes to Japanese and Domestic wrench monkeys.

Without a doubt, get the valve stem seals done now and you will enjoy not burning any oil. The M103 has a tendency to like to burn oil, but that doesn't mean its supposed to. With good valves and seals, it shouldn't burn a drop.

__________________
2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k
2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k
2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k
2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k

That's the strangest story I've heard for ages.

The torquing must have been done on shift change - one man started - one man supposedly finished.

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

or stripped threads on a few bolts .... best to clean and check each one .

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How many feet was it driven before you noticed a small problem?

Cheers!

__________________
'91 420 SEL @ 199K, '92 SVX @ 181K, '93 SC400 @ 86K, '93 Kaw ZX-11 @ 30K, '87 F250 @ 181K , 2001 Valkyrie Interstate @ 6K, Y2K Honda NightHawk 250 with 1.5K, '88 420SEL I.@ 179K & the 2nd latest, an '88 420SEL II.@ 210K runnin' parts car, '85 F150 300/NP435

I've heard stories of guys not really understanding what angular torque specs meant, and just pulled the bolts down to 70 Nm and walked away - not adding the additional 180 degree twist. Maybe that's what happened.

Oh, if you open the coolant block drain on the right rear of a M103 there will be zero coolant in the cylinders when you pull the head.

DG