Take a look at what this shop did to my engine
 

...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...

http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/q...n/4ced2a48.jpg

http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/q...n/6eb62a92.jpg

http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/q...n/31a050ce.jpg

http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/q...n/85645a05.jpg

http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/q...n/1faadfab.jpg

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......

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?

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

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.

If not Their business name...
 

at least their street address.

So that no unknowing,innocent darkens their doorway EVER!

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.

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.

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!

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