About how much for head gasket R/R?
 

My 1991 190 2.6E may need a new head gasket. I am very willing to pay a fair price. What would a fair price range be for a MB certified shop?

Likewise, what about replacing my fan clutch?

Thanks guys,


brookspw

My dealer quoted me a price of $1600 to do my 3.2L M104 on my W124.

The current head gasket is on borrowed time (no overheating and no oil in the coolant tank yet), but I am certain that I will be posting a thread about how to go about doing this by next year...

the going rate for indy's is about $900, at least on my m104, m103 ought to be about the same...

We get 600.00 for ther base 103 headgasket replacement. Guides extra.


Joe
Behind The Star

I paid $1,700 on my 3.2 liter M104 to have the head gasket replaced and a complete valve job with new guides and seals.

$1500 for a head job around here!
 

With over 100,000 miles, you should go for a head job. Not much difference in price since you are already there.;)

I agree.

To replace the head gasket, you have to remove the head from the engine block.

Virtually the whole cost of the process is labor. How much is the gasket set - 40$??

You can always replace the valve seals with the head on, but you can only replace the valve guides with the head off.

Since you have to remove the head to replace the gasket, spend the extra $200 or so and replace the guides and seals.

You'll then be good for another 250,000 miles. The new guides and seals are better than the originals.

This is good advice. Don't spend all the money to have the head pulled and put it back on with original guise/seals. Spend the extra for a good top-end job. Also, the 190E 2.6 engine has a single row timing chain that lasts a long time thanks to it's short path, but budget allowing you might want to pop in a new chain/tensioner too.

Our 190E 2.6 has just shy of 200K-miles on 'er, and the top hasn't been off. Are you sure the head gasket is leaking? Much more common on the M104 DOHC engine...

This is also a good point.

The M103's rarely leak at the head gasket like the M104's.

The M103's usually leak at the timing chain cover where it meets at the front of the 'c' shaped area of the head. This can be resealed fairly cheaply.

M103's are much more notorious for leaking oil internally through the guides / seals.

I was at that point a few months ago with my 1989 160E at 212,000K. First time any repair work had been done on the engine.
Complete valve job, guides, seals, gaskets, front cover. radiator, hoses, spark plugs, distributor cap, rotors, plug wires, all fluids and filters, new cam shaft and 2 valve rockers, new serpentive belt. Total cost: $2,000.
The timing chain and guides did not show any sign of wear or stretch.
The engine now performs like it did when it came out of the factory. Once the car is in the shop with the head off, you might as well give it the full treatment (money permitting) as the balance of the job will have to be done eventually, at additional cost. Just my opinion.
JackD

As others have stated, your timing chain probably looks better now than when it was new, if you've been changing the oil regularly.

However, the chain rail and guide should be replaced, as a failure of one of these is what typically causes the chain to break. Of course to do this, you have to remove the timing cover. Although there is some labor overlap, it is not much, but you'll get peace of mind in that your timing cover has been resealed and your timing chain rail and tensioner guide will be good for another 150k at least.

Good Luck

I agree with pmizell.

Many of the members here suggest from time to time about replacing your timing chain and tensioner, but the techs repeatedly say they never, ever replace timing chains on the M103's and M104's. However, the tensioners do go out and the chain rail and guides do get old. I'd just replace the tensioner and rail guides.

I'll do a 103 chain if I am completely resealing the top end, including lower cover. The chains are cheap and easy to install. The l/h guide is a easy break while doing a headgasket on a older engine and reguires you pull the lower cover anyway so....... I've not seen a 103 break a chain and the ratcheting tensioner seem to be bulletproof aswell.

Valve jobs on 103s are not uncommon nor are headgasket leaks from the r/r corner of the head. 103's do have a tendicy to mix oil into the coolant tho', something I've not seen a 104 do. I wont recomend a headgasket on a higer milage 103 (130k+) without recomending a valvejob at the same time. These guides wear.... period. Our base valvejob repair is about 950.00 and will go up a bit of the lower cover is resealed and all rail replaced with a new tensioner insert.

Fan bearing brackets are also a pretty common higher milage failure and aren't that expensive to add into a valvejob.


Joe

joe p -

So the total for a head gasket replacement ($600) and a complete valve job ($950) is $1,550?

Or does the $950 for the valve job include the head gasket?

The 950.00 includes the valve job, the bearing brackets, rails and tensioner insert around around 300.00.


Joe