Overheated M104 Part 3
 

This is the third in a series. My 1994 E320 Wagon overheated, leaving it with glycol in #1 cylinder and 25 psi of compression in #2 and #3. My mechanic thought this a sure indication that the head was warped and we considered swapping engines, even though mine has only 87k miles on it. Larry Bible and Benzmac recommended not giving up hope and removing the head to see what the real situation was (which does cost a few hours of labor). Of course, Larry Bible and BenzMac were 100% correct. Mechanic took off the head this weekend and found that the head was probably OK - flat and somewhat corroded at the mating surface. The head gasket was, in his words, the most deteriorated one he has ever seen - likely the original one. He also found some marks in one of the cylinders he is cleaning up to see if it is just boiled off glycol or ring scuffing. So now the next question - try save money by resealing the new gasket with some sealant (or JB Weld?) or doing it the right way and sending out the head for reworking? What do you guys think? No head gasket oil leak prior to this incident, but no telling how long glycol had been leaking internally. I need more info about the cylinder wall, too.