Is there a "best" brand of head gasket for a W108? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

240 Ed · #1 09-04-2002, 08:24 AM

Is there a "best" brand of head gasket for a W108?
This is my "new" '68 250S, with the 108 engine (I think. I know it is NOT the 129 engine)

The head gasket is peeing out coolant out the side of the head. Fortunately it is not going into the oil, or vice-a versa.
#4 cylinder is only giving 65 lbs, but the head is coming off anyway.

And what a car!

Will do pictures later.

Aaron · #2 09-04-2002, 01:38 PM

Any good German kit will suffice. I would say that Victor Reinz or Elring would be the two top choices. Both are OE manufacturers for MB.

Eberhard Weilke · #3 09-05-2002, 01:54 AM

I totally agree. Get Elring or get the original stuff from your Mercedesdealer. A few cents saved here can result in major damage later.

There is a lot of cheap inferior stuff on the market which was produced in the middle east or elsewhere.

Kind regards
Eberhard

240 Ed · #4 09-05-2002, 09:17 AM

Thank you for your opinions, I shall get one from the dealer just to be safe. I wonder if he has one for a 68 though. Will see.

#5 09-05-2002, 04:53 PM

Quote:

I wonder if he has one for a 68 though. Will see.

Here in Holland if the dealer hasn got it today he can get hold of it in 24 hours.There still is everything on stock in Germany.

cth350 · #6 09-06-2002, 10:48 AM

why waste your money shopping at the local dealer. The markup is incredible.

This website is supported by parts sales. The fast-lane phone number will get you your head gasket set just as fast as the dealer will. It will be cheaper, and it will be OEM.

Once you pull the head, you will probably discover two things...

- Erosion in the chambers. Hopefully it won't be too bad.
- You need valve guides.

Unfortunately, the guides can't be ordered ahead of time, since your machinist needs to tell you the size needed (std, 1st over, etc).

As for erosion, I've been doing this for years, and only last year came across my first head that had erosion under the head gasket seam. It was in a used head I picked up from an MB dealer. Seems they had pulled the head somewhere in the late 70s and milled it and did all the other good things you need to do to a benz head. After all that somebody finally noticed that the erosion of chamber 5 reached the head gasket seam. All that work was done for nothing. It would have been an easy welding repair if they caught it before the milling. I got it from a friend at the dealership who couldn't remember why it was there, but they knew it had been put aside for a reason and the customer had to eat the price of a new head. My machinist caught the problem when I asked him to evaluate it for use.

-CTH

240 Ed · #7 09-13-2002, 06:09 PM

- Erosion in the chambers. Hopefully it won't be too bad.
- You need valve guides.

Hmmm, it doesn't burn oil - no smoke on cold start...
just low compression on #4, and peeing coolant on #6.
Will let you know what I find when I open it up.