Went to the JY to take a M103 apart to see how it all works before I replace the head gasket next week. I'm confident I can tackle the job, if I don't run into trouble with rusted bolts and nuts it's pretty straight forward.

One thing that I found and I experienced this with two separate engines in the yard was that the head bolts were not as tied as expected. With a 2 foot breaker bar they came loose without any resistance. Both were fairly low mileage cars.

Another thing I was thinking of doing was replacing the stem seals and guides, the car isn't burning any oil that I know of, but because the engine open, why not? Is this something an amateur mechanic can do or should I leave this to a professional? 90K miles.

And do I have to drain the oil before taking the head off?

__________________
1979 Black on Black, 300CD (sold), 1990 Black 300SE, Silver 1989 Volvo 780, 1988 300CE (vanished by the hands of a girlfriend), 1992 300CE (Rescue).