I actually haven't checked yet. I've had other projects I had to finish first.

__________________
Michael LaFleur

'05 E320 CDI - 86,000 miles
'86 300SDL - 360,000 miles
'85 300SD - 150,000 miles (sold)
'89 190D - 120,000 miles (sold)
'85 300SD - 317,000 miles (sold)
'98 ML320 - 270,000 miles (sold)
'75 300D - 170,000 miles (sold)
'83 Harley Davidson FLTC (Broken again) :-(
'61 Plymouth Valiant - 60k mikes
2004 Papillon (Oliver)
2005 Tzitzu (Griffon)
2009 Welsh Corgi (Buba)

Well I pulled the injectors and sure enough... water... out of the third cylinder. Looks like I'm gonna be pullin the head. I've never done anything like this before, on any car. I've never even taken off the valve cover.

My point is, is that I'm gonna need all the help and info I can get. What tools do I need to pull the head? What do I need to buy to complete the whole job? What things require replacement after disassembled (gaskets, etc.)? Anything I need to be particularly careful of/avoid completely/remember specifically? Anything I should look into or take care of while I've got everything apart? Trouble areas?

Hopefully I'm gonna be able to get someone who actually knows engines to help me out. I only have a couple weeks to complete the whole job, so hope I can do it.

__________________
1992 300D OM602

Ben

Search this forum first... there are a lot of threads about the 60x head replacement, including this recent thread. You'll need the factory manual, head gasket set, injector deep socket, 12-pt drive tool for the head bolts, a rail pin puller like this one is recommended, plus assorted hand tools. Some assorted parts should be replaced while it's apart, nothing super expensive though... upper chain rail, turbo oil drail O-rings, valve cover gasket (if it's not fairly recent), injector return hose, things like that.

Trouble areas - make sure you have ALL the bolts removed, and the oil feed hose removed, and brackets below the turbo... before trying to pull the head off the engine! If it doesn't come loose, don't force it - you probably missed something. You'll need to chase the head bolts (and measure them), and tap all the holes in the block, and dry them, as mentioned above. That alone takes a couple of hours.




It's about 20-30 hours for a first-time DIY. Nearly half that is cleaning the block surface, chasing the bolt & block threads, general inspection, and basically getting it ready to re-install. If you don't have the tools to mess with the head, have a machine shop check it for flatness, and have them replace the valve stem seals. Hopefully there is no damage to the head.

__________________
Check out my website photos, documents, and movies!

I'm tired of using old nuts and bolts, so I've just bought one of these too.

__________________
Michael LaFleur

'05 E320 CDI - 86,000 miles
'86 300SDL - 360,000 miles
'85 300SD - 150,000 miles (sold)
'89 190D - 120,000 miles (sold)
'85 300SD - 317,000 miles (sold)
'98 ML320 - 270,000 miles (sold)
'75 300D - 170,000 miles (sold)
'83 Harley Davidson FLTC (Broken again) :-(
'61 Plymouth Valiant - 60k mikes
2004 Papillon (Oliver)
2005 Tzitzu (Griffon)
2009 Welsh Corgi (Buba)

I'm located in Utah, a small place called Eagle Mountain. I have some neighbors who have lots of experience with cars and engines (and lots of things) in general, not Mercedes but... you know. As for the miles... I can't be sure, odometer says about 70k right now, PO said it was replaced at 70K and my title says the odometer reading is "exempt" :\ I would guess that it has more than the 140k but... I just don't know.

What factory manual do you suggest, a CD? Or Book? I dunno where to get it...

Is relaping the valves changing the valve stem seals, and if not should I do that? What about replacing the valve guides, valve keepers, cam follower, or prechamber. Are there valve springs, and should they be replaced?

Do these cars need valve adjustments and should I do a timing adjustment?

There's a lot I don't know about all this, and right now I'm shakin in my boots but I hope to get someone to help me.

And thank you for the help so far. Guess I need to start ordering parts and get this show on the road. Hope I blow up my car

__________________
1992 300D OM602

Ben

Bring it across to Holland Michael, we'll do mine at the same time.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

I'm going to look at one of these tomorrow that is reported to have a bad head gasket.

Sounds like if I buy it I'll have lots of good company.

I've never attempted something this major. Not sure that I want to. Anyone have their head gasket replaced by an indy? I'm curious how much it would cost to have it done.

__________________
1979 240D, 4spd manual, Power Sunroof, manual windows, 147k miles, Pastel gray/Black MB Tex.
1991 300D 2.5 - Smokes like it's on Crack!

Yeah, I saw that one for sale in Ogden... wonder what the condition is, with almost 300k on the car. Could be a good deal if it's in nice shape, and ONLY needs a head gasket. I'd go check it out if it were closer, but they say it's not driveable, and I don't have a way to haul it to Boise economically.

At an indy shop, figure minimum 10-15 hours labor, 15-20 max, for a straight head gasket job. If they find anything else while they're in there, like a bad timing chain, etc that figure could increase. Basic parts shouldn't be too much, most likely under $200, but again if they find other things... could jump to $300-$500 in parts. If fluids mixed, tack on the cost of an oil & coolant flush + change. I'd expect the estimate to come in somewhere between $1200 and $1800, depending on the local labor rate, and the shop's expertise with these engines. If you get a quote, please post details here, I'd love to know the going rate!

Well we're on our way. Valve cover off, turbo off. Having some difficulty with bolts on the intake. The 3 inside on the middle three cylindes are stuck tight. They are soaking in PB blaster right now (hope it helps).

I am wondering about the Timing Chain. Thank you gxsr for the right up on how to check for stretch. I will do this before I remove the head. My question is how do you remove the chain from the sproket so you can remove the head? There is a funky looking splined nut on the sproket. Is this what needs to come off to take the sproket/Chain off?. What size is this nut? Must be a special socket to use on this.

Once the chain is off and the head bolts removed can the head be pulled up with everything intact ie. cam shaft, valves. What is the best way to release the head from the block? Will it be stuck to the block?

I am hoping to take the complete intact head to the machine shop and have them go over it. Will it cost more if it is not dissassembled?
Thank you for all the help

__________________
1992 300D OM602

Ben

It runs, there's water getting into one of the cylinders. No water in oil, or vicea versa, as far as I could tell. I warned him not to run it any more in order to avoid further damage. You can hear that 1 cyl makes 10 times more noise than the rest. Based on smell and whitish appearance it's burning antifreeze.

I was hoping that it would have enough nice parts that if I decided not to fix it, I could part it out and make some money. There weren't very many nice parts left. It's spent too much time in the sun and commuting on salted roads, 80 miles to SLC and back every day. Half of the car needs repainted, the headliner sags, the wood is cracked and the upholstery has issues. The chrome has worn thin on the grill surround, etc. etc. On the bright side, they claim a lot of things work, such as A/C and such.

They've already replaced it with a very nice, almost mint 87 190D 2.5. I'd give them $500 for that!

Nobody seems to think it's worth gambling $500 on.

__________________
1979 240D, 4spd manual, Power Sunroof, manual windows, 147k miles, Pastel gray/Black MB Tex.
1991 300D 2.5 - Smokes like it's on Crack!

well, I'm getting real close to starting on the head bolts. finally got the intake manifold off. Guess I still have to order that rail pin puller tho, kinda expensive it seems like... and I don't know how to use it . And i just want to make sure, that pin puller is for the rail guide, not taking the chain apart right?

To get the chain loose I just loosen the 12 pt bolt and take out the upper rail guide and let the chain/sprocket sit right?

Before I take that off I'm gonna try to check for stretch. I got the two marks on the sprocket and... other thing... lined up pretty well, just need to look at the crank pulley correct? I just can't really see it very well so I'm wondering if I have to remove the water pump or something else to get to it properly.

__________________
1992 300D OM602

Ben

The bolt takes a regular 12-point socket.

The chain can be zip-tied to the timing gear and left on the engine, have to remove the pin and upper chain guide.

Also be careful as there are two small bolts down in the chain cavity at the front of the head holding the head to the block (easy to miss).

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Ditto what Jeff said. Make sure you follow the factory manual procedure closely, it will show each item that must be removed, including the two "hidden" bolts at the front of the head. When you remove the camshaft sprocket, the chain will lay in the cavity. There are TWO rail pins holding in the upper chain rail, both must be removed. The exhaust manifold and turbo can remain attached to the head if desired. The head should not be stuck to the block tightly... if you pry up gently, it should come off the block with minimal effort. If you have to use any serious muscle to pry the head up, and it snaps back down, you probably missed one or more items. Don't forget the bracket below the turbo, and the turbo oil line, fuel filter housing bolts, and count to make sure you removed all of the primary head bolts.

If you remove the camshaft, follow the factory procedure, there is a specific bolt sequence, and they must be loosened 1 turn at a time. If you don't follow this sequence, the camshaft can snap due to pressure from the valve springs.

Lowes had some bolts that were a perfect match except that they weren't galvanized like the mercedes intake manifold bolts. They will work in a pinch, especially if you put them on some of the more accessible areas to replace your stripped ones. I also found some stainless steel bolts at Lowes that were the right pitch and size but were not allen head. Again, those will work in a pinch, especially where installed in the upper, accessible holes.

You can get replacements from your MB dealer of course. Once you know the correct bolt description, which you can get matching the bolt at Lowes, you should be able to find some stainless steel replacements online, which I think would be preferable over the galvanized ones.

One thing about the intake gasket -- the one that you get from MB is of a higher quality and of different construction from some of the aftermarket ones out there.

Ben, in the factory manual pdfs the preview image is sometimes not very good quality and smaller diagrams can often be read better when actually printed.

__________________
=-=-=-=-=
1987 300TD 231,000
#22, afterglow, plastic fan, euro lights, alternator upgrade, cluster housing update

Stainless-steel and Aluminum do not play nice, I recommend against putting stainless fasteners into an aluminum head as they might never come out again.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff