92 300D 2.5 engine block 1st over - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

NickMendoza · #1 10-14-2003, 05:21 AM

The block just got back from the machine shop. It is the 1st over. Thank you to Larry Bible for the advice.

Does it look good? The machine shop said that it was the first time that someone went to take pictures of their work.

I said "I take care of my cars."

They said "good-then we will not see you back with a problem."

Nick

engatwork · #2 10-14-2003, 07:28 AM

Make sure you spend about 30 minutes to an hour washing the heck out of it. You want to make sure you get all the metal shavings out of the cooling water and oil passages. This is very important. Use soap, water, small brushes and a garden hose. After you get it washed out good spray the whole thing with WD40 to insure it does not rust while you are putting it back together.

Ken300D · #3 10-14-2003, 08:06 AM

Are those new cylinder liners or the old ones bored out?

Ken300D

mr. Goodwrench · #4 10-14-2003, 09:44 PM

There are no liners in the original engines. Mercedes does not offer oversized pistons. They expect you to have the block bored out about 1/8" and install a sleeve which has to be bored out to the original dimesions. The top of the sleeve then has to be surfaced removing a small amount from the block. You may have to install thicker precombustion chamber seals to prevent the piston from striking it. I think that this is archaic. I did this once on a '68 220D. Very labor intensive. I had tried to get aftermarket oversized pistons at the time. None were available.

NickMendoza · #5 10-15-2003, 05:28 AM

The block is ready for the next oversize pistons (bored out). I did not install new liners.

Thank you to all- I spent about 1 hour with a pressure hose. Every little piece of metal is out of it. There were some little pieces.

Then I used air at 130psi to take the water off. I then used a can of WD40 with a rag to go over the entire block.

I was able to buy Mohle (original brand) in 1st oversize. Phil was able to locate them at the best price. The machine shop said that they would not cover the pistons if I got them. I had to pay extra- wish I knew that before I took it in.

The head got new guides and did not have any cracks.

I called Mercedes to find out what oil they rec. they said "any good grade diesel oil" Not synthetic!

I asked if Dello 400 was ok- they said it was a great choice. Thank you to Larry Bible.

On my was to 450,000.

Any other suggestions. What a mess- oil eater will take care of it.

Thank you

Nick

Ken300D · #6 10-15-2003, 08:13 AM

Yes, you take care of that baby with good oil and frequent changes and you'll never have to do the block refurbishment again. I certainly would expect it is like new.

A question for mr Goodwrench on liners - is it correct then that all the 602 and 603 engines come from the factory without liners? Now I'm thinking about my 1987 300D - because I thought it was a lined cylinder. Is it?

Thanks,

Ken300D

TimFreeh · #7 10-15-2003, 09:17 AM

According to my 602/603 engine book all 603.970 engines do NOT have sleeves. Earlier 602 engines did have sleeves but they were apparently eliminated with the newer 603 (and I think the 602 turbo) version of the newer style 60X engines.

This is the first 60X lower end rebuild I've heard of - the lower ends of the 602 and 603 (not counting the bent rod 603 issue) seem to be very stout.

Tim

RunningTooHot · #8 10-15-2003, 10:21 AM

Just curious as to who did your machine shop work?

There are plenty of machine shops in the L.A. area, but Metric Motors in Canoga Park is great (Mike is the guy to talk to) – they’ve been around forever and done literally thousands of Mercedes engines over the years.

190D22 · #9 10-15-2003, 09:48 PM

Well since you guys are talkin about rebuilds... the diesel guy at my dealer said that my car needs a head gasket. He explained to me how he has a 190D that he bought new and he did a head gasket on it last year himself. He said that even though my mileage is low, the age is right. Is this correct? If so, what should I do? Have him do it and pay the 1000 bucks +?

Ken300D · #10 10-16-2003, 06:33 AM

He's trolling for dollars.

Do you have any symptoms that would make you think you need a head gasket? They do go bad but I would say its more of a random thing than directly related to age or mileage. To do anything like that on my car(s) I'd have to have a clear sign that something is wrong. And a slight oil leak isn't one of them. It would have to be coolant in oil, oil in coolant, bubbles in coolant, etc.

Ken300D

#11 10-16-2003, 04:49 PM

I've had a 601.921 engine head gasket go bad too, but that's rare (far less than even 5% by my count) and the cost of replacement (including a new chain and tensioner while he was in there) was WELL under $1000. I'd sure wait for it to happen since it seems to me that fewer than 1 in 20 are going to fsil. More than half of the 60x engines I've owned (and I've owned 7 of them) have a minor oil ooze at the right front corner of the engine where there's and oil passage that sticks out past the far right front head bold (seems like bad design to me) and a lot of other OM60x owners confirm this as well but none were bad enough to require a new gasket. My failed head gasket failed between the #1 cylinder and the chain vault and I've seen/heard of several other 601 gaskets (including 601.91x 2 liter versions) fail exactly there.

Marshall

NickMendoza · #12 10-16-2003, 11:29 PM

I did my research for the 92 300D only. I do not know if other earlier years have liners in them.

The liners go for $82.00 each at Mercedes. I bet Phil can get them for less- if anyone is interested.

My suggestion on heads: Go to at least three places if you can not do a compression check for yourself.

Check as many threads as possible. I have spent many hours going over the threads. Before I start a fix I spend at least two hours a night going over what other people have done.

Nick

190D22 · #13 10-17-2003, 12:06 AM

Well my coolant appears to be dark. But when I look in the bottle with the cap off I can't see anything that looks very dirty. Water temp does not fluctuate in the expansion bottle, oil does not have coolant in it. It also does not appear I have steam or white smoke comming from my exhaust.

What is the likelyhood of my car having a cracked head or needing head work done?

NickMendoza · #14 10-17-2003, 05:41 AM

This is the reason why I started the entire engine rebuild (picture). I had some of the similar problems that you have.

Did your car overheat at any time? As many members would say= overheating KILLLLLLs engines.

After taking the head off, the head gasket was gone in many places. The rings were also going. As you can see my car smoked a lot.

The last owner did not change the oil enough. The turbo was broken and the oil lines were full of sludge.

I would guess that the problem is the head gasket. If the head turns out to be cracked, you may be able to weld it. Some do not like this why? Because the large amount of compression that diesels engines have.

I called 15 machine shops before I started the rebuild. Every one had a different price. The price diff. was large. The second you say Mercedes, the money seems to go up.

A lot of them did say they would not touch the car. Why? It is a diesel - Mercedes engines require special knowledge.

A rebuilt diesel engine from Mercedes is $7300.00 with all rebuilt engine parts. 4 year warr.

A new engine from Germany is $12,500.00 All new parts.

I have 5 original pistons that the machine shop (old ones). The shop said they are in a very good condition. Is there a market for used pistons? Are they paperweights?

Luck

Nick

Ken300D · #15 10-17-2003, 12:31 PM

You'd have a fighting chance anyway on EBay - the good thing is the national exposure.

Ken300D