Doing m104 Headgasket, Need Torque Specs
 

Starting Monday, I'll be doing the headgasket on our 95 E320 wagon. Its got 115k on it, and this will be the second time. The first time was to stop lots of oil leaking everywhere. The second time, well, its leaking lots of oil again. Lots. Some time after the first gasket job, someone driving the car (not me) continued to drive the vehicle after the serpentine belt failed. Of course the car overheated, blew out all the coolant, and finally died when the battery ran out. We did drive the car a few thousand more miles after that incident, and it runs perfectly and doesn't overheat but now leaks lots of oil. The first time we had a Mercedes indie do the job, and it solved the problem. At this point, the car is old and has sat for a year. It will be a 3rd / fourth car, but I don't want it to just sit and rot...so I'm doing the job myself. I don't have the Mercedes CD, so please post the torque spec for the headbolts! Also, what is an alternative sealer for the timing cover gasket?

I got new headbolts despite Mercedes saying the originals can be re-used up to 8(!) times before they stretch. Harness is original, survived the first head gasket job, hoping it will survive this one. Being a wagon, it will also need new accumulators before we start driving it again.

Please post the head bolt torque specs, as well as an alternate sealer than the OEM stuff.

Thanks

I think this is what you're looking for (somebody correct me if I'm wrong - I just have the CDs :eek:). The head bolts should stretch the first use, I believe that's how they're designed. You can measure them to make sure they're in spec, or just use new ones. :)

It should be 55Nm, then 90 degrees, then 90 degrees (in 3 stages).

Better know what you are doing
 

You are probably going to have a short lived repair if you don't check that head for surface flatness and have it milled if it is warped. It is a big job. Do it right!

Crazy Nate: This is perfect, thanks so much. Is it definitely for the M104 engine though?

Already planned on checking head for any warping, thanks.

Definitely for the M104, I put in a '95 E320 into the W124 CD menu. The pdf was in the "104" folder, too.

Here's another one for you. If you suspect a coolant leak, it's probably worth your time to check for cracks and / or have it pressure tested. The OM603 has me awfully cautious about the head...:P

OK, thanks for verifying. The coolant level in the tank has remained full since the fall of 2007, which was when I refilled the coolant after most of it was expelled during the overheating. I do not suspect any cracking, but thanks for the additional pdf. When the head is off we'll inspect it carefully for warpage, but that's probably all we'll do. Again, I appreciate those specs.