W124 E220 Head Gasket

islanderre

Hello all,

Yesterday afternoon I kicked off on the head gasket replacement on my w124 E220.

Last summer she began to drink water so topped up the expansion tank few times but could spot no leaks; only the pressurisation of the expansion tank so concluded the head gasket was gone.

Thankfully she never boiled...... Only now I'm getting round to doing it.

So far I've the following done:
* air filter housing and trunking off
*lambda sensor disconnected and removed
*all (11) exhaust manifold nuts \ studs off. 6 studs with their nuts & 5 nuts on their own

Posting here as the w124 are now mainly classics so hoping someone here has done this before.

Any pointers from anyone would be great.
Next weekend I'll kick off on the inlet manifold side and take it from there.

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Tommyboy40

They seem to leak from the drivers side rear of the block as the gasket goes weak. I had a small leak which I used a non clog leak stop and this seems to have cured the problem. This is a link to a 6 cylinder HG job
http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Mercedes-W124/50-ENGINE-Head_Gasket_Replacement/50-ENGINE-Head_Gasket_Replacement.htm

Here's a 4 cylinder one
http://www.usedmercedesparts.co.za/replacing-mercedes-cylinder-head-gasket/

islanderre

Thanks allot for that Tommyboy40.....

I'd read the pelican parts guide but hadn't seen your second link.

I had contemplated trying out k seal head gasket repair addititive but thought I'd give the job of replacement a shot instead. When it's not my daily driver I've more time.

Cheers.

w124man

Be very, very careful when removing the engine wiring harness as it could be brittle. You will need to inspect it very carefully to see if the insulation has started to de-grade. The throttle body wiring will need to be inspected too. Replacement wiring harnesses are bonkers money!

islanderre

Thanks for the heads up on the loom W124man….. Is it the injector cables etc. you mean…. The black harness that sits on top of the inlet mainifold?

I had heard of loom issues on the 6 cylinder versions but had hoped the 4 cylinders weren’t affected as much.

So kicked of today again on the car. Spent approx. 6 hours on it starting on the inlet manifold side.
Disconnected the injectors and the fuel rail; moved on to the actual manifold then and unbolted it and pulled it to the side.
Discovered a broken spring on the throttle body too……. I’d say it has been broken a long time….. could this be the cause of the occasional hunting then stalling of the engine when stopped @ the lights?? I hope it is!!!!

Removed camshaft cover; then the Thermostat housing which then allowed the camshaft sprocket cover to come off.
Could not easily get @ the crankshaft bolt to turn the engine so attempted to remove the viscous fan…… that idea failed as I could not figure how to secure the water pump pulley from rotating….. the I figured if I tilt the fan shroud I could then unbolt the actual fan from the viscous fan so that’s what I did which gave great space @ the front of the engine.

Turned the engine a few times and got the camshafts locking / locating holes to line up when the crankshaft indicator showing 30 degrees after TDC……. Thought it would be 20degrees after TDC????


Will get back to it again on Wednesday all going well; will kick off on relieving the chain tension then figure a way to pull the pin that slots into the head through the chain guide and then if I’m lucky will remove the head bolts.

Broken Spring
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Spark Plugs; 3rd one very white in comparison to the others
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Indicator on crankshaft pulley
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islanderre

Engine Overview

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I am hoping to be able to leave the inlet and exhaust manifolds in the engine bay and then lift out the head..... does anyone know if this is possible???
Seems that I should be able to get away with it. Really dont want to have to disconnect the exhaust manifold from the exhaust pipes as access to the bolts are from below and a balls to get to with the car sitting on its wheels.

Cheers....

MercMad

Hi there, I've done these heads many times so let me know if you are stuck, and yes it is possible to just pull the manifolds away and tie them back, then lift the head.

Good luck.

islanderre

Thanks allot fir that MercMad...... All going well I'll kick off on it again Wednesday or Thursday....... fingers crossed! !!!

w124man

islanderre wrote: »

Discovered a broken spring on the throttle body too……. I’d say it has been broken a long time….. could this be the cause of the occasional hunting then stalling of the engine when stopped @ the lights?? I hope it is!!!!


Broken Spring
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Broken spring is very common and is not the cause of the hunting. That'll be the throttle body

islanderre

Well folks,

Finally got the head of the engine today.

I think its fair to say cylinder # 1 had water ingress.

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islanderre

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So is it normal to have two metal gaskets on the exhaust?

What do ye reckon about the pitting on the intake valves of cylinder # 1.

Many thanks for all the replys / advise so far and especially to MercMad for the info by email.

Cheers folks.

w124man

islanderre wrote: »

So is it normal to have two metal gaskets on the exhaust?

Cheers folks.

No it isn't! There should only be one or its one split in two!

MercMad

I actually have seen plenty of them with two metal gaskets, though only a quantity of one is listed. Just use what you get in the headset. I wouldn't be worried about the pitting you see on that part of the valve. If there is any pitting to the sealing area, the actual seat, then you have a problem. Get the head skimmed and pressure tested ask for the valves to be cleaned up. If the pressure test is okay then move on and reassemble.

Peew

Hey lads, sorry to hijack I'm having a head gasket issue on a w201 190e, and was wondering when I do strip it, what can I expect to pay to be skimmed.

islanderre

Evening Peew,

I got back the head of mine today.... €125 exc VAT..... that was for a skim and pressure test.

islanderre

Evening all,

Got back the head today; it has been skimmed, pressure tested and new valve seals fitted.
I also have the head set, thermostat, head bolts, camshaft cover gasket and new chain got….. waiting on a coolant pipe to arrive in and I’m hopefully good to go!!!

I've cleaned up the pistons and block face as best I can….. will try to get a better finish on the block face before fitting…. I’ve been using very fine sandpaper and WD40 to clean it. Has come up okay but still a few stubborn black spots as per the photos.

Anyone got any tips to clean it up better or is it okay to settle as it is?

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It will be either this weekend coming or the following weekend when I kick of the re-assembly.

islanderre

Well folks an update about the bank hol weekend activities.

So on Sunday and Monday I got the Cylinder head on; exhaust manifold, inlet manifold and fuel rail / injectors.

Eventually the thermostat was prized apart from its housing...... feckin ell; it had fused to the housing..... so that too was replaced. I haven't connected it to the engine yet as need to get sealant for the guide pin.

So I'm now @ the point of bolting the sprockets to the camshaft but the Haynes manual (I'm using the haynes manual for the W202 C Class for guidance)says to fit the sprockets using new bolts...... seems a bit OTT but I will order from OTTO or the main dealer if I have to....... Anyone think it's okay to use the old bolts if I apply LOCTITE too?

Once I get the sprockets on; I'll then move onto the timing chain replacement.

By ways things are going it will prob be end of the month before I hit the starter!!!!!!!!

Esel

Maybe the old bolts will have stretched?

islanderre

Esel wrote: »

Maybe the old bolts will have stretched?

Possible..... I know that's one reason for replacing the head bolts with new as they do stretch.... the head was fitted with new bolts.

The Camshaft sprocket bolts I wouldn't have thought are under that much stress.

Thanks for the input.

w124man

The cylinder head bolts are designed to stretch so need to be replaced but I doubt the sprocket bolts would have stretched and as you say are not under great stress. However, they are pretty important so I would replace with new from your MB dealer

islanderre

Ordered up new camshaft sprocket bolts earlier..... all going well I'll have pick them up on Saturday Morning.

islanderre

So final update I hope!!!!
After I got the camshaft sprocket bolts I organised my brother to come and help with putting on the new timing chain. This job I was dreading from day one.
We got it on but realised that the chain had to have jumped a few teeth as was not lining up. I left it for a week or so due to other commitments.
After getting advice from ‘MercMan’ I finally got the timing of the chain / crank / cams line up correct yesterday. Huge relief.
Hand barred over the engine a few times and all seemed in order so finished boxing it up last night.

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This afternoon…. The moment of truth!!!
Hit the starter and she burst into life!!!! Big happy head on me!!!
Left her idle and waited until the outlet pipe from the Thermostat to get hot; then I brought her for a spin around the block.
All is good so far bar one thing…. When I started her; petrol leaked form the fuel pump close to the rear driver’s side but soon stopped. I’ll have to investigate more once I get her to my folk’s place where I’ve access to a pit.
Thanks to all for the help especially MercMan for putting my mind @ ease on a few issues.
One last thing; can anyone advise how to check if the viscous fan is working or the temperature it should come in at? I know I could leave the engine ticking over until it cuts in but that seems a bit crude!!!
Cheers and thanks.
Islanderre

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Mech1

Just in case,
you did reset the chain tensioner didnt you?

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=41453

islanderre

Mech1 wrote: »

Just in case,
you did reset the chain tensioner didnt you?

Put in a new one Mech1..... thanks for that

w124man

Fan should click in at 100C