Opinion on cylinder head defects

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

sagesingh

Active Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2007
Messages
111
Car
'95 W124 E220, '96 W124 E320 Cabriolet
Hi all, as some of you know i am doing the head gasket on my w124 e320 TT. I have dismantled everything and got the head off cleaned it up a little but i need your opinion on if it is ok or not.

There are two issues, main is highlighted below.

I have to options, either get a new head for £175ish or try and get this one sorted. andbody know average prices for getting this sort of work done?

i have not done any cylinder head work before so i am stabing in the dark abit.

thanks for the advice
 

Attachments

  • head1.jpg
    head1.jpg
    89.5 KB · Views: 45
Last edited:
it needs to be a wider picture to incorporate more of the head, because we cannot see where it is in relation to the sides of head etc.

do you know if it is oil or water channel ?

my immediate thought, (because so many persons do not attach enough
importance to the issue) is the coolant regime has not beeen followed
properly, and corrosion has resulted in the alloy.
 
This of any help? Compress valve spring | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Cylinder head damage like that can be repaired by specialised welding/metal spraying or metal epoxy such as Belzona. However if the corrosion has weakened the block water passages they might crack [ if one hasn't already?] then another cylinder head is probably the answer. Make sure its not just someone else's "cast off" they are trying to sell to recoup costs of a new one of their own? You have already stripped the engine down so I would be inclined to take the head to a specialist engine rebuilder get them to examine it and give you quote for a repair. You can then contrast that to the cost of the £175 head which remember may require a bit of work also before you can fit it.
 
A competent engine re-conditioners can sort that out by welding then machining the head flat.
 
Here is a pic of the whole head. on closer inspection another 2 are ever so slightly oval and not round.

i have circled the one shown in the previous post.
 

Attachments

  • head 3.jpg
    head 3.jpg
    28.8 KB · Views: 29
Last edited:
Personally (and i weld ally for a living) if a good cyl/head (no corrosion etc) can be picked up for ~£175 i'd go that route. While it's easy enough to repair it's also fairly close to the gasket fire ring and welding ally softens it in the HAZ (heat affected zone). While that in of itself isn't a huge deal as we're talking about a turbo conversion i'd rather start with a head that doesn't need welding (and thus skimming) even if it costs more
 
I'd agree with Jay and Hotrodder. Also if there is corrosion in that one spot it's logical to assume there will be corrosion elsewhere

Nick Froome
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom