w124 300ce head gasket, engine No??

[ADY1983]

Hi all
well i was on my way home from work on friday and the car just didn't feel right struggling up hills and just pretty crap. So i thought change plugs leads etc. and then smoke poured out the back of the exhaust .

So did a compresion test and had low pressure in cylinder 5.

I have had to buy a cheap runabout while i fix it, a mondeo
Can anyone tell me where i would find the engine no. on the block because there is a kit on ebay cheap and i need to know engine type??

Also while i have the head off is there anything else i should or could do to prehaps get a few more horsys???

cheers Ady

 

[Ian B Walker]

Not to get more power but sensible. Change all the exhaust manifold studs as if they break while the head is on they are the devils own to change. Change all the valves and stem seals and clean out all the oilways with compressed air.

 

[ADY1983]

Ok cheers should i have the head skimmed even if it is flat??

 

[MangoMan]

Go to this Web-site: http://www.mbclub.ru/mb/vin/?lng=eng

And enter your VIN No: It will give you your Engine Number, as long as it hasn't been changed.

 

[ADY1983]

cheers for that brilliant site :bannana:

oh well the kit on ebay is wrong, best place to get gasket kit then, stealers??

 

[MangoMan]

You're Welcome....

 

[grober]

Stealers definitelyfor the best head gasket. the other bits dealer or ECP?? Skimming the head will raise the compression ratio slightly and hence power but may require running on 98 ron/ adjusting the ignition to get the advantage without predetonation. Its still probably worth doing if you are dismantling the valve gear just to be on the safe side..You will probably have problems with the timing chain guide pins when you take off the head!! website on the head gasket chenge on a 104 6 cylinder engine here http://www.mercedesshop.com/Wikka/M104HeadGasket and this thread http://www.mercedesshop.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=75756&page=2&highlight=cylinder+head+gasket

 

[ADY1983]

Hi i have checked and it is the m103 engine. I have just got prices from the stealers for. Head gasket kit, all the valves, head bolts, valve seals (should these come in the kit?? they weren't sure so priced them anyway) £375.00...ish is this a reasonable price?? thanks again.....

 

[Dieselman]

Hi i have checked and it is the m103 engine. I have just got prices from the stealers for. Head gasket kit, all the valves, head bolts, valve seals (should these come in the kit?? they weren't sure so priced them anyway) £375.00...ish is this a reasonable price?? thanks again.....

I didn't think it was negotiable!!

 

[andy_k]

Hi i have checked and it is the m103 engine. I have just got prices from the stealers for. Head gasket kit, all the valves, head bolts, valve seals (should these come in the kit?? they weren't sure so priced them anyway) £375.00...ish is this a reasonable price?? thanks again.....

offer them £300 and see what they say

I'd say that they've already given you a reasonable price but with the older cars they do have room to negotiate a bit or offer discount on prices. MB give them two retail prices a minimum and a maximum so what they sell for between these two is up to them.

Andy

 

[ADY1983]

Ok cheers guys
but what i meant was, would i get the valves and other bits cheaper somwhere else. The gasket kit is cheap enough and i want to use a genuine MB one. But the exhaust valves are £25.50 each, the inlets are a bit cheaper.


Or should i only buy genuine MB parts???
How do i know if the valves need doing or should i do them anyway??

The reason i question the price is i had a bmw i rebuilt the head on, i didn't use geuine parts and i got the valves for £8.00 each, the whole job only cost me £170. :bannana:
Thanks again

 

[grober]

CYL HEAD Bolts.

I would advise doing this in stages. You might not need new valves/valve guides. Ians advice is good in that when the heads off its a good idea to renew everything possible. I would certainly renew the valve stem seals and clear out the oilways and renew the manifold studs. remember low cylinder compression can be the result of worn valves or piston rings as well as a head gasket. If you got good compression readings on the other cylinders the valves are probably OK. You should check the valves of no5 cylinder against the others they may well be OK. Cylinder bolts can stretch but if they are within certain dimensions they can be used again. You have to measure them with a good engineers steel rule.
Type A max length 108.4 mm
Type B max length 105.8mm
see pic below for normal dimensions

 

[ADY1983]

Ok cheers i will let you know how it goes when i get the head off at the weekend.

 

[ADY1983]

Hi just to add I have ordered the gasket kit and valve seals, asked if that was the best price, they said No!! we can give 10% off that price. Bargain always worth a try :bannana: :bannana:
Cheers Andy_K