W124 M102 Head Bolts

[imbck666]

Hi all,

Doing the headgasket on my 124 M102 engine )

Took the head off yesterday, everything looks clean and in order.. pistons are clean and valves clean as well

Im in a dilemma now as I cant seem to get hold of Head Bolts for my car.

I have called Euro Car Parts and they dont have any.

EPS car parts has none.

Is this a Stealership order or does anyone know where I can get the bolts from?
Any ideas of price as well?

Thanks

 

[GP801]

Get them from the dealer. Not that expensive. MB gasket kits are pretty reasonable too.

 

[jaymanek]

You dont need new bolts, they are not stretch bolts and can be reused many times...

 

[imbck666]

Thanks for the replies

Ok, I just remembered that they are not stretch ones.. true..

I phoned MB anyway and they quoted me £117.45 for a set of head bolts!

Rip Off

 

[jaymanek]

Its because no one buys them, supply/demand..

 

[imbck666]

Yeah you're right

 

[Druk]

Don't want to appear to argue but are you sure the bolts are not stretch?
Manual gives 55Nm then 90deg then 90deg. Also says length should be checked to be not greater than 122mm. That usually denotes stretch type bolts.
when I did mine (in 1998), I changed the bolts cos the Merc tech giving the advise said to.

 

[tam9urman]

I got mine from mercedes they cost me £2.60 per bolt

 

[imbck666]

sure they are £2.60 per bolt? As Ive phoned 4 different MB parts divisions around the country and they all quoted around £120 for the head bolts.
Was yours an M102 engine?

 

[Will]

sure they are £2.60 per bolt? As Ive phoned 4 different MB parts divisions around the country and they all quoted around £120 for the head bolts.
Was yours an M102 engine?

He has a W210 with an M112 V6 I think - going on his other thread!

I would probably check, measure and clean the original bolts. £120 is a lot of money for the bolts and I have never found them to be damaged or stretched on any of the 8v M102s I have stripped and rebuilt.

That is four times the cost of a full head gasket kit for an M102 - and probably about the going rate for a secondhand engine.

Will

 

[imbck666]

Hey Will,
Thanks for your reply.
Yes its very expensive but I have found a place called Stockwell Motors in London that will do the whole head bolt set for £53 so I think I will go for them.

Just a quick question though as I know you have good experience with these engines,
Whats the best way of cleaning the head and block before gasket install?
Ive heard Scotchbrite Pad (Green), is this true?

Any tips?

Thanks

 

[Will]

I wouldn't use a scotchbrite pad on either!!!

You need to clean the surfaces with a scraper (gasket scraper and a fine edged blade) and check them for any imperfections and for trueness. I have an engineer's straight edge and you can use a very fine feeler blade (0.02mm) to check for runout.

IIRC maximum deviation is something like 0.05mm.

Up to you on the head bolts, but they are only metal threaded bolts at the end of the day, they are either within spec and undamaged or not.

More important to ensure that everything is surgically clean before reassembling - clean out all of the bolt holes of any oil/water/debris (use an air line), run the bolts gently in and out by hand a couple of times, wipe the threads etc. Make sure the head, gasket, block are all perfect before fitting and then take your time. Wind the bolts in gradually - I like to give them a few minutes to 'gas' out of the threads (they are being done up very tightly into a blind hole after all) and follow the torque setting (55Nm) and angle tightening sequence (90 degrees, 90 degrees) and you'll have no trouble at all

 

[BlackC55]

Also just add a small amount of engine oil on the new head bolts.

 

[imbck666]

wow, thanks for the informative replies guys!
I dont have an air line can I use compressed air?
Also, can I use razor blades to clean the surface?

 

[tam9urman]

about the bolts yes the were £2.60 per bolt i got 16 and total amount £41.60 mb Milton st Glasgow.tel 01413314600 i have invoice in my hand would you like a copy to take to the dealer with you that gave you that crazy price .

 

[imbck666]

you have a different car mate..

 

[Druk]

According to the EPC the head bolt for an M102 230E engine is part number A615 990 02 12 and it says there are 10 of them. These people list them at £3.83 + vat. Mercedes-Benz Parts, Inchcape
Often there is a price increase on that site to what is listed but probably not by over much.

 

[imbck666]

cool thanks =))