W126 gasket

[h17n dj]

Seen as both of my head gaskets are seeping oil and ive been quoted £1600, i was wondering how much of a big job it is to do myself? any step-by-step guide anywhere? or anyone want to come n help lol.. thermostat needs doing too so would it be better to do that at the same time as the heads or get that done now?

 

[carat 3.6]

These engines are fairly diy freindly, and it is not a hard job to do if you take your time.

BUT Beware of the head bolts, they have a bad habbit of stripping the thread in the block if the engine has overheated. You can buy a tool to help you drill and helicoil the block if this happens.

 

[stevieb15]

Seen as both of my head gaskets are seeping oil and ive been quoted £1600, i was wondering how much of a big job it is to do myself? any step-by-step guide anywhere? or anyone want to come n help lol.. thermostat needs doing too so would it be better to do that at the same time as the heads or get that done now?

Sounds a very fair price, consider sourcing another engine which may well be an easier and cheaper option depending on the mileage yours has done.

 

[h17n dj]

Sounds a very fair price, consider sourcing another engine which may well be an easier and cheaper option depending on the mileage yours has done.

Its done £147k...... i dont really want to be putting in a new engine as apart from the heads and thermostat its fine...... i can get a genuine head kits from mb for £400 for both sides they said and just wondered wha sort of labour was involved and weather i could do it myself

 

[carat 3.6]

When you remove the inlet manifold, there are alot of rubber breather pipes underneath. You may find them in need of replacement due to cracking. You will also want the rubber o rings that act as the inlet manifold gaskets.

Also inspect the rubber boot that connects the air flow meter to the throttle body, they crack and cause vacumn leaks.

If your egr system is still conected, you may want to clean all of the black sludge out of the inlet manifold.

 

[ianrandom]

You could easily do your thermostat now. Its near the front in the lower part of the housing .
As for your head gasket, doesnt sound too wrong, frightening though isnt it. I live in fear of my head gaskets going! If yours is just seeping a bit of oil perhaps it isnt worth doing?

 

[h17n dj]

You could easily do your thermostat now. Its near the front in the lower part of the housing .
As for your head gasket, doesnt sound too wrong, frightening though isnt it. I live in fear of my head gaskets going! If yours is just seeping a bit of oil perhaps it isnt worth doing?

sweet i'll have a little look for it haha
yeah they are just seeping a bit of oil...... its annoying having oil on the driveway tho are yours the same? i mean its not got to be done now but if i gathe rup the info i'll get them done eventually

 

[h17n dj]

When you remove the inlet manifold, there are alot of rubber breather pipes underneath. You may find them in need of replacement due to cracking. You will also want the rubber o rings that act as the inlet manifold gaskets.

Also inspect the rubber boot that connects the air flow meter to the throttle body, they crack and cause vacumn leaks.

If your egr system is still conected, you may want to clean all of the black sludge out of the inlet manifold.

thanks buddy...... seems like a mission lol! whats an egr system by the way?

 

[jaymanek]

If you have never stripped an engine before, I wouldnt do it.

Its a long job and you have to be methodical and know what you are doing, especially with setting up timing chains etc.

Incidentally its worth changing the chain, guides and tensioner whilst you are there.

 

[h17n dj]

If you have never stripped an engine before, I wouldnt do it.

Its a long job and you have to be methodical and know what you are doing, especially with setting up timing chains etc.

Incidentally its worth changing the chain, guides and tensioner whilst you are there.

oh right thanks i'll leave it for the pro's when i get some money together in that case! oh right thanks for the tip i'll makesure thats done too

 

[Will]

It's a 21 year old Mercedes with nearly 150k miles, it's bound to be weeping oil!

Unless it's losing enough oil to be an issue (oil when you park, topping up all the time etc) then I would leave it - I can think of much better things to spend £1600 on!

BTW, thermostat is a silly price from MB - about £40 odd, I'd look elsewhere for a better priced quality one

Will

 

[h17n dj]

It's a 21 year old Mercedes with nearly 150k miles, it's bound to be weeping oil!

Unless it's losing enough oil to be an issue (oil when you park, topping up all the time etc) then I would leave it - I can think of much better things to spend £1600 on!

BTW, thermostat is a silly price from MB - about £40 odd, I'd look elsewhere for a better priced quality one

Will

yes thats true buddy! i do see some oil when i park up. i bought the car in september and topped up once since then so doubt its anything to worry about for the minute??? yeah i can think of better stuff to spend £1600 on too lol! i found one on eurocarparts for £20 what do u reckon to that?? Vemo Mercedes-Benz | Euro Car Parts UK

 

[Will]

ECP seem a bit expensive, but then they tend to be until the discount is applied.

I think I paid around £15 from GSF. So I guess once discounted it would be about the same

Will

 

[AMG19]

Great advise by Will and Jaymanek.
Just to enforce what they have said;

Firstly as Will says how bad is the leak? Most leak a little, if it's not excessive I would leave it.

Secondly to touch on what Jaymanek said it might be worth changing the chain, guides, sprockets and tensioner, if they are worn - but would you know what you are looking at and how to check them? If the answer is no then this definately isn't a job for you.

Are you burning oil? Do you have blue smoke when you pull away, if so you may need a full decoat and possibly valve guides.

In short what i'm trying to get at is what starts off as just a heads off job can escalate and be a job for the proffesionals.

Is £1600 an all in price? Does it cover Antifreeze, oil and filter, rocker cover seals and gaskets, spark plugs etc? If so it's a good price, if not it's a little on the high side and your be looking at more like £2000, and that's if it doesn't require anything else.

 

[h17n dj]

Great advise by Will and Jaymanek.
Just to enforce what they have said;

Firstly as Will says how bad is the leak? Most leak a little, if it's not excessive I would leave it.

Secondly to touch on what Jaymanek said it might be worth changing the chain, guides, sprockets and tensioner, if they are worn - but would you know what you are looking at and how to check them? If the answer is no then this definately isn't a job for you.

Are you burning oil? Do you have blue smoke when you pull away, if so you may need a full decoat and possibly valve guides.

In short what i'm trying to get at is what starts off as just a heads off job can escalate and be a job for the proffesionals.

Is £1600 an all in price? Does it cover Antifreeze, oil and filter, rocker cover seals and gaskets, spark plugs etc? If so it's a good price, if not it's a little on the high side and your be looking at more like £2000, and that's if it doesn't require anything else.

no its not a bad leak and not using up loads of oil! uses a bit of water i just top that up and keep an eye on it! no its defo not a job for me tbh! yeah it was an all in price! eeek thats pricey haha i'll have to save some pennies as if im honest i do want it done but doubt it'll be anytime soon!

 

[h17n dj]

ECP seem a bit expensive, but then they tend to be until the discount is applied.

I think I paid around £15 from GSF. So I guess once discounted it would be about the same

Will

i'll grab that when i get paid at the end of the week then

 

[ianrandom]

I would prefer ECP over GSF for the thermostat, only because they often seem to have better quality bits from past experience. Thermostats in particular seem to be a bit hit and miss for some reason. I got an MB one for mine just because I couldnt be bothered with any fussing about with a crappy one.

I second leaving your head gasket. I dont get much drippage on the ground, its just general seepage from near the rear end of the engine. I plan to ignore it completely Partly because I dont think I'm eligible for a bank loan at the mo!

Ps whats this about discount at ECP?

 

[h17n dj]

I would prefer ECP over GSF for the thermostat, only because they often seem to have better quality bits from past experience. Thermostats in particular seem to be a bit hit and miss for some reason. I got an MB one for mine just because I couldnt be bothered with any fussing about with a crappy one.

I second leaving your head gasket. I dont get much drippage on the ground, its just general seepage from near the rear end of the engine. I plan to ignore it completely Partly because I dont think I'm eligible for a bank loan at the mo!

Ps whats this about discount at ECP?

yeah i think i'll get it from ECP ! we, as mbclub members, get 25% off is we type in a promo code before paying..... its mbclub25 i think go to the ecp bit on the forum and its on the signature of any of their posts .
yeah i will leave it for now i think... yep mines at the back too but i see drippage on the driveway or where i park not loads but it is visible over the driveway ..... haha i dont blame ya im not eligible either..... im a uni graduate still job hunting!!

 

[Will]

I would prefer ECP over GSF for the thermostat, only because they often seem to have better quality bits from past experience. Thermostats in particular seem to be a bit hit and miss for some reason. I got an MB one for mine just because I couldnt be bothered with any fussing about with a crappy one.

I second leaving your head gasket. I dont get much drippage on the ground, its just general seepage from near the rear end of the engine. I plan to ignore it completely Partly because I dont think I'm eligible for a bank loan at the mo!

Ps whats this about discount at ECP?

ECP or GSF (or MB for that matter) don't make the parts - they only sell them. Well, MB might make a few bits like body panels - but 95%+ of all components are made for them on behalf of companies such as Bosch, BERU, ATE, Bilstein etc

ECP and GSF both list identical thermostats from the same manufacturer - so there is no way that ECP are better in terms of quality in this instance.

I usually buy genuine MB parts for most of my cars, but in some instances there's just too much difference in price to justify it.

The original thermostat that failed (was opening too early, letting by - engine running too cool) - was after all an MB part

I did post up before about these parts and their cost. MB wanted £100 for a thermostat, cover and a gasket. I bought a used cover for £10 from a MB specialist breaker, brand new thermostat from GSF for £15 and a new gasket from MB (about £1 )

There's no way I was spending £100 to replace a thermostat on a 20-odd year old car like this!

Will

 

[h17n dj]

ECP or GSF (or MB for that matter) don't make the parts - they only sell them. Well, MB might make a few bits like body panels - but 95%+ of all components are made for them on behalf of companies such as Bosch, BERU, ATE, Bilstein etc

ECP and GSF both list identical thermostats from the same manufacturer - so there is no way that ECP are better in terms of quality in this instance.

I usually buy genuine MB parts for most of my cars, but in some instances there's just too much difference in price to justify it.

The original thermostat that failed (was opening too early, letting by - engine running too cool) - was after all an MB part

I did post up before about these parts and their cost. MB wanted £100 for a thermostat, cover and a gasket. I bought a used cover for £10 from a MB specialist breaker, brand new thermostat from GSF for £15 and a new gasket from MB (about £1 )

There's no way I was spending £100 to replace a thermostat on a 20-odd year old car like this!

Will

yeah true il have a hunt round il also ask mb too here and see what they say! no price difference between gsf n ecp using the mbclub discount code so its all goood....
so will i need the gasket and the cover in order to do the thermostat?