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W211 E63 AMG head bolt damage

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Old 01-04-2017, 02:54 AM
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Exclamation W211 E63 AMG head bolt damage

Hey MB Team.
This is my first post and its a nasty one (unfortunately).

Here is the break down, I was driving home when I got a 'low fluid level" indication. Didn't think to much of it and continued driving, 2 miles down I noticed the heater stooped working and felt the car misfiring. Drove home (3 miles). After getting home I opened the antifreeze reservoir to discover that I'm empty and the engine was running dry. I also ran a OBD2 scan and found that cylinder 8 was misfiring. I bought antifreeze (2 gal) and filled it back up. After running it for about 5 min I noticed that the coolant doped again. At this point I checked the oil dip stick to find that its way above its normal level and the color is not black but brown. Jumped on to the forum to find a couple of posts that pretty much tell me I am F***ed.

It would would be smooth sailing if I had warranty on the car but with 55k miles and no warranty pretty much screwed.

Now I just want to know what this would cost me and what repairs I would need to make.
Old 01-04-2017, 05:05 AM
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W204 C63 AMG M157 Swap, W212 E63 AMG Biturbo, W215 CL65 AMG, W204 C63 AMG SC, W219 CLS55 Brabus, W21
Head Gasket Job and Head Bolt replacement is needs

I had the same issue with my W219 CLS63 AMG 2007, but this happened after hard pulls. Once I removed heads I saw the one head bolt was broken.

I guess you need to do Head Gasket Job and Head Bolt replacement, as well as flushing your engine with fresh oil 2 to 3 times to clean the water residue inside the engine.

Shouldn't be a big problem.
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Old 01-04-2017, 07:44 AM
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E63 AMG 2007
Sorry to hear about your problem. Don't drive anymore, it could get worse, like a bent rod etc.. I thought the 09s were made after an upgrade of the head bolts, not true? Also are you the original owner? Type of use? Do you track the car? What sort of climate do you live in, cold weather now? Thanks for your post, good luck with the repair.
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Old 01-04-2017, 10:08 AM
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search the c63 forum for this. there are tons of info.
Old 01-04-2017, 11:23 AM
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I was never doing hard pulls on it, Just normal driving.

I have never tracked this car, Second owner, And live in Oregon so I guess it gets cold in the winter.
Old 01-04-2017, 11:54 AM
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Does ARP make head bolts for the 6.3?
Old 01-04-2017, 12:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Dublinoh
Sorry to hear about your problem. Don't drive anymore, it could get worse, like a bent rod etc.. I thought the 09s were made after an upgrade of the head bolts, not true? Also are you the original owner? Type of use? Do you track the car? What sort of climate do you live in, cold weather now? Thanks for your post, good luck with the repair.
The problem goes up to early 2011, I believe. Dchl21 is correct; tons of info in W204 forum. Consensus is that if you don't plan on DIY'ing, find a good indy. I've read that typical costs run $3-$5k at indies, if there is no other damage, like Dublinoh notes. Updating the buckets and replacing cams, if necessary, drives costs higher. Stealer is higher and credits from MB aren't likely unless you've done a lot of business (service-wise) with them. I was lucky and was under warranty when I had them done as preventative maintenance (I think I smell coolant........).

Unfortunately, you have been a victim of the dreaded headbolt issue. Not every car gets it, regardless of what people say ("not a matter of if, but when"), but it is well documented and you've been struck. Good luck, but remember, don't drive it at all until its repaired. Check out the W204 forum, but search first before asking questions over there. You also may be able to get a referral to an indy who has experience with this issue.
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Old 01-04-2017, 12:59 PM
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^this. Sorry for the incident OP, I hope it isn't too expensive to fix. Getting the headbolts replaced as preventative maintenance would be the way to go given that this issue is well documented for all M156 engines up to early 2011.

I'd love to do C63 Black Series engine swap in mine...
Old 01-04-2017, 01:03 PM
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Originally Posted by Skizz
The problem goes up to early 2011, I believe. Dchl21 is correct; tons of info in W204 forum. Consensus is that if you don't plan on DIY'ing, find a good indy. I've read that typical costs run $3-$5k at indies, if there is no other damage, like Dublinoh notes. Updating the buckets and replacing cams, if necessary, drives costs higher. Stealer is higher and credits from MB aren't likely unless you've done a lot of business (service-wise) with them. I was lucky and was under warranty when I had them done as preventative maintenance (I think I smell coolant........).

Unfortunately, you have been a victim of the dreaded headbolt issue. Not every car gets it, regardless of what people say ("not a matter of if, but when"), but it is well documented and you've been struck. Good luck, but remember, don't drive it at all until its repaired. Check out the W204 forum, but search first before asking questions over there. You also may be able to get a referral to an indy who has experience with this issue.
Thanks for the information.
Old 01-04-2017, 01:45 PM
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W211 E63
Pizdets Vadim, I'm very sorry for your situation. I'd agree with not bothering to start it anymore.

Did you warm up the car properly every time you drove it? As in waiting for the oil temps to go up to 80C before heavier driving?

Fill us in your course of action. Best of luck.
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Old 01-04-2017, 01:57 PM
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I for one would start with the operating temperature of the engine during all of these symptoms.

Bear in-mind that the ECT (coolant temp) relies on fluid being in the engine to provide a signal to your dashboard indicator. No fluid = Faulty readout.

While I've not had this problem with an M156, I can tell you from past experience that you may have easily overheated this engine, possibly even warping the head(s).

It wasn't clear from your description as to whether you dropped a valve seat (which would indicate a great deal of engine heat), but I would seriously weigh the costs of repair versus replacement.

For example, here's an M156 on ebay, located in Canada (there are others):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercedes-s63...RW80ya&vxp=mtr
Old 01-04-2017, 04:17 PM
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Originally Posted by fila0220
Pizdets Vadim, I'm very sorry for your situation. I'd agree with not bothering to start it anymore.

Did you warm up the car properly every time you drove it? As in waiting for the oil temps to go up to 80C before heavier driving?

Fill us in your course of action. Best of luck.
Ya I will most likely drain the fluids today and try to get it in to a shop by the end of the week. I'm guessing this will be about 3-5K for repairs.
Old 01-04-2017, 04:21 PM
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Originally Posted by Rob CL
I for one would start with the operating temperature of the engine during all of these symptoms.

Bear in-mind that the ECT (coolant temp) relies on fluid being in the engine to provide a signal to your dashboard indicator. No fluid = Faulty readout.

While I've not had this problem with an M156, I can tell you from past experience that you may have easily overheated this engine, possibly even warping the head(s).

It wasn't clear from your description as to whether you dropped a valve seat (which would indicate a great deal of engine heat), but I would seriously weigh the costs of repair versus replacement.

For example, here's an M156 on ebay, located in Canada (there are others):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercedes-s63...RW80ya&vxp=mtr
Thank you for the engine find but I am hoping that I will fix it before replacing it. I never saw the engine go up in heat. It stayed at 80-90C most of the time.
Old 01-04-2017, 05:21 PM
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You are probably ok as far as overheating goes. The most important thing is to check for a bent rod which is very common with this issue. Before doing any teardown I would drain the oil to the proper level and perform a compression test to get an idea if one of the rods bent. Once the heads are off make sure they measure deck height before reassembly.
Old 01-09-2017, 09:59 PM
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W211 E63
Vadim any updates?

Also who built your engine?
Old 01-10-2017, 02:06 AM
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Originally Posted by fila0220
Vadim any updates?

Also who built your engine?
No Crazy updates. I towed it to a local Mercedes certified shop. They quoted me 3-5K depending on the damage and work. (The best price I found). Still didn't hear back from them.

Not really sure what you mean by "who built your engine".
Old 01-10-2017, 04:27 AM
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he is referring to the name placard on your engine from AMG. honestly name doesn't mean anything as all tools used for build are calibrated to spec, meaning failures are not specific to any one builder.
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Old 01-10-2017, 05:09 AM
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I would rather rebuild an engine where feasible as opposed to buying a second hand one with any number of potential problems. You would be pretty unlucky to hydrolock but it does occasionally happen when the heads lift. The redesigned oem bolts are more than enough unless you are going forced induction.
Old 01-10-2017, 11:21 AM
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Originally Posted by tw2
I would rather rebuild an engine where feasible as opposed to buying a second hand one with any number of potential problems.
Very much agree with you. When I called my dealer they highly recommended to swap the engine which would be a 17k (If not more).

Ill post pictures of the engine rebuild. Crossing my fingers and hoping its an easy fix.

Is there anything else i should replace while the engine is dissembled? (maintenance wise)
Old 01-10-2017, 05:14 PM
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dealerships in my experience don't rebuild engines...mercedes might be different though.

they swap short blocks, long blocks, replace individual cylinders with issues, etc but don't do full rebuilds. the labor cost is too high from their perspective.

like they'll literally change bearings for the problem cylinder and not touch anything else.
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Old 01-10-2017, 07:52 PM
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The 6.3 runs well. But I have no interest in one because of the cost and problems.

There is one for sale on this board. Priced well.

My wife wanted an E63 and after I researched it I was like no way.
Old 01-12-2017, 04:17 PM
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Thumbs down ** Update **

** Update **

So the car is in the shop. I get a call from the manager telling me that the job is a lot harder then they expected. He was able to remove 8 head bolts from one side and 6 from the other. 2 head bolts have broken heads and are stuck. He said he is unable to remove the Actual head because there is not enough room. He will have to drop the engine to remove the head. I know the price will change now.

I came to the shop to find my Engine on the floor. (Almost Cried)



W211 E63 Engine Dissembled

You Could see the stuck head bolt on the right side.



W211 E63 engine torn apart. Head Bolt stuck

Ill Keep udating you guys as it gets more expensive.
Old 01-12-2017, 04:54 PM
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Misery loves company...
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/fo...110824/page11/

Hope you get her back soon, and cheaply.
Old 01-12-2017, 07:52 PM
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Sorry to see that. At least after this crap experience you will have an awesome reliable car for the future.
Old 01-13-2017, 10:40 PM
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vadim,

Put a chevy block. thank me later.

Last edited by Z06; 01-14-2017 at 12:12 PM.


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