soarer2k

hi, I have a 1996 C280 with a "bad" gasket, The coolant will leak out around the 1 cylinder in the exhaust side, which I think is one of the common problem with my engine, a local shop has sealed it "temporary". but I would like to get the job done by myself in the comming weekend. But I need some help in how to do it. I personally has own a Miata that also had a blown gasket, fixed it in a afternoon in my garage. because I have no experience with the Benz inline 6, I dunno know how different will it be, but just by "look". I think all head gasket has to go through the similar job..
can anyone here who has experience or done a headgasket job
on their c280 give me some step/hint, I have ordered a new head gasket, one intake manifold gasket, one exhaust gasket. cam gasket. I might change the thermostate when I am down there. so is that all I need? (that was what I need when doing my inline 4). and any special tools required? (are all bolt in metric or SAE?) any thing that need special care like sensors or other ( I think there must be many because it's MB ). please give me some help on how and some hint too thank you.

Kevin

DougandhisC280

From what my dealer told me, the only thing harder to change a head gasket on besides a sl600 is the inline 6 mercedes engines.

soarer2k

? In line engine should be the easiest thing to work with in my opinion because of larger working room, unlike the V6 engine,, like Honda Accord.. but I just want to make sure there is no special tools needed before I start my work on weekend,One shop is willing to rent those MB tools to me but no cheap. so can anyone who done a similar job on Benz vehicle help me out about the "tools"... do I need them?

dawhitak

I will be interested to hear how you get on. My main dealer quoted £1200 for this job, basing this price on (as I recall) 12 hours labour. My gasket occasionally leaks a bit of oil, but not coolant, and I can live with it.

I suspect that the difficulty with the job is taking off all the gubbins which you have to do before you can get at the cylinder head bolts (and putting them back on correctly). What I have done in the past as preparation for a first-time major engine job is "practice" in a scrapyard (for a few pounds you can buy a cylinder head, say, and in removing it from the wreck yourself you learn what you have to do, and the sequence in which things come off) - but I doubt that you would be able to find a C280 with an intact engine, particularly not in a "diy" scrapyard.

Good luck

mbtech208

That's nonsense. I can do two inline 6 head gaskets in one 8-hour day. Drain the coolant, unbolt the exhaust at the manifold, remove the fan shroud and fan, remove the air intake duct, remove the plug wires and coilpacks, remove the valve cover. Then unbolt the intake manifold bolts, loosen the coolant hose at the back of the head, remove the cylinder head front cover, timing chain tensioner, cam sprockets, timing chain guide rail pin. Unbolt the head bolts, remove the cylinder head with the exhaust manifold still attached, clean the gasket surfaces thoroughly, and reverse the steps. Piece of cake

DougandhisC280

I have a reciept here fore $1,400 dollars for "Head Gasket Replacement." I was charged for 10 labor hours. This is why I wouldn't ever want to do it. I stop at valve cover gaskets and oil pan gaskets. Everything else goes to the shop.

soarer2k

this is very helpful..
but I just want to ask, why odo you remove the cam spoket? can't it be left where it was and just loose the chain tensioner. I will remove both manifold and reinstall with new gasket. but your hint is very helpful.. thank you very much

mbtech208

Good question. You can do it one of two ways. Either you can remove the chain tensioner and take the chain off the sprockets the traditional way, OR, the way I do it is to take a small block of wood and place it between the chain at the area of the tensioner, thereby keeping tension on the chain and eliminating the need to remove the tensioner. then remove the three bolts holding the exhaust cam sprocket on, then remove the chain and let it drop down. This method is much easier, because if memory serves me correctly, the alternator must be removed in order to gain access to the tensioner.

W202MAE

Don't you have to set the motor to TDC making sure all valve are closed before you lift the head.

Ofcourse this is common sense I figure you didn't mention it. Unless I am wrong!

mbtech208

You don't want to set the motor to TDC, because then the number 1 piston is above the surface of the head slightly, making removal and installation of the head, and cleaning of the head gasket surface more difficult. As long as you mark the position of the chain and the sprockets with paint marks, you'll be fine.

spatlese44

Doesn't sound or look too hard. I'm going to try this this weekend. I have a few questions. Any replies are greatly appreciated:

1) How tight do the head bolts get tightened? I'm trying to get access to a service manual, but if someone knows and could help out. This is the real reason I'm making this post.

2) Is it likely that I'll be fine without resurfacing the head? I know there's always a chance I'll still have a problem. Is it more often than not that just replacing the gasket fixes the problem? I have oil leaking into the cooling circuit if that helps.

3) How heavy is this beast? I have a hoist so it won't be a real problem, but looks like more than you can lift by hand.

SLCPUNK

Personally I would send the head to be resurfaced. I just did a head gasket job (on a Honda) and had it resurfaced only for 30 bucks. If it is already off, maybe you could do a valve job to while you are at it. I would call the dealer for the torque specs. I also remember something about using new head bolts too. But I'm not a hundred percent sure. Also there is a new head gasket for these models to replace the faulty ones. Make sure it's the upgraded version. They may all be, but it doesn't hurt to ask. I'm sure you wouldn't want to do the job again in another couple of years. Good luck.

ftafever

Hi: Need to know size of bolts on the cylinder head for a 1995 C280. Thanks

ftafever

Please advise what tool is needed to remove the Head bolts on a C280 MB. Thanks

spatlese44

The bolts you need are available from Mercedes only as far as I know, or at least an aftermarket supplier that knows what they are doing. These are stretch bolts and are a one time use item. Even with "new" bolts, if you untighten them, they become junk. Probably about $70 a set? Maybe you know all this and are just trying to find a cheaper substitute, but I would go for the real deal.

I did this job a long time ago and have forgotten a lot about it. One thing I do remember is spending the whole weekend on it. We're talking 20 hours or so. I ran into a serious complication with the transmission dipstick. There's a bolt attaching it to the head between the head and the firewall. It's a tight space and a serious problem if you can't get it loose. As with many Mercedes projects, I built a wrench. Fortunately I had a full machine shop at my disposal. I would try loosening this bolt early into the process. Good luck.

C180Fan

Being pretty handy myself and capable of changing a head gasket, I wouldn't attempt this myself and would have is done by a pro. It would be heartbreaking to have the gasket blow again in the near future. My 1996 C180 is currently in the shop for a new gasket and although it does cost a few dollars, the car will be good for another 200k. I also learned that the shop vacuum tests all the valves, changes stem seals, looks for cracks and has the head faced no matter what. The cooling system will also be tested as the gasket was leaking coolant. There are apparently quite a few things to consider other than just changing the gasket.

My conclusion - not really worth saving money by doing it in the backyard.