I fixed my problem I think. Took a test drive and it ran good. I had a leaky and bad injector. Last 2 injectors were bad. I got some from a junk yard and it runs good. I would use a stethoscope find which cylinders are sounding like there misfiring and try the injectors. Im still convinced its your injectors. Also lube your seals when you put them in so it seats and seals properly.

 

I had the injectors checked by a mechanic. He found two leaky ones as well so I had em replaced.

 

Mine were also check by a mercedes mechanic. He stripped one of the bolts that hold the injector on. He said they were all fine but they werent. Are any of your valves tapping lightly. If they are check that injector. I had slight tapping on that cylinder plus the leak. Tappings gone now.
Just a try!!!

 

Well isolated my coolant leak to the coolant temperature sensor in the back because I couldn't screw it down enough a few months back because I thought that the cover blocked it, but it was actually the engine hoist attachment. I jsut knocked it back gently with a hammer and that gave me the space I needed.

With now no coolant leaking, I still have the coolant smell through my vents so it looks like my heatercore must be leaking.

Right now I would say the heater core is a more important issue because the coolant smell is pretty strong and I actually have to roll the windows down because it gets too bad. Can't take girls in the car when it smells horrible

What am I looking at time-wise for the heater core? It's a relatively cheap part but its the labor that is hard right?

What do you mean by tapping? What about ticking lol? I have a small ticking sound yes.

As to the injectors...how can I check them exactly? Is there a way to check them or is it simply replace them?

 

As to the injectors...how can I check them exactly? Is there a way to check them or is it simply replace them?

IF they are electronic injectors on the 103 you can check the connectors for proper resistance and visually examine the the seals and seats for brittleness, voids or cracking.

 

If the seals were bad, they would have shown up on the smoke test, correct? I had two of them replaced based on the results of the smoke test so I can assume that the others are fine. I'll look into checking the resistance thanks.

 

I believe he has CIS-E mechanical injection, therefore, his injectors have no coil rather just a preset disk that pops and lets fuel spray at a specified pressure. I just pulled all of my injectors out over the weekend and gave each one a bath in my ultrasonic cleaner, the way that cleaning solution looked after 2 injectors was scary ! I also used o-rings as a temporary band-aid on the bottom of the rock hard brittle seals. My idle is now normal for the first time since I have owned the car, stuck at 630-650RPM.


A post with a similar problem exists here, it might be of help:
http://www.mercedesshop.com/shopforu...d.php?t=199342

 

I don't believe its my injectors because if it was then the misfire would be applicable to a single cylinder, but the misfire is random sputtering.
I believe my problem resides around the head gasket so once I have that done I'll look into other options.

 

Starting next weekend finally!

After some reading I have decided not to replace the timing chain as it seems they are damn near bulletproof. I will just replace the guides and leave it be. I'll save the chain I bought for when it will need to be done seeing as I have no plans to sell the car.

 

If it were me I would make sure to at least examine the chain carefully. What you want to look for is play when you move it side to side against the links if you find a section that has a good deal more play or it generally feels loose I would go ahead and throw it in there. I would hate to see a post 2 years from now titled "Shoulda put the timing chain on"

Which brings up a question is the m103 or m104 an interference engine, meaning if the timing chain goes and a valve is left full open will the piston impact it on the upstroke?

 

Duly Noted!

Might be out of action a few weeks as the shop might be closed over christmas....but now's a great time for me with school over with.

Fingers crossed that maybe once I find my coolant leak at the back of the engine it will solve my coolant smells through the vents....I really don't want to have to do the heatercore if possible.

Also no more oil leaks! You can even see them on my sig picture lol....That's what it is like everywhere I go...Got a notice from my apartment that I am no longer allowed to park there due to it!

 

It would be a monster leak to "steam" back through firewall holes and gaps. The core is an antifreeze cabin fogger when they fail. Usually, you can trace the source from coolant leak trails and puddles.

Man, the odor is nasty to tolerate, seems to stick with you for hours.

Not an expert but I'll say the 103-104's do not have the dread "interference" valve clearance issue. They built these bad boys somewhat old-school... but in a good way.

 

My coolant light comes on after about a week...so that will give you an idea how much coolant im losing. We'll find the leak spot when the head is off as its coming from the back of the engine somewhere.

There is no fogging or leaks at all that I can see...no wet carpets or anything. It is totally intermittent too....it will start smelling real bad then it will go away and all will be fine. It can get real strong though. Its not constant by any means.

 

Intermittent's are the worst. Slide some clean cardboard under that bugger and carefully examine it before sliding it out. Place it when it's going to sit overnight.The breach will always drip from the source area. At least you can tell if its front or back of the engine. The core usually will do the wet carpet trick.

 

Head is comin off tomorrow....FINALLY!!

I'll let you guys know how it goes. Plenty of pictures of course.

Are there any coolant hoses at the back of the engine anywhere? Its definitely leaking from the back. I'll find out tomorrow for sure...but if you happen to know maybe I can head down and grab the hose beforehand to make things easier. Not a big deal either way as the head will be at the shop gettin machined.

 

Have you checked the heater hose? the one that goes from the head to the firewall. It likes to leak from the bottom and it will make a mess sometimes.

 

It is probably that one. It's gotta be. The coolant smell through my vents has gotta be getting the smell from this pipe as there are no wet carpets inside the car at all and I go from top to coolant light in about 4-5 days.

Should it be an easy access when the head is off?

Would this be the one:

Elaplast
Heater Hose; Engine to Heater Core
For models with chassis serial number through F016101. 1 per car.
??

 

Mid way through. Coffee break!







Possible Misfire cause? Cracked!!







New Belt going on now










Gonna remove the head without the intake side attached. As far as I understand it is possible, but a little more tricky. Less removed = less potential lost items and problems in general.

Thinking of getting my valve cover and exhaust manifolds powder coated too. Silver valve cover and black exhaust manifolds. What do ya guys think

 

SHES OFF!!



















Here are each of the cylinders in order 1-6. How do they look?















Here is my coolant leak it looks like:






----------

Overall took me about 8hours including breaks. Didn't run into any major problems which was nice. A bit fiddly taking off the head without the intake manifold and items attached, but I think it was well worth it. Less hassle on putting everything back in.

Gonna take the head to a machine shop on Monday and get them to skim it and check everything over.

 

Where can I find the threaded Freeze plug that is for Cylinder #6??? All I find is the non-threaded one that goes on 1-5...but I need a new one for 6. Finally got it off and there is so much corrosion inside its completely blocked. That freeze plug was my coolant leak 100% sure

 

Pressed freeze plugs lose their seal and leak like crazy. A threaded one would have to corrode past the threads-good golly! There is a lesson there in PH testing your antifreeze at least once a yr and NEVER using tap water with antifreeze.

I would take one of those nylon type paint strippers you can attach to a rechargable drill and have at those piston tops. Be sure to TDC each one as you work them. Don't be going down in those cylinder walls with anything except a hone and from what I've read in your thread, you're not at that stage yet (or want to be). Send more pics after you've cleaned them. From what I can see, your valves need attention, so a trip to the machinist is spot on. Be sure to tell to him to 'kiss' the head if he resurfaces-due to warp. Otherwise you're going to need valve lash shims etc-I wouldn't go there personally.

You did what I hoped you would do, leaving the intake in place-it just seems logical to me and with like the big FelPro kit, you get a new intake manifold gasket anyway. You gotta figure that dealer MB mechanics are conditioned to charge full book rate for their service work. If they figure out shortcuts (and they all do), you'll still be billed the regular shop rate by the book. On a flat rate schedule, the more cars they can service, the more they get bonus pay-no upside there for the MB owner, however. Indies can be better in this respect.

Be sure and get all your gaskets, including the upper timing chain cover gasket-that one can leak as much as the head gasket in older W124's. Oh yeah, lots of MB mechanics are dead against using RTV or silicone sealant anywhere. There are some alternatives now-there have been many reported cases of RTV & silicone excess finding their way into oil galleries and causing trouble and/or engine failure. Keep those pics coming!

Kevin

 

Thanks. Yes I am gonna do that timing chain cover too...it was included in my head gasket set.

I'll keep the silicone sealant in my mind and avoid it. I shouldn't have any need for any either way.

Any ideas where I can find that threaded freeze plug? I'm searching hard but so far nothing.

 

Here's a better picture of it:

 

I'm sorry no, I have no source at present. It seems like a dream, but I think with a motorcycle one time, I needed a metric threaded plug. I don't remember the resolve though. There are a few small places on the valve cover gasket that you need a sealant and I wouldn't be surprised if you need a dab for the upper timing chain cover gasket. In those instances, just use an alternative. I bought a tube from a DIY MB site.

Worse case scenario on the plug, would be to drill out and tap with the appropriate US size plug in pipe size (IPS). Surely, you'll find a plug somewhere-did you try like a NAPA for metric plugs? I'm anxious to see the pics of your piston tops all scrubbed & pretty, along with the block top! What head gasket set did you wind up buying?

Kevin

 

Its the Victor Reinz OEM Gasket Set. It has the head, intake, exhaust, front timing and the cam o ring(name?)