mb techman

.

alx

Is that bad cam sets batch or you have traced it to lubrication problem?

gjnockie

Sad to see on an engine that obviously has had it's oil changed. Looks pretty clean for 90K. They never should have put flat tappets on an engine like that. I have an SL 63 with only 3600 miles on it that I don't drive much.

Do you think a ZDDP additive would help? More frequent oil changes maybe? Even though today's synthetic oils are superior they don't contain some of the additive's of old that did protect engines better with flat tappets.

I am seeing more & more post's concerning the M156. Makes me worry and I am sure I am not alone.

mb techman

.

gjnockie

Are all of the M156's going to suffer from this eventually or is it the luck of the draw?

mb techman

.

gjnockie

I have been reading that some of them are suffering from broken head bolts as well?

Mercedes should stand behind this known issue no matter what the mileage is if the car was maintained properly. I am sure this is a very expensive repair out of warranty.

I have had several MB's and never had an engine problem with any of them. Their engines have alway's been known for longevity.

Not acceptable in my mind.

alx

I have seen eaten lobes on Porsche's v8 cayenne motors. You sure somebody didn't sneak in a vag motor in there?

Beautiful pics. Thanks for sharing.

mb techman

.

gjnockie

I wonder which oil had been used in that engine?

AMG changed their minds about using 0-40 Mobil One to using 5-40 Mobil One Formula M for the M156 motor.

I am thinking about changing to an oil that has a min of 1200 ppm of ZDDP & Phosphorus in my M156.

Flat tappet engines should have more zinc IMHO. It will help to prevent what you see here.

khom936702

Its sad to say that I have had my car to the dealer twice in the last two months (for a total of 5 weeks) to have this ticking sound addressed. First they did the left side camshafts and lifters, and then two weeks later, they did the right side camshafts and lifters. Now a week later, there is that distinct ticking sound when idling AGAIN from the left side of the engine once again...

I've heard that there were 3 service bulletins and the class action lawsuit that had been started by "63" owners was dropped due to all of them having the issue develop AFTER the warranty had expired. This was the reason that the lawsuit was marked defective in New Jersey, and subsequently dismissed. Now what do I do since my vehicle is still under base warranty and they have tried to repair this issue by replacing camshafts and lifters on both sides of the engine... any suggestions?

ttboost

3 times for Lemon Law? Bring it in?

khom936702

If only I could....over the mileage limit for NY but still within base warranty

wadejg

My first contribution:

http://www.jacobregarlaw.com/Blog/20...or-the-M1.aspx

Makes me think twice about buying a used r63. Hmmmmm.

Regards,
Justin Wade

mb techman

.

PDC

Really interesting thread. I had no idea that MB used flat-tapped design for the camshafts in this motor(?)(!) I didn't think ANY of the car manufacturers used a flat tappet design cam since God only knows when. Wow.

That being said, I do have 2 old 1973 Trans Ams that each benefit from significantly more aggressive camshaft profiles than GM allowed back in 73. These are flat tapped / hydraulic lifter cam sets from Comp Cams. One of them was Nitrided to harden the lobe surface and improve wear characteristics.

I religiously use Brad Penn oil in my 2 TAs which has significant ZDDP levels. Also, Royal Purple HPS oil is a full synthetic with ZDDP added. Amsoil also makes a very highly rated full synthetic with ZDDP. The only issue is that once you get enough ZDDP to prevent the type of lobe and lifter wear seen in this thread, you have enough ZDDP to clog and ruin a catalytic converter.

SO - if you are running a catless exhaust, there would be no risk to running RP HPS in these cars. But it is a preventative only. Switching to a ZDDP infused lubricant at say 50K miles certainly won't 'undo' any of the damage already done, but it might prevent additional damage.

amok55amg

Could it be the chain for the oil pump touching the chain case? This is a known issue on the M113 ....... I see MB have an updated crank shaft gear on your engine but when & why nobody will tell you .......

I actually have two M113 engines and both of them have this issue … a design failure …. tension spring was both OK - not new but even so … the clearance is so small and only proper solution will be to increase the diameter on the crank shaft gear for the oil pump to increase the spacing between chain cover and chain.