Yuille36

I'm sorry for the wrong link, only the engines with engine serial ending after 60658 were replaced with new head bolts.
Go to https://www.datamb.com and enter your vehicles VIN number, then scroll down to the Engine to see what your serial number is.

All engine with serial numbers before 60658, had the inferior head bolts. All Serial numbers after 60658, were equipped with the new improved head bolts.
My 07 E63 engine serial number is 156983 60 006635, so it was the 6635 engine produced which is before 60658, so I had the inferior head bolts.

Knowing this, I had my head bolts changed last year. According to my friend that happens to be the shop foreman at my local dealership.
Mercedes data has reported failures happening when the engine reaches the milestone of 90,000 miles.
I'm not saying that failures can't happen earlier than that. But they've seen more failures after 90,000 miles

There are many variables like engine coolant, since the head bolts are surrounded by engine coolant.
Typically if one changes their engine coolant frequently, data suggests that the bolts may, and I say may last longer.
Hence I've changed my coolant every 4 yrs, like clockwork, on all my AMG's and have never had an issue.

But I will say that when we changed my head bolts, they looked pretty good that my tech told me that, I could have left them in.
Their was only one that was skeptical, and five had typical surface surface rust. All others looked great for the age and mileage of the car.

I will say this, the whole head bolt issue is over exaggerated. But in saying this, if you intend to keep your car for a very long time, this is cheap insurance.
As one never knows when a failure will happen, but that will be indicators, such as light exhaust smoke, low engine coolant, Check Engine Light (CEL) and a rough idle.
And most importantly, milkshake meaning your engine coolant has leaked into the combustion chamber and mixed with your engine oil. Requiring the entire head be removed.
And this is very expensive repair, as the heads have to come off to replace the head gaskets.

Trainingdragon

So my engine # is "156983 60 017974

Are you looking at the numbers after the 60? If so, then it looks like I have the old bolts?

Yuille36

Yes, so you do in fact have the bad head bolts. So how many miles do your have on your odometer?
Best to have them changed out before reaching 90,000 miles, as the likely hood of failure increases after that.

hachiroku

if you have the chance to remove your valve covers or replace your valve cover gaskets you should be able to also inspect if the head studs have been updated by any previous owner.

Trainingdragon

Thanks. I have 60k miles and currently there's no indication of a problem. That being said, I think I'll chose the smart path and replace them using the one-by-one method to avoid taking a lot of stuff apart later if a problem develops. Seems like the smart thing to do and probably not very expensive if I do it myself. I'm pretty handy. A buddy of mine has an ML63 and he did his but after the issue developed and he had to do the BIG job. He offered to help.

Trainingdragon

I just received the bluetooth puck that I ordered on ebay. is there anything special that i need to do to install it and get it to activate or is it simply plug n play?

Thanks

cetialpha5

It's pretty simple, just plug it in. Hold the button down to pair it with your phone. Code to pair it is MBUSA or 62872. The brown 3rd gen one is better than the sliver 2nd gen one but they're both good.

Yuille36

Yes, it’s better to replace them one by one, as you can maintain the clamping force on the heads. That way the entire head doesn’t need to be removed, nor do you need to replace the cylinder head gaskets.

This was the procedure we used on my E63. But we also replaced the bucket lifters with the SLS one, as they have a special slick coating for better lubrication. My cams had very little wear so I choose not to replace them. But we did do a pressure test of the coolant system, and borescoped each cylinder to check for coolant leaks.

But truth be told, I could have just saved my money as the head bolts and bucket lifters looked good, with very little wear.

The truth is their are thousands of M156 engines out there with original head bolts that have over 100,000 miles.

Trainingdragon

Hmmm. Ok might need some help here. I plugged in the Bluetooth puck last night and nothing happened. I reached out to my ebay seller but haven't heard back yet. Nothing lit up and pushing the button didn't do anything. I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong or if the puck doesn't work.

Any advice?

Thanks everyone

cetialpha5

What's the MB part number of the one you got? There's only a couple that work right. The brown 3rd gen is the better one than the silver 2nd gen. You should have something showing up in the dash when it's installed. When you press and hold the button for a little while, it should start flashing.

Trainingdragon

Here's the part number of the one I got.

B6 787 6131

09W52

CKIII-HFP2

It never really "locked" in place. I could push it into the connector and then easily pull it out without pushing the little button.

How long do you need to push down the button to get it to work?

cetialpha5

That sounds like the right one. I think you need to push down harder on it for it to click into place. Once mine was on, it wasn't easy to remove. Only had to remove it once when it flaked out on me. The blue light should be flashing once you have it on. I think you push on the button for like a half a minute.

Trainingdragon

Hmmmm. Thanks. When it put it in last night, I actually tried pushing up on it to lock it in place kind of hard. I was afraid to push any harder for fear of breaking something.. I'll try again today. Just to confirm, you push "up" on it to lock it place right??

Trainingdragon

Ok got the bluetooth puck to work. I didn't push it up far enough. It now works. However it didn't seem to pull in my contacts. I enabled the feature on my phone but it didn't show up on the car's display. Does it just take a bit of time or do I need to do something on the head unit to enable it or to retrieve them? Is it automatic?

Thanks guys.

Yuille36

It has been so long since I even thought about this, but you might need to resynchronize the bluetooth and the phone again. Or maybe cycle the power on and off in the car a few times.
It should work, I know that mine look a little bit of time, before all my contacts showed up in the display.

Trainingdragon

So I got the bluetooth to work. I think it just needed more time to sync the contacts. I have to say though, it's a pretty primitive system. Terrible searching function but hey, it's a 2008. If I decide to keep the car long term, I might want to upgrade the head unit to something modern.

I also installed the Vantop H610 mirror cam with back up camera. Not bad. The way the rear view mirror is designed in this car, there was very little room for the connectors (power, rear view mirror connector). It's actually a little difficult to align the mirror without the connectors pressing up against the ceiling console. I'll send some pics soon of the car and mirror cam. Always a challenge hiding the wires, but worth it for a clean look.

Yuille36

Well I’m glad that we’re able to sync your contacts up to the car. Now they will be displayed inside the instrument cluster. And yes, this system is old compared to today’s technology, but was leading edge back in the day. 😁

Trainingdragon

Ok so next question. I checked my manual with regard to fluids. My next task will be to change the diff fluid. Manual recommends Hypoid gear oil 75W140. I'm not sure what hypoid means. Any thoughts on best gear oil? I was thinking Mobil 1 Synthetic 75W140. Thoughts??

Yuille36

Hypoid gear oil has a special additive mixed into the differential fluid, that contains specialfriction modifiers designed for limited slip type differentials, that helps the gears to function properly with less friction and better cooling.
After my very first diff fluid change, I have used Mobil 1 Synthetic 75W-140. But any fluid that meets Mercedes recommended standards could be used. But for the transmission, I would use what Mercedes recommends, as all fluids aren't the same.
And you don't what to have transmission problems in your future.

Trainingdragon

Ok thanks. I had something like that on my Dodge Ram. It required a separate Mopar additive for the Limited Slip. I used Mobil 1 plus the additive. Do you think Mobil 1 Synthetic is good enough by itself or should I add an additive and if so, what kind?

The rear diff capacity I think was only a little over 1 quart. Weird, My truck took I think 3-4 quarts.

anomadtoo

Yuille36 - I cannot PM you; you are close to Tysons Corner correct? I'm looking at a E63 wagon online that's there; can you recommend a shop to do a PPI? Since I'm in Seattle area I cannot easily do it thank you!

Trainingdragon

Weird. Im not sure why you can't PM me.

I live near Los Angeles. Is that where the car is?

Yuille36

I'm almost positive that Mobil 1 has the additive in it already. As it is 75W-140, which meets MB standards.

Trainingdragon

Ok thanks.

Does the capacity sound right, about 1.3 quarts?

Seems a bit light??

Yuille36

Yes, I am close to Tyson's Corner, was out there last Saturday. I would recommend Benz Elite Automotive in Fairfax VA, it's just a stones throw from Tyson's Corner. http://benzeliteautomotive.com/ 703-370-1221
These guys are great, their trained MB Technicians, and I'm actually dropping off my E63 to them tomorrow, to replace the front passenger keyless go door handle and the oil temp sensor.

My good friend Jack, who is also the Master AMG Tech and Shop Foreman at my local MB dealership, recommended them to me many years ago, after my E63 came out warranty.
And I use them extensively for both my E63 and X5M. My X5M is going to their shop on Monday, for Engine Coolant, Power Steering Fluid, Brake Fluid and Front and Rear Diff Fluid changes.

When do you plan on buying this E63 wagon? So would you like for me, to look at the car for you, because photos only tell you have the story.

William