There is an argument around the way how to replace head bolts and most mechanicals said the bolts cannot be replaced one by one. The issue with the old bolts is the profile is torx, not like the new ones which are external torx. On the old bolts the distance between the bottom of the profile and the shoulder of the top is too small, so by the time because of the fatigue the head can snap off from the bolts. In case if you decide to remove the heads, one thing worth to know, actually you cannot get the heads skimmed or machined (this information can be found on autodata and mercedes manual as well.) When you finished with the timing, rotate the engine twice 720 degree and put back the timing tool to check it is still at the correct position. One very important thing for all m156 engine owners: the fuel injectors can stuck in open position, so the engine can hydrolocked easily. Replacing the injectors are not very expensive, definitely much cheaper than replace a bent con rod. That was happened to mine a few yers ago and that time that issue was unknown on forums. Nowdays I can see similar reports more and more often. A new injector does not cost a fortune and mercedes gives some money back for your old ones, so definitely worth to change them.
I’m no expert but I think the corrosion issue stems from the fact the old head bolt is a female head which means there’s little metal between the top of the bolt under the head and the bottom of the inside of the female bolt head. Good video man 👍
You’re right about the little amount of metal making the original bolts weaker. The corrosion itself is caused by infrequent coolant change and poor bolt material. Although, if you watched my video where I am showing head bolts you’ve seen that the bolts weren’t that rusty. 3 bolts had some surface rust. The rest looked almost new. Subscribe for more future DIY videos:)
Great video for those loosing their sleep over the M156 headbolt drama, do this and go back to sleep, if you break one pull the motor and follow Tasos Moschatos way and done. my admiration to this gentlemen that post this videos showing us how is done........great job !
Thank you! I was one of those losing sleep because of the internet. My bolts came out in a great shape. Tasos is the best when it comes to Mercedes. One note, my mechanic over here can pull the heads of m156 with the engine in the car, so that is also doable. I hope you can subscribe to support the channel.
You’re totally right. I talk about missed steps and more tips here th-cam.com/video/svf0R_00M5s/w-d-xo.html. I hope you can subscribe to support the channel if not already
Nice video- very clear. One question. When removing the cam bridges you mention to remove in a particular sequence. You mention that the sequence is the same for tightening. So it is not the reverse of tightening but the same? Thanks
Pretty sure you don't need the stages of tightening if your doing 1 at a time. The stages torque is for even clamping when doing all bolts together. You just need 50Nm then 270deg
I agree that there is no need to do stage 1 in this instance, however, since the head gasket is already fully compressed when changing 1 bolt at a time, "50NM then 270deg" while is probably not over stretching the bolt, IT IS OVERCOMPRESSING THE HEAD GASKET ....... The reason being that the tightening sequence assumes that you have just replaced the head gasket, and you are tightening it in sequence and according to Mercedes specifications, therefore, the 50NM stage assumes that all other bolts are either at 10NM or 50NM (depending on which bolt is currently being torqued), and therefore the gasket will not fully be compressed at this point so the TORQUE SETTINGS will result in FEWER DEGREES ROTATION OF THE BOLT. when the other bolts are already fully tightened, a torque setting will result in MORE DEGREES ROTATION OF THE BOLT, and the head gasket will be OVERCOMPRESSED........ At a guess, I would say that to compensate for this 'error', you should go with 40NM then 270deg when changing one bolt at a time, but I am happy for someone who knows more about Mechanical Engineering than I do to give a more acurate torque setting prior to angle tightening. P.S. If you don't understand what I have said, then please don't even try to answer, as you CLEARLY don't understand simple Mechanical Engineering, however @Chris EJ , you are the ONLY person I have found who EVEN COMMENTS on this issue...... Everyone else I've seen just refers to the manufacturers data, but that is irrelevant when NOT FOLLOWING THE CORRECT PROCEDURE.......
Just to be clear the instructions in the video say 50Nm and 90degrees 3 times which equals 270. Doesn’t matter how many turns you go for as long as the total is 270. I have a digital wrench with memory. Sometimes I did 45 degree increments because it became hard to turn it 90 degrees in one go after a while 😂
@@AccentOnCars Hi, Thanks for your comment AND the video. Your statement here is correct, and I was NOT questioning that. What I WAS questioning is:- WHAT IS THE CORRECT TIGHTENING TORQUE WHEN CHANGING ONE BOLT AT A TIME????? Because 50NM then 270 Degrees is TOO TIGHT........
Thank you for your comments too. I see your point about new gasket vs the one that’s been compressed already. I don’t have good answer, but I have done 3 head bolt swaps torquing to 50 nm and then 270 degrees without issues, so I assume it’s safe.
Great job guys well done ! - I've got this same m156 engine in my 2009 CLS63 AMG and its only done 34,876 miles, So far no coolant in the oil and no misfires yet ! (I normally drive it very conservative and don't thrash it all the time), so would I be OK to just leave it alone and carry on ? as it seems like you have do a complete teardown of the whole top ends on both sides of this engine in order to get to the head bolts which does not look like fun at all !, especially when those 4 cams must be aligned dead on to exact positions they're supposed to be in when you put everything back, otherwise it won't run for long if you get this bit wrong ! I guess it would be a good idea to check the timing somehow to be on the safe side that everything is 100% ? after the job has been completed. To be honest, I could not believe how loose your head bolts actually were !, as it didn't seem like you needed to use much effort at all to undo them which is scary !!, as they must have stretched slightly, that they had became loose like that. Was the head bolt kit you showed in this video very expensive from the Mercedes dealer ?, as It looked like it contained a lot of components for this job including the new gaskets needed and the 2011+ newer style head bolts ? Also what mileage did your E63 have before you decided that you had to change the head bolts on your m156 ?? Sorry for all the questions bro, I am just curious about some of the aspects of this complicated job and I really appreciate you taking the time and trouble to record such very helpful and informative video ! 👍👍👍
Hi there. Thanks for watching. Whether you should replace your head bolts or not really depends on how worried you're about failure. There are many m156 owners with mileage as high as 200K on all original bolts. Failure rate is very low, and from my observations, was more common on C63 than E63. I have another video on the channel where I show the condition of all bolts. They all had minor surface rust. But again... if you're losing your sleep over it then change them. If one of the bolts goes and you start getting coolant into the engine you will have to pull the heads which means it will become a 15-hour job instead of 10. The job itself is easier than it looks if you follow the video religiously and can do mechanical repairs. Prior to this, the hardest DIY I had done was a brake pad replacement. So I am not a pro-mechanic; not even close. Setting timing is not an issue if you understand how I operate the timing tools in the video. I had to put a lot of shoulder on the wrench to lose and tighten the bolts. They stretch when tightening by design. These are torque to yield bolts. The parts, the timing tool, and different wrenches and sockets I had to buy cost around 600 USD. Just the parts needed is about 350 I believe on FCP Euro. Feel free to ping me on Instagram too if you have questions.
@@AccentOnCars Thanks bro for the reassurance ! I'm going leave it well alone for now ! and keep an eye on the oil & coolant. All the very best of luck to you man. Again Great video ! 👍👍👍
@@AccentOnCars thanks Brother. I am from NY. Unfortunately i need to pull entire engine out. Because exhaust bolts are broken inside head. 6 of them.I also have broken head stud on right side. In mean time i will do rear crankshaft seal all gaskets new head bolts and rollers. It is 130 k miles.
Hi there. I am glad the video is helpful. If I ever need to do anything with valves I will document the process. I think you’ll need to remove the heads for that, right? Subscribe to see more content as I create them:)
Hello my friend, great video! Do you have to use a vacuum device once you remove the head bolts? Ive seen other videos where they didnt do that. Thanks!
Hello friend. I drained coolant from bottom of the car. Maybe others drained it from the side of the engine block too? Each time I pulled a bolt out some coolant filled up in its place, so I sucked it out. I didn’t want to put a new bolt into pool of coolant. If I did some amount of coolant would be over the top of the bolt. I used this device which I also use for oil changes th-cam.com/video/ZdCPMKwieYU/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for watching. I am actually based in Massachusetts. Tasos is a pro and I wouldn't be able to do this without his videos. I am just an amateur :) The timing was spot on before and after. My bolts looked OK - you must have seen the video where I show the bolts.
@@AccentOnCars sorry about the mix up about the states... Yes I have just discovered your channel and watched most of the videos.. good luck. Very interesting content (i have a 08 e63 with 60000 miles)
I didn't take the head off. Otherwise it would have been in the video too. This process is for changing the bolts one at a time without pulling the heads. If you already have a leak then you'll have to pull the head off and replace the gaskets. Hope this helps.
No sealant is necessary. They come pre-treated from the factory. You may want to lubricate with engine oil prior to putting them in. Some will use a high-temp grease. I used oil as Tasos recommended in his videos. You’ll need to suck out the coolant when removing original bolts - can be seen in the video. I am here to answer any other questions. Please subscribe and like :)
Hey man I’m 19 and I’m saving up for a sports car and I been looking around and I think the e63 is the car for me but everyone tells me they are no where near reliable could you give advice on this car ?
Hi Alexis. Depends on what you're comparing with. I have videos on my channel where I talk about common issues, my ownership experience, and giving buying advice th-cam.com/video/8ddmNLz3B0U/w-d-xo.html. I hope those videos help. Please watch and let me know if you have questions.
I have 67K. I will post another video showing the condition of the bolts. What about yours? Let me know if you have any questions. I'll be happy to help.
They stretch when torquing down. That’s by design. I show them all here th-cam.com/video/svf0R_00M5s/w-d-xo.html. I think only 2 had some rust. You think they were rusty enough?
Great video & good job! I have an SL63 with 115k miles possible head bolts & cam adjusters need to be looked at and maybe need replaced. Do you work on cars too? Love for you to look at my car?
@@AccentOnCars thank you for the quick response! I am in Michigan. I was going to take my car to XF Motorsport in Ontario but to ship the vehicle there cost is just insane now. It’s only 4 hours away, I think because Canada. The guy is really good and they said don’t need to drop the engine.
I am looking to buy a 2009 C63 with 48k miles. It was 22k, but I got the guy down to 19k. That covers the cost for anything but I'm afraid to have to pay 30k for a new engine. He said the previous owner (not even him) did the heasbolts, but there's no receipts. I'm assuming I'd have to do the headbolts as soon as I get the car or can I wait?
The only way to check if the bolts have been replaced or not is to remove the valve cover and look. Head bolt issue is extremely over exaggerated. Failure is very rare.
Depends on the county and state. Over here in New England, USA, you can buy parts for about $350 if you don’t have to replace the tappets or cams. I didn’t have to as mine were in great shape. This is about 10 hour work. My mechanic charges $90 an hour so $900 total.
Unless I missed something, it wasn't clear that new head bolts were installed in a specific order. The video made it seem like you tightened one bolt fully before doing next bolt.
The bolts must be removed and installed in a specific order. I talk and show it in the video. Each new bolt must be torqued down to the spec before moving on to the next bolt. Does it help?
@@AccentOnCars Sorry I forgot you were doing one bolt at a time. It is hard to imagine doing it that way because my assumption was that all bolts would be loosened off together then tightened together. It makes more sense to me to loosen them all then replace one at a time.
Unless you’re planning on pulling the head off and replacing the gasket what you described will not work and result in leaks; definitely not recommending loosening all bolts at once. When doing one bolt at a time it’s imperative to remove each bolt and torque the new one down in the right sequence to preserve the clamping force.
@@AccentOnCars I haven't researched this but it would just make more sense to me to avoid stressing the head, to loosen all the bolts but not so loose that gasket would come unclamped. Then replace each bolt while all the stress is gone from the head, then tighten them according to protocol and order.
You can remove the valve gaskets and see what the bolts look like. You’d need to remove spark plugs and cut few zip ties, so not every seller may agree to that.
If you mean from the factory, there is a cut-off tracked by engine serial number. If you mean for a second-hand car, the seller should definitely know (it's a $3,500+ job).
Makes you question MercedesBenz/AMG's engineering credentials when they develop super engineered(aka super expensive) engines with all kinds of moving parts and they cannot even properly engineer something as simple as a bolt. Pay more, get less. Mercedes should have been class action sued for this and made to replace the bolts under a lifetime warranty. That is a massive job to undertake for their failure to properly engineer a bolt.
Do you have to put a bolt through the cam adjusters? My timing tool kit came with a locking mechanism that goes in the same hole not a bolt that you have to go buy
AccentOnCars I bought two tools so I have two of those lockers. Is it okay to use both and just lock one side at a time or do you have to lock all 4 cams
You only need to lock the adjusters for removing them. So 2 should be enough. But I’d buy bolts too in case you can’t fit two locking tools side-by-side.
Some never change the head bolts and are just fine. Some change it if it shows signs such as coolant loss. Others change it proactively one bolts at a time without removing the heads to save time and money. It is really up to you. After seeing the condition of my bolts I would not change them.
That’s what I did in the video. That’s what the video is about :-) But if you already have a broken bolt, i.e. loosing coolant, then you’ll have to pull the head and change the gaskets.
@@AccentOnCars everything is ok my car I buy it 2 days ago 125000 km one owner no tune or mods done before no coolant loss ? In such situation what you suggest to change it ASAP or ?
Good day! AccentOnCars I mean the space between the car body and engine. On the left side, I see that its more difficult to remove the left engine cap than the right. The gap between the engine and car body is 2 fingers. I guess its may be the accident defects. May be I am wrong.
I will say that the passenger side was much easier because it had more space. Have you checked your engine mounts? If the driver side is crashed that may cause what you show on the picture.
AccentOnCars Nope, definitely I need to check the engine mount, but now its a bit hard. I need to lift the car from both sides. In order to check the engine mounts. Anyway thank you for fast response! I will try to remove the left engine cap also . By the way here is my car diary. www.drive2.ru/r/mercedes/e_63_amg/560619539599982875/
Hi I have a 2007 e63 amg and I’m planning on resealing the upper and lower oil pan gasket I have a few issues before I decide to do the job. One is if I drop the subframe is there anything special I how depressurization of the hydraulic system and if I can skip that step. Also is there anything I have to do to avoid damaging the air struts. Also is disconnecting the the steering column involve any special tools?
Hi there. Unfortunately, I don’t have good answers for you since I haven’t researched or done those repairs. Try the forum or find the WIS. Someone I know had their upper pan seal replaced and the engine had to come off. Not sure if the particular mechanic decided to take it off or that’s the process.
If you’re close to Boston, have a car, and want your car to be featured in future episodes shoot me an email at accentoncars@gmail.com
There is an argument around the way how to replace head bolts and most mechanicals said the bolts cannot be replaced one by one. The issue with the old bolts is the profile is torx, not like the new ones which are external torx. On the old bolts the distance between the bottom of the profile and the shoulder of the top is too small, so by the time because of the fatigue the head can snap off from the bolts. In case if you decide to remove the heads, one thing worth to know, actually you cannot get the heads skimmed or machined (this information can be found on autodata and mercedes manual as well.) When you finished with the timing, rotate the engine twice 720 degree and put back the timing tool to check it is still at the correct position.
One very important thing for all m156 engine owners: the fuel injectors can stuck in open position, so the engine can hydrolocked easily. Replacing the injectors are not very expensive, definitely much cheaper than replace a bent con rod. That was happened to mine a few yers ago and that time that issue was unknown on forums. Nowdays I can see similar reports more and more often. A new injector does not cost a fortune and mercedes gives some money back for your old ones, so definitely worth to change them.
I’m no expert but I think the corrosion issue stems from the fact the old head bolt is a female head which means there’s little metal between the top of the bolt under the head and the bottom of the inside of the female bolt head. Good video man 👍
You’re right about the little amount of metal making the original bolts weaker. The corrosion itself is caused by infrequent coolant change and poor bolt material. Although, if you watched my video where I am showing head bolts you’ve seen that the bolts weren’t that rusty. 3 bolts had some surface rust. The rest looked almost new. Subscribe for more future DIY videos:)
Great video for those loosing their sleep over the M156 headbolt drama, do this and go back to sleep, if you break one pull the motor and follow Tasos Moschatos way and done. my admiration to this gentlemen that post this videos showing us how is done........great job !
Thank you! I was one of those losing sleep because of the internet. My bolts came out in a great shape. Tasos is the best when it comes to Mercedes. One note, my mechanic over here can pull the heads of m156 with the engine in the car, so that is also doable. I hope you can subscribe to support the channel.
Fantastic video, will be doing mine. Your video is very good and contains clear instructions and torque information. Very valuable video 👍Thank you
I appreciate the feedback. Good luck when doing yours.
This was the most advanced DIY project for me. What is the most advanced DIY you've done on your car?
great and useful video, We should rotate clockwise or anticlockwise to put the camshaft at 40 °
Glad I was able to help. You should rotate the engine clockwise.
Hey man, great channel and great video! Just subbed, always love to see other people makin vids on working on AMGs. A lot easier than people think!
Appreciate that! Thank you! I totally agree. For such a high performing car, these are easy to work on.
@@AccentOnCars Absolutely! People always raise an eyebrow when I tell them I work on my own 63s 😂
😂😂
You forgot something important (maybe you done it but forgot to say) after installation cams you should rotate 2 times and check again the timing
You’re totally right. I talk about missed steps and more tips here th-cam.com/video/svf0R_00M5s/w-d-xo.html. I hope you can subscribe to support the channel if not already
Nice video- very clear. One question. When removing the cam bridges you mention to remove in a particular sequence. You mention that the sequence is the same for tightening. So it is not the reverse of tightening but the same? Thanks
Pretty sure you don't need the stages of tightening if your doing 1 at a time. The stages torque is for even clamping when doing all bolts together. You just need 50Nm then 270deg
I agree that there is no need to do stage 1 in this instance, however, since the head gasket is already fully compressed when changing 1 bolt at a time, "50NM then 270deg" while is probably not over stretching the bolt, IT IS OVERCOMPRESSING THE HEAD GASKET .......
The reason being that the tightening sequence assumes that you have just replaced the head gasket, and you are tightening it in sequence and according to Mercedes specifications, therefore, the 50NM stage assumes that all other bolts are either at 10NM or 50NM (depending on which bolt is currently being torqued), and therefore the gasket will not fully be compressed at this point so the TORQUE SETTINGS will result in FEWER DEGREES ROTATION OF THE BOLT.
when the other bolts are already fully tightened, a torque setting will result in MORE DEGREES ROTATION OF THE BOLT, and the head gasket will be OVERCOMPRESSED........
At a guess, I would say that to compensate for this 'error', you should go with 40NM then 270deg when changing one bolt at a time, but I am happy for someone who knows more about Mechanical Engineering than I do to give a more acurate torque setting prior to angle tightening.
P.S. If you don't understand what I have said, then please don't even try to answer, as you CLEARLY don't understand simple Mechanical Engineering, however @Chris EJ , you are the ONLY person I have found who EVEN COMMENTS on this issue...... Everyone else I've seen just refers to the manufacturers data, but that is irrelevant when NOT FOLLOWING THE CORRECT PROCEDURE.......
Just to be clear the instructions in the video say 50Nm and 90degrees 3 times which equals 270. Doesn’t matter how many turns you go for as long as the total is 270. I have a digital wrench with memory. Sometimes I did 45 degree increments because it became hard to turn it 90 degrees in one go after a while 😂
@@AccentOnCars Hi, Thanks for your comment AND the video. Your statement here is correct, and I was NOT questioning that.
What I WAS questioning is:- WHAT IS THE CORRECT TIGHTENING TORQUE WHEN CHANGING ONE BOLT AT A TIME????? Because 50NM then 270 Degrees is TOO TIGHT........
Thank you for your comments too. I see your point about new gasket vs the one that’s been compressed already. I don’t have good answer, but I have done 3 head bolt swaps torquing to 50 nm and then 270 degrees without issues, so I assume it’s safe.
thanks for the vid! i feel confident enough to do this job myself now. Fingers crossed none break when i pull them out.
You’re welcome. One recommendation I can give is to get two sets of timing tools and locking both sides before removing bolts.
Thanks for the tip. Whatever it takes to keep her in time. WaI'm ordering a kit for the other side right now.
Great video ! thank you very much for posting it and for linking it on MBW ;)
Glad I can help 👍
Great job guys well done ! - I've got this same m156 engine in my 2009 CLS63 AMG and its only done 34,876 miles, So far no coolant in the oil and no misfires yet ! (I normally drive it very conservative and don't thrash it all the time), so would I be OK to just leave it alone and carry on ? as it seems like you have do a complete teardown of the whole top ends on both sides of this engine in order to get to the head bolts which does not look like fun at all !, especially when those 4 cams must be aligned dead on to exact positions they're supposed to be in when you put everything back, otherwise it won't run for long if you get this bit wrong ! I guess it would be a good idea to check the timing somehow to be on the safe side that everything is 100% ? after the job has been completed.
To be honest, I could not believe how loose your head bolts actually were !, as it didn't seem like you needed to use much effort at all to undo them which is scary !!, as they must have stretched slightly, that they had became loose like that.
Was the head bolt kit you showed in this video very expensive from the Mercedes dealer ?, as It looked like it contained a lot of components for this job including the new gaskets needed and the 2011+ newer style head bolts ? Also what mileage did your E63 have before you decided that you had to change the head bolts on your m156 ??
Sorry for all the questions bro, I am just curious about some of the aspects of this complicated job and I really appreciate you taking the time and trouble to record such very helpful and informative video ! 👍👍👍
Hi there. Thanks for watching. Whether you should replace your head bolts or not really depends on how worried you're about failure. There are many m156 owners with mileage as high as 200K on all original bolts. Failure rate is very low, and from my observations, was more common on C63 than E63. I have another video on the channel where I show the condition of all bolts. They all had minor surface rust. But again... if you're losing your sleep over it then change them. If one of the bolts goes and you start getting coolant into the engine you will have to pull the heads which means it will become a 15-hour job instead of 10.
The job itself is easier than it looks if you follow the video religiously and can do mechanical repairs. Prior to this, the hardest DIY I had done was a brake pad replacement. So I am not a pro-mechanic; not even close. Setting timing is not an issue if you understand how I operate the timing tools in the video. I had to put a lot of shoulder on the wrench to lose and tighten the bolts. They stretch when tightening by design. These are torque to yield bolts.
The parts, the timing tool, and different wrenches and sockets I had to buy cost around 600 USD. Just the parts needed is about 350 I believe on FCP Euro. Feel free to ping me on Instagram too if you have questions.
@@AccentOnCars Thanks bro for the reassurance ! I'm going leave it well alone for now ! and keep an eye on the oil & coolant. All the very best of luck to you man. Again Great video ! 👍👍👍
Appreciate this video. It is going to be super helpful when replacing the bolts in my W204 C63 AMG.
Glad it is useful! 👍
Very informative. Great video. Thanks.
I am glad you find it useful.
FYI - my 2010 c63 factory headbolts (old style) were t-60. T-55 seemed to fit but was very loose. Used t-60 to ensure nothing would strip
That’s good to know. Interestingly, parts websites indicate the bolts should be the same.
Check out the condition of the bolts: th-cam.com/video/svf0R_00M5s/w-d-xo.html
Good Job Man 👍
I hope it helps.
Great video. Thanks for posting!!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for making this video!
I am glad it is useful. I will release a buying guide video soon. I hope you can subscribe to support the channel :)
I like how you did it. My car is 09 same car. I need to do the same. This video helps.
Glad it is useful man. Feel free to ask questions. Are you local by any chance?
@@AccentOnCars thanks Brother. I am from NY. Unfortunately i need to pull entire engine out. Because exhaust bolts are broken inside head. 6 of them.I also have broken head stud on right side. In mean time i will do rear crankshaft seal all gaskets new head bolts and rollers. It is 130 k miles.
Sorry to hear that 🙁 How did all of that broke? Since your engine will come out pulling the heads should be much easier.
@@AccentOnCars i was racing non stop. You right about that. Your video will be important guideline during work. Thanks.
@@lotuslotus718 you mean valves?
Are 2 timing tool kits necessary? I'm going to be attempting this procedure and was wondering if I could do 1 side at a time with the 1 kit?
Thanks
Having two sets is highly recommended. They’re cheap on eBay.
just had mine done
Man! Thanks a lot for your video!!! Maybe you also have a video how to replace a valve stem seals ?
Hi there. I am glad the video is helpful. If I ever need to do anything with valves I will document the process. I think you’ll need to remove the heads for that, right?
Subscribe to see more content as I create them:)
AccentOnCars Ok perfect! Yes I will need to remove the valve cover and pocket valves I guess.
AccentOnCars sorry, I meant valve lifters, when I said pocket valves. 😂
Yes, I don’t know about valve stems, but for replacing the valves themselves one has to remove the cylinder head. I haven’t done that myself.
Hello my friend, great video! Do you have to use a vacuum device once you remove the head bolts? Ive seen other videos where they didnt do that. Thanks!
Hello friend. I drained coolant from bottom of the car. Maybe others drained it from the side of the engine block too? Each time I pulled a bolt out some coolant filled up in its place, so I sucked it out. I didn’t want to put a new bolt into pool of coolant. If I did some amount of coolant would be over the top of the bolt. I used this device which I also use for oil changes th-cam.com/video/ZdCPMKwieYU/w-d-xo.html
Fantastic video!
Your are the Michigan Tasos.
How does your car run after the headbolt replacement?
Was the timing spot on?
👍
Thank you for watching. I am actually based in Massachusetts. Tasos is a pro and I wouldn't be able to do this without his videos. I am just an amateur :) The timing was spot on before and after. My bolts looked OK - you must have seen the video where I show the bolts.
@@AccentOnCars sorry about the mix up about the states...
Yes I have just discovered your channel and watched most of the videos.. good luck. Very interesting content (i have a 08 e63 with 60000 miles)
No worries at all! These are amazing cars. Continue enjoying yours. Let me know if you have any questions.
Great video. Can you provide a link to where you got the timing and locking tool?
Thanks! I got those tools off ebay. I still have one of them I can send to you if you want. Shoot me an email to accentoncars@gmail.com.
why didn't you put the timing tool before to put the bridges bolts, so you don't need to rotate the camshaft when the bolts are tightened?
Timing tools were placed both in the back and front before unbolting -- you must do that.
@@AccentOnCars i mean you have to put it after placed again the camshafts and before to put the lockplates, then you torqque the locK
plates
Did you take the cylinder head off and change the head gasket? Or did you leave the cylinder head in place and just change the bolts?
I didn't take the head off. Otherwise it would have been in the video too. This process is for changing the bolts one at a time without pulling the heads. If you already have a leak then you'll have to pull the head off and replace the gaskets. Hope this helps.
@@AccentOnCars thanks for the clarification! Do the bolts go in dry or do they need any thread sealant?
No sealant is necessary. They come pre-treated from the factory. You may want to lubricate with engine oil prior to putting them in. Some will use a high-temp grease. I used oil as Tasos recommended in his videos. You’ll need to suck out the coolant when removing original bolts - can be seen in the video. I am here to answer any other questions. Please subscribe and like :)
Hey man I’m 19 and I’m saving up for a sports car and I been looking around and I think the e63 is the car for me but everyone tells me they are no where near reliable could you give advice on this car ?
Hi Alexis. Depends on what you're comparing with. I have videos on my channel where I talk about common issues, my ownership experience, and giving buying advice th-cam.com/video/8ddmNLz3B0U/w-d-xo.html. I hope those videos help. Please watch and let me know if you have questions.
How many miles do you have on your car? And I’m from mass too your video is been so helpful I’ll be doing mine next 🙏🏾
I have 67K. I will post another video showing the condition of the bolts. What about yours? Let me know if you have any questions. I'll be happy to help.
Accent OnCars your video just gave us (M156 community hope) 😂🙏🏾 timing chain should be next
I just published a video showing all the bolts th-cam.com/video/svf0R_00M5s/w-d-xo.html
why don't you changed also the lifters with the new updated one?
Hi, I inspected my lifters and since they looked fine I didn't want to spend money.
Bolts are rusted and stretch. They look good but still not good
They stretch when torquing down. That’s by design. I show them all here th-cam.com/video/svf0R_00M5s/w-d-xo.html. I think only 2 had some rust. You think they were rusty enough?
Let me ask you by changing bolts only what chance is that head gasket will not leak.
If bolts aren’t broken already and the procedure is done properly, it’s almost guaranteed head gaskets will not leak.
Great video & good job! I have an SL63 with 115k miles possible head bolts & cam adjusters need to be looked at and maybe need replaced. Do you work on cars too? Love for you to look at my car?
Thanks! Where are you located? Is there enough space under the hood to do this in SL? Or do you think engine will have to come out?
@@AccentOnCars thank you for the quick response! I am in Michigan. I was going to take my car to XF Motorsport in Ontario but to ship the vehicle there cost is just insane now. It’s only 4 hours away, I think because Canada. The guy is really good and they said don’t need to drop the engine.
Yeah, I watch his content. He knows what he is doing. Glad the engine doesn’t need to come off.
@@AccentOnCars would you be able to work on my car? Trying to find very good people who knows about M156 engine. :)
If you were closer I’d say Yes. Ask in MB forums. There must be knowledge mechanics around.
I am looking to buy a 2009 C63 with 48k miles. It was 22k, but I got the guy down to 19k. That covers the cost for anything but I'm afraid to have to pay 30k for a new engine. He said the previous owner (not even him) did the heasbolts, but there's no receipts. I'm assuming I'd have to do the headbolts as soon as I get the car or can I wait?
The only way to check if the bolts have been replaced or not is to remove the valve cover and look. Head bolt issue is extremely over exaggerated. Failure is very rare.
Did the 5.5liter engines have the same problems
No, this doesn’t apply to m113k.
This is my tea, doesnt belong in here hahaha
😂 the engine helps to keep it warm
Wonder how much an Indy German mechanic would charge for this job? Parts and labour ?
Depends on the county and state. Over here in New England, USA, you can buy parts for about $350 if you don’t have to replace the tappets or cams. I didn’t have to as mine were in great shape. This is about 10 hour work. My mechanic charges $90 an hour so $900 total.
Unless I missed something, it wasn't clear that new head bolts were installed in a specific order. The video made it seem like you tightened one bolt fully before doing next bolt.
The bolts must be removed and installed in a specific order. I talk and show it in the video. Each new bolt must be torqued down to the spec before moving on to the next bolt. Does it help?
@@AccentOnCars Sorry I forgot you were doing one bolt at a time. It is hard to imagine doing it that way because my assumption was that all bolts would be loosened off together then tightened together. It makes more sense to me to loosen them all then replace one at a time.
Unless you’re planning on pulling the head off and replacing the gasket what you described will not work and result in leaks; definitely not recommending loosening all bolts at once. When doing one bolt at a time it’s imperative to remove each bolt and torque the new one down in the right sequence to preserve the clamping force.
@@AccentOnCars I haven't researched this but it would just make more sense to me to avoid stressing the head, to loosen all the bolts but not so loose that gasket would come unclamped. Then replace each bolt while all the stress is gone from the head, then tighten them according to protocol and order.
That’ll be super risky and almost positively lead to a leak and you’ll have to pull the heads off later :)
Is there a way to tell if the headbolts have already been replaced?
You can remove the valve gaskets and see what the bolts look like. You’d need to remove spark plugs and cut few zip ties, so not every seller may agree to that.
If you mean from the factory, there is a cut-off tracked by engine serial number. If you mean for a second-hand car, the seller should definitely know (it's a $3,500+ job).
The cut-off for E-class was late 2011. That’s w212 chassis.
Makes you question MercedesBenz/AMG's engineering credentials when they develop super engineered(aka super expensive) engines with all kinds of moving parts and they cannot even properly engineer something as simple as a bolt. Pay more, get less.
Mercedes should have been class action sued for this and made to replace the bolts under a lifetime warranty.
That is a massive job to undertake for their failure to properly engineer a bolt.
Do you have to put a bolt through the cam adjusters? My timing tool kit came with a locking mechanism that goes in the same hole not a bolt that you have to go buy
You can lock the cams using the timing tool too. But usually it only comes with one locker. Either is fine. But you should lock them.
AccentOnCars I bought two tools so I have two of those lockers. Is it okay to use both and just lock one side at a time or do you have to lock all 4 cams
You only need to lock the adjusters for removing them. So 2 should be enough. But I’d buy bolts too in case you can’t fit two locking tools side-by-side.
AccentOnCars one last thing, was your fluid extractor air operated or just a manual pump
It is just an manual oil extractor:) I use it for changing oil sometimes.
How long it took you to finish everything
For me it took 2 days 😂 For a professional mechanic it takes 10-12 hours.
What size e torx bit do you need for the new bolts?
EP 14 is what it says on the one that I used. Hope it helps.
@@AccentOnCars thanks buddy 👍
So you replaced all the bolts but never changed the head gaskets?
Yes. Unless you have a broken bolt and need to pull the head out you don’t need to replace the gasket when doing one bolt at a time.
so the Q is when to change the head bolts ??? my car c63 2009 125km ?
all work fine
Some never change the head bolts and are just fine. Some change it if it shows signs such as coolant loss. Others change it proactively one bolts at a time without removing the heads to save time and money. It is really up to you. After seeing the condition of my bolts I would not change them.
@@AccentOnCars so can I remove the head bolts without removing the head ? Explain more please 😣
That’s what I did in the video. That’s what the video is about :-) But if you already have a broken bolt, i.e. loosing coolant, then you’ll have to pull the head and change the gaskets.
@@AccentOnCars everything is ok my car I buy it 2 days ago 125000 km one owner no tune or mods done before no coolant loss ? In such situation what you suggest to change it ASAP or ?
Please help! I need to check the engine gap between the left side and top cap with cams.
What do you mean?
Good day! AccentOnCars I mean the space between the car body and engine. On the left side, I see that its more difficult to remove the left engine cap than the right.
The gap between the engine and car body is 2 fingers. I guess its may be the accident defects. May be I am wrong.
AccentOnCars mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/792043-space-between-engine-body-left-side-m-156-motor.html
I will say that the passenger side was much easier because it had more space. Have you checked your engine mounts? If the driver side is crashed that may cause what you show on the picture.
AccentOnCars Nope, definitely I need to check the engine mount, but now its a bit hard. I need to lift the car from both sides. In order to check the engine mounts. Anyway thank you for fast response! I will try to remove the left engine cap also . By the way here is my car diary.
www.drive2.ru/r/mercedes/e_63_amg/560619539599982875/
По чаю сразу понятно шо наш
😂👍
Hi I have a 2007 e63 amg and I’m planning on resealing the upper and lower oil pan gasket I have a few issues before I decide to do the job. One is if I drop the subframe is there anything special I how depressurization of the hydraulic system and if I can skip that step. Also is there anything I have to do to avoid damaging the air struts. Also is disconnecting the the steering column involve any special tools?
Hi there. Unfortunately, I don’t have good answers for you since I haven’t researched or done those repairs. Try the forum or find the WIS. Someone I know had their upper pan seal replaced and the engine had to come off. Not sure if the particular mechanic decided to take it off or that’s the process.