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280S/SE engine overhaul

Started by s class, 18 August 2012, 02:56 PM

s class

Last year I bought a really nice, low miles 280S with no sun damage for US$650 equivalent.  Problem is, the engine had been overheated.













[color=blue]'76 6.9 Euro[/color], [color=red]'78 6.9 AMG[/color], '80 280SE, [color=brown]'74 350SE[/color], [color=black]'82 500SEL euro full hydro, '83 500SEL euro full hydro [/color], '81 500SL

s class



[color=blue]'76 6.9 Euro[/color], [color=red]'78 6.9 AMG[/color], '80 280SE, [color=brown]'74 350SE[/color], [color=black]'82 500SEL euro full hydro, '83 500SEL euro full hydro [/color], '81 500SL

s class

Problem was, I realised I'd never have the time to get to this project, so I on-sold the car to a fellow club member.  New problem - sale was conditional on me agreeing to take on  the engine overhaul.  We are going to build up this engine to SE spec :









[color=blue]'76 6.9 Euro[/color], [color=red]'78 6.9 AMG[/color], '80 280SE, [color=brown]'74 350SE[/color], [color=black]'82 500SEL euro full hydro, '83 500SEL euro full hydro [/color], '81 500SL

s class



[color=blue]'76 6.9 Euro[/color], [color=red]'78 6.9 AMG[/color], '80 280SE, [color=brown]'74 350SE[/color], [color=black]'82 500SEL euro full hydro, '83 500SEL euro full hydro [/color], '81 500SL

jmperkins

WOW...someone really took care of the interior and Dash! Thanks for sharing the pictures...how much in US dollars is it costing to rebuild the engine for just the parts(bearings, seals, rings, gaskets etc)?

Big_Richard

#5
.

oversize

WOW another manual; that'll be a very nice car when the engine's finished....
1979 6.9 #5541 (Red Bull)
1978 6.9 #4248 (Skye)
1979 6.9 #3686 (Moby Dick)
1978 6.9 #1776 (Dora)
1977 450SEL #7010 white -P
1975 450SEL #8414 gold -P

s class

Inside it was a matter of cleaning up 'mayonaise'.

Mo, you owe me for 5 ltrs of degreaser to clean my concrete  ;)









[color=blue]'76 6.9 Euro[/color], [color=red]'78 6.9 AMG[/color], '80 280SE, [color=brown]'74 350SE[/color], [color=black]'82 500SEL euro full hydro, '83 500SEL euro full hydro [/color], '81 500SL

s class



[color=blue]'76 6.9 Euro[/color], [color=red]'78 6.9 AMG[/color], '80 280SE, [color=brown]'74 350SE[/color], [color=black]'82 500SEL euro full hydro, '83 500SEL euro full hydro [/color], '81 500SL

jmperkins

GREAT Pictures! Thank you for sharing them!

TJ 450

Nice work, and the engine doesn't look too bad given the circumstances.Did anything sustain notable damage, or haven't you got that far yet?

That is almost the same interior as mine, except I have the loop pile carpet, plain knee bolsters, no console wood and no A/C. That interior looks great.

It's quite timely actually, as I was reunited with my 280S tonight, and went for a long drive in it. I don't plan on overhauling the engine just yet, but do need to find out how to get the choke functioning properly.

Tim
1976 450SEL 6.9 1432
1969 300SEL 6.3 1394
2003 ML500

s class

TJ, considering that the car only has (if I recall correctly) 160 000km on the odo, the bore wear is severe.  There is a heavy ridge at the top of the cylinders.  Will wait and see what engineering says, but my gut says 2nd oversize, or sleeve for standard. 

Bearings and journals were good.  Head is poor, with several valves appearing to be bent. 

#1 had a lot of water in it, but concerningly, the head gasket did not appear blown, and it seems the water could only have come from a crack in the head.  Hopefully the block is OK. 


[color=blue]'76 6.9 Euro[/color], [color=red]'78 6.9 AMG[/color], '80 280SE, [color=brown]'74 350SE[/color], [color=black]'82 500SEL euro full hydro, '83 500SEL euro full hydro [/color], '81 500SL

TJ 450

That sounds like a similar scenario to my 190E, which had only done about 125,000km. The bore wear appeared to have been due to running the engine with the blown head gasket, causing excess wear. I went with second oversize for that.

Yes, you'd thing you would see evidence of a blown gasket. I wonder how the valves got bent, perhaps the overheating was near catastrophic?

Tim
1976 450SEL 6.9 1432
1969 300SEL 6.3 1394
2003 ML500

jmperkins

have you checked the  cam /crank timing marks to make sure they are lined up for proper valve timing  to eleiminate something didn't go wrong in the timing chain area to account for bent valves?

s class

No, we didin't check any timing issues.  We simply disassembled, knowing that there was water in the oil (suspected head gasket).  The bent valves were an added surprise. 


[color=blue]'76 6.9 Euro[/color], [color=red]'78 6.9 AMG[/color], '80 280SE, [color=brown]'74 350SE[/color], [color=black]'82 500SEL euro full hydro, '83 500SEL euro full hydro [/color], '81 500SL