240D Cylinder head - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Palangi · #1 10-21-2004, 09:36 PM

Need a head for the 84 Euro 240D.

I am 99% sure that a head from a US 240D will be tha same as long as it is one from the later years having parallel glow plugs. Maybe the cam might be different on the Euro, but I see no reason why the head itself wouldn't be the same. In doing some online snooping around, I find some places which list the new type as starting in 1980, while other places show it as 1981.

I have E-Mailed a couple of these places to check availability, but so far they don't seem to be in any hurry to reply.

At this point, I have the offer of a head from Randy's 1980 parts car (thanks Randy). This one has parallel glow plugs, but the head is in unknown condition. Apparently the engine hasn't run in several years as the engine tossed the balancer back when Brian (Diesel Power) had it, if not before. We would have to pull the head from where the car sits in the weeds at LeathermanG's place which is 200 miles away.

We also located a supposed good used head in storage locally, but can't find out the year or price until top of next week.

In the meantime, does anybody know if all 240D heads with parallel glow plugs would be interchangable or not, and what year was the break between series and parallel glow plugs?

Thanks

mercedesmatt · #2 10-22-2004, 01:02 AM

i may have one out in the shop. will check tomorrow and let you know. as a matter of a fact i have a whole pile of 240d engine parts except for the block from a engine i rebuilt last summer. i bought a doaner engine and used the block because the original had a big gaping hole in it!!!!

psfred · #3 10-22-2004, 01:06 AM

I believe that all later (parallel glow plug) heads are identical. They all have the small GP holes. Earlier ones will fit, too, but require the proper head gasket.

Peter

Palangi · #4 10-23-2004, 12:31 AM

Thanks Matt. I may be in touch if we can't find one locally.

Thanks for the info Peter, that confirms what I thought.

The head bolts that came out of it were the torx kind. Anybody know why there are two different kinds of head bolts with two different torquing procedures? Fastlane seems to indicate that automatic vs manual tranny cars use different head bolts. I guess I don't understand all I know about that.

psfred · #5 10-23-2004, 12:36 PM

Stretch bolts are elastic (will stretch and return to size without loosing tension) and work much better with non-asbestos gaskets. Probably with asbestos gaskets, too! They keep better tension on the gasked at all time. All the auto manufacturers use them these days, I think, certainly Benz switched over in the 70s.

I suspect the change was made any time a re-design was done, so that the new head designs starting in the W115 240 got stretch bolts while unchanged engines didn't (all 617s seem to have stretch bolts).

No other rational that I know of, certainly not manny tranny/automatic!

Peter

phantoms · #6 10-24-2004, 12:37 PM

Stretch bolts are one-time-use bolts. They are not reusable. They stretch while obtaining the correct torque, but once removed will never be accurate again. This is why every manufacturer that uses them states to replace them and not reuse them.

240Demon · #7 10-24-2004, 05:42 PM

Actually...the stretch bolts that Mercedes used on the later 61*... series engines are reusable. I did a head gasket replacement on my 240D last year and my friend, who is a Senior Tech at the biggest Mercedes Dealer in Oregon told me to reuse the bolts. They were the Torx type by the way.

Palangi · #8 10-24-2004, 07:18 PM

Thanx guys. There is some stuff in the engine manual regarding bolt length limits for re use. I will check the book and the bolts tomorrow and order bolts as needed.