Mercedes S63 M156 AMG 6.2L V8 Complete Engine Teardown! What Killed This 500+ HP Euro Powerhouse?

Email Part Requests to [e-mail].
I got another one! Can't believe I was able to get my hands on another bad Mercedes M156 AMG V8. This is one of the most powerful naturally aspirated V8's to come out of Europe, and the engineering behind it is impressive. Sadly, like any engine, it can be killed by neglect, torture or even unforeseen circumstances. This is one of the tougher teardowns I've done, which seems to be a trend amongst the European engines. Over 9 hours of filming on this one, 3 times that of your typical domestic V8.
Thankfully this engine was in MUCH better shape than the previous M156 I tore down, so I'll do pretty well on this core.
Want to see a particular engine torn down? I may have already done one! No really, check out my other videos for the engine you'd like to see! I've made over 60 other teardowns from a Cummins to an LS7, and from Rotary to Ram Ecodiesels. Check them out here • Blown Up Engine Tear D...
My name is Eric and I own and run a full service auto salvage business called Importapart located in the Saint Louis MO area. Part of our model is dismantling and selling parts from rare and niche market engines. I don't build or rebuild engines, we simply supply hard parts to those that do!
As always I appreciate all of the comments, feedback and even the criticism.
Don't miss next weeks teardown, its about time we had some carnage!
-Eric

[@anthonywilliams4100]

Hey Eric, the M156 was AMG's first all in house engine without M-B input hench all the AMG ID's. As for overboring NOPE, as M-B/AMG use a proprietary electro coat on the aluminum cylinder walls, BUT IT CAN BE SLEEVED! You sleeve all 8 and you now have one hell of a boost ready 6.2 AMG 156. Head bolts were a known issue with these engine that M-B was even sued over. Thanks for the excellent break down.

[@michaelskinner896]

The N62(B44) V8 used in the BMW Alpina during the early 2000's is similar in that it cannot (should not) be "bored" out. An Alusil alloy was applied to the cylinder walls to make the blocks 'linerless." Like the M-B engine in this case, the N62 can be sleeved though, but good luck finding someone who can do it properly.

[@kwakas4ever]

@@michaelskinner896 - check out M539 Restoration channel. Just done exactly that with N62 - though unsure if it's gonna work out yet!!

[@michaelskinner896]

@@kwakas4ever Yes, thanks. I am one of his Patreons. 😀

[@darylmorse]

@@michaelskinner896 Any decent performance machine shop can install darton sleeves in these engines.

[@WoolyBlubber]

How much boost can a sleeved 6.2 hold? In the SL63 its bi turbo so im just trynna understand how much more boost can be chugged into it jesus

[@daytrypper]

You went full maestro mode cracking head bolts today, playing that ratchet like a musical instrument. Nicely done!

[@rotaxtwin]

It's like the sweet sound of a swinging bat hitting a baseball. Ping!

[@MAGGOT_VOMIT]

Yep that was a nice uniform "snap-ping" sound on all of 'em. This engine didn't allow "Lil Sandler" to give us a uniform "PewPew" sound from the air-tools like normal. Uhhg!! That engine, it's headbolts and the spark-plugs look like they were all assembled and gapped using the "FEELZ" method, perfected by "Hans BillyJoe-JimBob Gruber" and some sorta Bavarian Chinchilla. {0.o}

[@RidgeR5]

I'm glad I wasn't alone in finding those pops to be cathartic to listen to.

[@theshield1613]

Basically it needs that extra 100 hp to pull that heavy boat

[@sherrbowman1557]

@@MAGGOT_VOMIT 9

[@davidschofl3908]

It's 2am in Germany and I just can't stop myself from watching your video

[@davidbeaumont4455]

I’m a Merc fanboy and it breaks my heart to see these flagship engines blown up for such a simple, probably preventable, reason. I’m happy the top end was salvageable. The block could be a cool coffee table base!

[@BobSmith-mc7uq]

Mos likely he would cut you a deal on that block.

[@alexstromberg7696]

Sadly the only thing that is good in merc is the engines. The body will rust like it was designed to so it.

[@dogchainsaw3923]

Mercs are for old people

[@davidbeaumont4455]

@@dogchainsaw3923 yup. I and I’m an old people!

[@BobSmith-mc7uq]

@@dogchainsaw3923 Yup. Old enough to have the money to enjoy a fine automobile. You on the other hand.......LOL

[@stevegee218]

Another high value part on the m156 is the intake. They are made from Aluminum Magnesium Alloy that can't be tig welded (easily) . The intake metal oxidized inside and makes holes. Clean intakes are becoming rare. If you find oil in the intake, that is common from the PVC. If you want to see more about this, one of the best engine builders is Tasos in the UAE. His channel has a bunch of intake M156 rebuilds along with many Mercedes engine rebuilds.

[@Melanie16040]

Ty! Just watched his 4 most recent intake rebuild videos. He is pretty cool!

[@darylmorse]

Tasos is awesome! I regularly watch his channel.

[@lubakaczmar3198]

New pistons sleeve the cylinders may save the engine

[@KD1296]

I was fortunate enough to purchase the intake manifold from this engine 👍🏼

[@Melanie16040]

@@KD1296 How much did it cost you?

[@MERKAMGCLK]

Eric as a Police officer and AMG fanatic I love all your videos. Its a forensic examination of an engine failure. Engine request. The mighty M113 please. Keep the excellent videos coming. You deserve all the great success that comes your way.

[@racekar80]

They never break so he will never get one.

[@MERKAMGCLK]

@@racekar80 I have 3 AMGs all with M113s. They are great engines to begin with. After they are balanced and blueprinted in Affalterbach. They are virtually bulletproof.

[@diablocls55]

@@MERKAMGCLK #backtheblue I just bought a 2006 CLS55 with only 55k miles. Perfect condition car, I plan on driving it at least 200k miles lol

[@MERKAMGCLK]

@@diablocls55 major congrats!!

[@baitse7676]

The headbolts for M156 were upgraded to E Torx due to the heads breaking off of the original style Torx head bolts accompanying corrosion.

[@lgunderso2117]

I'd tend to agree on the crash/oil cooler scenario. That engine seemed far too clean to have typical oil starvation issues.

[@johnalees99]

I would say do a Buick 3800, or are they all out there still running somewhere.

[@sloanmagnum5009]

Lol

[@Davido50]

Yes ! One of GMs best engines the last 100yrs. They have quite a few too.

[@Davido50]

@@sloanmagnum5009 No doubt. The 3.8L design was part of legendary '86-87 Grand National/GNX vehicles!

[@davestark2015]

Maybe one broke

[@ddoggangstar2]

"these engine are not suppose to have adjustable rods" and "I think someone deleted the bearing on this cylinder" made me laugh out loud Lol

[@JoshuaSteinerXKoreFullRussian]

This is the best part of my night. Rounding out my last service notes with the sounds of sped up tools and excellent commentary

[@capt.graybeard]

My favorite Saturday evening hitch... So good, so good for you! Keep them coming!

[@cbw56]

I love your channel Eric!! Thanks for the great content and lighthearted commentary.

[@cloane85]

I can't tell you how informative, and how much I learn from your videos. This has got to be one of the most Under-Sub'd KZbin channels I have been to. I honestly don't mind not even watching, I will listen and do the dishes with wireless headphones. Thank you so much for all of this content this is now probably my favorite KZbin channel.

[@rw7562]

You're teardowns are my latest binge. Started out with Vice Grip, then Half Ass Kustoms, now I Do Cars. Derick (VGG) is hands down the most entertaining mechanic alive, while Brent (HAK) is possibly the coolest fabricator posting, and you definitely the most interesting subject with top notch presentation. I've never seen this stuff... I rebuilt a 292 Ford engine back in the 70's but this look at the inside of an engine is way cooler than all of that!

[@07HDDriver]

I think you’re doing a great job of mixing up your tear down videos in terms of makes and failures. Keep up the good work!

[@Beethoven2949]

UK mechanic here, I absolutely love the channel, I'm addicted. You do a lot of complicated big blocks I would love if you could do some small European engines like some small inline 4 cylinders as that's mainly what we drive over here and their an absolute breeze to teardown and rebuild 😊

[@MATTCLARKE007]

Eric, great engine choice. I enjoyed seeing that the cam and buckets looked good still. Also, great illustration of why the head bolts were redesigned on that engine. I wonder why some bolts corroded and others didn’t.

[@agenericaccount3935]

I wonder if there is a nameplate registry which tabulates engine failures by named assembler.

[@suckithardnfast]

Love your videos, thanks for doing these!

[@jeramiahgainey3177]

Great video dude as always. Keep up the good work, all the best to your success. I'm thinking maybe a 7.3 power stroke for next saturday night.

[@fshizl2918]

Now we are getting into the stuff I’ve been wanting to see. I hope eventually you get yourself a chance to take apart an m177, but this is probably one of the top tier Mercedes V8s of the last generation.

[@theewelder]

it def is....

[@blautens]

I love your channel but I cannot lie I have a strange fascination with the high volume engines that may or may not have any value to you. Last weeks 4.3V6 was 1 of my favorites I've never seen a single person address that motor before you.

[@dowen1511]

Dam that oil filter really did a good job amazing really.

[@davidnelson6893]

Yes for sure

[@margeallen847]

@@davidnelson6893 t

[@Jim007baker]

your videos have a great balance of narratve and video. and as a bonus humor and humility

[@gremlin1396]

You're absolutely 100% right. We would love to see more carnage. Great video.

[@rotaxtwin]

Another jewel of engineering there, that is true engine porm. That thing is built with no expense spared. Great to see inside it, but it hurts to see that crank scorched. And of course love those head bolts breaking loose. I would watch a compilation video of just breaking head bolts loose, but man - that's a ton of editing.

[@machtschnell7452]

Not engineered correctly until it was in the last run of the SLS. Many internal flaws originally.

[@slasher9883]

@@machtschnell7452 Correct, this engine was very problematic, earlier M113 V8 was much more reliable.

[@2down4up]

Love the 156 engine! Big displacement, big lunged, long legs, high power, high rpm! Very much like an AMG version of a Chevy big block. Mostly very easy to work on and generally very durable so long as you know its weaknesses. The cams and buckets having improper hardness was the biggest issue to deal with in that if/when that fails it’s very expensive. The head bolts are also an issue but easy enough to replace especially if they haven’t snapped yet. The PCV vacuum valve thing would leak and whistle and the air box beneath the intake manifold would commonly leak. Both of these would cause check engine lights. The PCV fix was relatively cheap and easy to do. The intake air box “technically” couldn’t be resealed and as such was extremely expensive to fix as the entire manifold including the twin throttle plates had to be replaced as a single unit. The reality is the air box lid could be resealed even if MB said no. The 159 engine was a even more potent hot rodded version of the 156 that was in the SLS. The 204 chassis had a special 507 edition C63 version of the 157 engine which borrowed bits and pieces from the 159 to make it more powerful and higher revving then the standard 156. Interestingly the 507 edition motor while more powerful then the standard 156 in a normal C63, made less power then a standard 156 in an E63. Never understood why they made the upgraded version for the special edition C63 that was still less powerful then a standard E63 but hey, Germans.

[@greydog1104]

Rules must be followed! A C class must not have more power than an E or S class.

[@2down4up]

@@greydog1104 Absolutely true. My point was not about the power but about why did they throw 159 parts in this engine thus making it more special than any other 156 engine while still giving it less power. They could’ve just stuck a standard 156 engine in it from an E class and then de-tuned it. Or tune up the standard 156 that was already in the C class to up the power.

[@113036stat]

Thanks for your insights into these engines!!

[@allenbeaulieu7077]

Great video Eric. Nice engine, too bad about the oil starvation. Another good one bites the dust. Big Al.

[@joyfilters]

I'm an old mechanic and really glad I've discovered your channel

[@gregglynn3763]

Got to love the adjustable rods!!

[@jeli1347]

Great video Eric I appreciate the simplicity and humor of your videos and no annoying music. I know you try to avoid angering the keyboard warriors and you have a business to run but could we get more of your "opinion" on these engines as to what makes them either good or bad? Also maybe some common failures and mistakes you feel the manufacturers did in making these engines.

[@jamesmay5394]

I love watching the Mercedes tear downs the best honestly.

[@jammcnorton531]

You are a great teacher and mechanic, thanks!

[@penchode93]

I think this channel is one of the most underrated car channel on youtube imho !

[@emilschw8924]

Superb teardown as usual. Gotta love the little doohickeys all manufacturers tend to add in order to confusticate and bother future teardowns.

[@LadyEmilyNyx]

I don't even know how an engine works, so why do I find these so fascinating to watch?

[@buckchase1]

when you were showing the oil pan, General Tsao called and wanted his special glaze back.

[@GTIMAN2010]

Thanks for the awesome video!

[@gabrielgilguitar5407]

This dude right here and m539 restorations are probably the best mechanic videos I’ve seen on KZbin. Just really informative and he breaks it down so easily as to what went wrong in the engine. And explains the components to the best of his ability. Great teacher

[@antoniovillanueva308]

There was a time when luxury cars led multiple lives. They passed down over years and through several owners before they were scrapped. Now, they bankrupt the second owner and then sit in a driveway for a few years before they are scrapped.

[@thomassabia5750]

That depends if it was a. owner who should of drove a shopping cart instead of a motor vehicle of some type is down to how well they took care of it if you can't afford to take care of it don't buy it

[@antoniovillanueva308]

@@thomassabia5750 Are you drunk again, Thomas?

[@thomassabia5750]

Are you stoned

[@kingssuck06]

I was so jealous of the kids in high school that got the old family S420 or 740il

[@smc4229]

"We are living in this moment together" Bro I felt that

[@victorcigars]

Good job 💪 Want do see a m113k tear down now 👍

[@nourfaheem3688]

Man, I love your channel!

[@nonamesplease6288]

It's much easier when the bolts are out... Your videos are awesome!

[@capt.graybeard]

Nice new engine stand! Congrats!

[@jamesogara2219]

Another fantastic teardown.

[@anthonybertone2336]

I love waiting on your weekly video,

[@kiiiisu]

great video again!

[@amstaffmike80]

I wouldn't mind seeing the parts you salvage from the cores get cleaned up in the parts washer. Maybe kinda like a before and after kinda thing for the sellable parts. Just a suggestion maybe for the intro. Glad you have upped your standards regarding the environmental concerns and continue to be a responsible shop owner. Looking forward to next weeks video!

[@life_of_riley88]

I am absolutely blown away by the shape of those cam lobes. Those have to be the peakiest, pointiest factory cam profiles that I've ever seen.

[@williammeszaros3382]

I once dated a girl who had the perky cam lobes.....

[@timlee4204]

Bucket or flat cam followers have to work on pointy lobes compared to roller followers.

[@life_of_riley88]

@@timlee4204 These are roller followers though. . .right?

[@kevinwiltshire2217]

Those exhaust ports are huge

[@gregoryweber7408]

thanks for showcasing an exotic variety, i have never seen this engine or heard one run or even seen a car that has this engine as standard equipment and i doubt i ever will they really are large power plants and intricate! it appears you have a lot of fun exploring these failures and it would be fun to take an engine apart with your help if only i lived closer

[@PatricioGarcia1973]

They are on the Mercedes C63 AMG, CLS63, etc, etc.

[@danielbec4287]

They are quite common. Drove one, almost bought one. But I decided to save the money for a house which I actually bought

[@TokyoAzzA]

Just absolutely fantastic engines, sad to see one like this but lots of great parts to keep others going strong 👍

[@EngineeredtoWin]

All your videos are fantastic. The nearest to an F1 engine having torn down many high performance engines and also the owner of an F1 v10 Unit is the Bmw V10 engine vid. An area I look at always on all your teardowns is the coolant flow holes on the deck surface and where they are. The Cosworth F1 V6 Turbo had no communal drillings between head and block - coolant or oil. Another point to note is the carbon on all piston crowns...this is from crank case oil mist re-circulation required for emissions - the downside of this is that it also causes rings to lock preventing sealing. A catch can would fix this on a performance build. Thanks for your time making these - happy new year from the West of Ireland. Brian.G

[@jenspretiere3530]

Almost therapeutical, love this,greetings from Holland.

[@ninjamanghost5825]

I did a set of valve cover on a c 63 at work one day and I used the old valve cover and made it into a key chain holder! And the intakes on them are worth $$$$

[@dawnpoint]

I love that you don't add music so I can play some nice instrumental jazz of my own while watching. Oscar Peterson goes real well with engine teardowns.

[@the_first_resort940]

I love how everyone hates on euro cars till they watch your Mercedes engine videos then they’re in awe

[@bradygandy1031]

You’re in my top 10 favorite channels

[@somerandomusernamenobodyhas]

Any possibility of seeing a VK56 teardown sometime in the future? 👀

[@mikenw255]

On behalf of all couch gearheads, thank you for this series, it's truly worthwhile and entertaining

[@glennkhoury120]

Very interesting and informative breakdown, as my 2012 Benz S550 engine has been looked at several times for misfiring. Would have liked to see the head gasket on that last engine.

[@lglg4151]

Great job From Argentina 🇦🇷 Keep it up

[@JBurford]

Love the videos, love the more complex engine tear downs. Do you have any volvo engines your can tear down?

[@timlee4204]

I haven't seen Eric mention any Volvo, perhaps they don't go bad, although I have seen one with a lobe worn off a V6 cam.

[@JBurford]

@@timlee4204 due to the nature of the open deck the volvo 5/6 cylinders can warp from overheating. That said the cooling system is quite good, and the car doesn't let you overheat them really. But surely he can find something.

[@doogentjm]

You make me laugh several times on your videos. Thank you for this. You are very good at all aspects of the videos.

[@30minforasn]

Looking to buy a w222 s63 amg and this vid pop up on my feed. Great timing. 👍

[@samsperformance4930]

liked the video for how "educative" it is. and sense of humor is cool too man)

[@greggc8088]

"Malice in the combustion palace" I'm using that one. Nice!

[@user-fi3fx5my2s]

Watched the factory build video of this engine. Very nice!!!

[@hyphyrussian]

Hey Eric, I enjoyed your video on the M156 tear down. The humor is top notch. Any interest in selling the intake manifold?

[@davidb6576]

One thing I noticed was the all the cam bearing caps sounded the same while cracking them. That's a sign of very consistent manufacture and assembly. Not the same with the large head bolts, but the corrosion would have affected that anyway.

[@allenl9031]

Hand assembled, there's a plaque on the intake naming the builder.

[@AlexT-ke2gq]

Great video Eric, very helpful to see the M156 pulled apart. I'm looking at purchasing a C63, would the original engine have the heat tabs installed on it or just a replacement?

[@ThatBum42]

Man, the bluing on the crank. That's wild, must have gotten real hot. Interesting how it tells the story.

[@robertwest3093]

"The filter did it's job...someone else didn't." That right there is a GREAT quote!

[@terrypaquette2824]

The sounds of those bolts cracking loose with that ratchet should be some asmr cus god does it sound so crisp and satisfying 😌 👌

[@rayshutsa6690]

Eric l am glad you got a lot of good parts off this engine. I really enyoy watching your video's and investigating what happened to the engine. It is very sad how engines are starved of oil.

[@timlee4204]

Eric didn't find out if that rubber O ring was the cause of the failure, where did it come from? Obviously, it failed whatever it was for.

[@oldtanker4860]

Your nemesis, the oil dipstick tube, didn't give you a hard time! I appreciate that you always use a definite pattern to remove camshaft and head bolts instead of just going front to back. Folks may not realize that keeping a head from warping is a good thing for salvage parts.

[@Sympatiko85]

incredible breakdown. i see you haven't done a Mercedes in a while. could you do an honest teardown of the m271. i believe the crankcase breather failure is the cause of the chain failing along with poor oil service. would be good to have an honest teardown of that engine on KZbin. best regards fritz

[@larryhernandez769]

I like video it shows Internal Components... Excellent. Larry and Hernandez

[@kwakas4ever]

Just did a tour through the list looking for any BMW diesel teardowns - did I miss it? If not, are there any on the list? I love this channel - I reckon there are guys like me who are now looking to see your mechanical "autopsies" before buying!! Keep up the great work, it's a must see for me every weekend.....

[@I_Do_Cars]

Not yet. Have a good m57 I’m hoping to get a core back on. Thanks!

[@kwakas4ever]

Excellent - thanks Eric!

[@cjm5161]

12:51 "alright let's zippity doo dod these out" 😂😂😂😂 !!!!!!!

[@Verified_69]

Nice vid 👍

[@Cartman420]

Your videos are better than others because you say things like ‘every part of this engine has AMG stamped on it’ while the video is sped up. The random Alvin moments make the videos more enjoyable, don’t change that

[@timitbiscuit3620]

Thank you for the video. Nice entertainment.

[@thomaszdanowicz1643]

That was a fun video to watch! The drivers side cylinder head was difficult to come off the block!! Hope you get a better engine to tear down next time!

[@fb3824]

that was brutal to watch. And hard work!

[@smahlt]

This guy trying to hype us for the next teardown like we aren't all already eagerly waiting for your saturday uploads

[@bonose12]

Great job! Any chance at end you could summarize what parts are good and sellable, maybe even cost estimate.. Just wondered what a core could net you.

[@Backroad_Junkie]

You need to do a show with like a half-dozen lawnmower engines. We've seen some pretty big engines, might be nice to see some tiny ones, and how they're put together and how they blow up, lol...

[@bradhaines3142]

project farm did a lot of lawnmower engines

[@douglasthayer1256]

Another excellent video. What about doing a Dodge 6.4L hemi out of the scat packs or R/T 392? Would be cool to see one of those

[@scotty2307]

As far as the paste goes, I am old enough to remember when oils had no detergent, or at least ineffective detergent. When you pulled a valve cover off of an old engine you had to scrape handfuls of sludge out.

[@randymagnum143]

Quaker sludge or the like. Chevron Delo and the like have been good for 50 years.

[@Flies2FLL]

Sorry, forgot to add: Great video!

[@george2113]

Eric unbolted the windage tray/bed plate to the tune of "Everybody Dance Now "

[@jimmason5738]

Back in the 70's a buddy had a VW Bug, and I remember he said the main tool to work on it was a Phillips screwdriver. All those torx head bolts reminded me of that.

[@wallacejeffery5786]

How much do you charge per beer to watch in the peanut gallery? I think it’s worth a trip from Alabama. Love your channel!!

[@Stylemaster911]

Sick!

[@The3chordwonder]

Seems like one of the best German engines I've seen. Looks like you can replace the cams and the cam actuator/gear without yanking the front cover. Brilliant using the chain to idler gear to cam gears. All engines should do this for that exact reason. Looks like perhaps the oil pump can be replaced without yanking the upper oil pan. (Maybe not, perhaps not enough chain slack). The timing chain tensioners being yanked from the side of the block, again without removing the timing cover, pure bliss. And then yes, a double roller is the way to go, especially on single chain driven quad cam engines. Definitely seems like the engineers that designed it did so with some forethought of serviceability, something that most just don't care about (Just needs to last as long as the warranty and afterwards provide lucrative revenue stream to their dealers service departments).

[@d.d.5633]

I think we know each other well enough now that you could do an episode with no pants on. 👍🏻