Why does it smoke?! Mercedes-Benz W115 head failings...

[@722garage9]

Hat tip to Adam for going above and beyond, especially over Christmas..! Been there with old engines

[@CambrianClassicsLtd]

He's been a top bloke

[@mel20004]

I think the machine shop will be getting a bit of a bill ?? Glad Adam stuck with it though and I bet he doesn’t get caught like that again??

[@zubeystinzen540]

These older mercs just ooze class in the design,a generation never to be seen again. Well done everyone 👍

[@gregbarrass8529]

Great video fairplay to the guy for standing by his work

[@RobertMackenzie-yn8ig]

Excellent video , Tim and his friend from Quirky classics knows there stuff

[@paultaylor9652]

Just shows how one error can lead to such a bigger job. If a job is worth doing, Tim always does it properly hey Mr HubNut.

[@isaacplaysbass8568]

Discussing the head gasket "...certainly a blow ..." XD That's head gasket comedy right there :D

[@mrjsv4935]

Nice improvement, no smoking anymore. That special tool reminded me from channel called "Mercedessource" in US who have decades long experience repairing and restoring old Mercedes-Benz cars and they have even developed some special tools of their own :)

[@CambrianClassicsLtd]

Yes mercedessource is a good source of information. 👍

[@twocvbloke]

Top job there travelling all the way from Lancashire to help fix a fault caused by someone else's half-bottomed job, and it's definitley sounding a lot better than the previous video, amazing how one little mistake can snowball into a big mess...

[@HowardLeVert]

16:57 thank you, Ian - I wondered what those crinkly bits were! I remember how Nerys - my B310 Datsun Sunny Fastback Estate - used to smoke under exactly the conditions that this Merc did.

[@terryatkinson899]

Tim needs a Hubnut hat 👍🇮🇪

[@HubNut]

Tim has his own hats!

[@69spook]

Nice to see a British flat cap being worn, rather than those crappy American baseball caps .... 👍

[@johnwinters4201]

KZbin seems to think that "Hubnut" is foreign and needs translating into English as "Slim". Not sure what language it thinks it is.

[@davidflamee]

I was much looking forward to this video. What a completely satisfying outcome. Tims reaction, and a team, dedicated to the last. Great work, everyone on this lovely, lovely, car. I'm sure those new rings will quickly settle in. Best wishes all.

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Cracking video, really enjoyable, props off to Adam for coming down and helping Tim and getting the head re-skimmed and travelling up and down the country to resolve the issue. Really enjoy the Hubnut and Tim Collabs. And Tim that is one lovely mercedes, so in awe.

[@georgejohnson1498]

My aunt had one of these in 1970/1, before getting a new Datsun! Petrol was very expensive in Norway in those days, so that is the explanation for the switch. This Mercedes is my second favourite Benz after the Pontons from a decade before. I never liked the fantailed ones, and after this model in my view each generation became less attractive till today when Benzes are only marginally less hideous than the BMW counterparts. It was an extremely comfortable car that went well if not exactly a rocket! Thanks for stirring memories from more than fifty years ago! Best wishes from George

[@SB-vb8ch]

That high spot would have got the sharp side of the flat block if it was me! Fair play for keeping standards up & doing it properly. Lucky find on the washer too...thst could have been nasty.

[@andrewthompsonuk1]

@@SB-vb8ch I was wondering that as well. I guess those heads are impossible to obtain these days so he would not take any risks.

[@CambrianClassicsLtd]

​@@andrewthompsonuk1 indeed. Parts are not easy to come buy for these. And the machine shop had a responsibility to do the job right!

[@bloodybrit]

Marvelous video, Mr. Quirky seems to be a thoroughly decent bloke and it is great to watch master mechanics at work, explaining so much. Loved the editing too, in particular the sounds as Tim blew through the hose. Hope you had a great Christmas!

[@carlreading9916]

Very satisfying watching a partial engine rebuild when somebody else is picking up the bill ;-)

[@isaacplaysbass8568]

So good to have a group of talented people here, all of you.

[@endacarroll7272]

Thank you and miss hub nut for all the videos during 2024 . Keeping my 90 year old father, and i entertained all year wish you and your family all the best for the new year. Keep up the good work from your biggest Irish fans in tipperary. I'm looking forward to your new content. Thank you and miss hub nut again we really enjoy your videos we wish you all success for the new year

[@fhwolthuis]

Some proper tinkering on the old Benz. Very interesting to watch 👌😃

[@Gazbrand]

2 very good mechanics, you can tell from the get go you are dealing with true professionalism 👍👍👍which dare I say can be hard to find in this day and age...

[@pdxRetired]

Good to see this beautiful car running correctly!

[@theobster]

Unless I missed it was honing the bores mentioned? That’s one school boy error by the machine shop!!! One of the biggest problems these days is finding good machinists. Fantastic work chaps, well done!!

[@HubNut]

Sorry, I did fail to mention the bore hone.

[@michaelwright2986]

The car and the mechanics are worthy of each other.

[@MrButtonpresser]

Some quality spannering, thanks guys.

[@ClunkerCars]

This has been a nice series, well nice to watch ! Less nice to experience I should imagine. Lovely to see such a glorious old Mercedes.

[@aluminati9918]

Great episode! Made me have flashbacks to my old 60s Merc Fintail with the predecessor M121 2.0L engine. Wonderful cars, Lots of similarities. Great machines for their time. An old Volvo 140 I had at the same time however had equal power with less consumption from its humble B20. (And way less maintenance..😂)

[@andrewthompsonuk1]

A family friend used to use one of these (a 200) to do soil research in the Middle East. He ordered the car with a "skid plates" to protect the sump for desert desert driving sometimes covering many miles on no road at all. I think thats what this car has.

[@HubNut]

Yes, it's a factory protection pack. It's very robust!

[@robertwatts1664]

The music coming on in the middle of the video made me jump! ( was wearing headphones) 😂

[@HubNut]

Sorry!

[@MrOvershoot]

Yes I had the same "bloody hell what's that" moment!

[@waynetetley584]

Great to see the W115 in good health again. Well done to all involved 👍😊

[@terencehawkes3933]

That is a lovely Merc. What an exquisite example. It will smoke less once the rings bed in.

[@mikeg8835]

I like Ian ... Tims a nice guy too !

[@heckmacbuff]

Very interesting, love to see a good mechanical episode.

[@wanderingorganist]

Wish I'd been there for the live chat, looked lively and fun. Still playing catch-up w paperwork from the work up til 25th. You know some superb craftspeople. Not dissing your efforts (I cdn't begin to service a 2CV or rebuild its engine). Happy Feast of Stephen :-)

[@CarlJones14]

Not a dig, but I think this is your best video production wise. The content was pretty good as well, but you were filming.

[@HubNut]

Thank you. It's a lot easier to think about production when you're not doing the tinkering!

[@allanfoster6965]

Well done, Tim and friends. Another saved for posterity, hopefully! A lovely car. ❤

[@andrewmalyon5699]

What a beautiful car, really enjoyed the videos on this Mercedes ,I hope we will see it again.

[@grayfool]

Almost the best period of Mercedes. Arguably the W123 tops these but it's close

[@HubNut]

You see, I think I prefer the W115. I've never driven a 123 that felt as good as this 115 to drive.

[@grayfool]

@HubNut you could be right. I love 'em both. I'm probably a bit biased towrds the W123 as I owned a 280E which I loved.

[@HowardLeVert]

I shall look forward to watching this once I have done familial duties this afternoon.

[@allanmollison6971]

Awesome hope you and Carly had a good Christmas 🎄

[@jonboy9912]

Wonderful vehicle thanks for recording this wok that many will find useful. I would expect any trace of oil burning from the exhaust to disappear with some miles to seat the rings.

[@paulmiller1359]

Great video, but absolutely shocking work by whoever skimmed that head in the first place, and then by whoever refitted it without checking it properly.

[@HubNut]

It is a shocker by the engineering company but quite easily missed. Thank goodness Tim spotted it.

[@martinneumann7783]

She’s such a beauty and you professionals did a great job on her. It’s so nice to see a W115 Mercedes on your channel(s)… See you soon, take care »»» Martin 🚙🔥💨🇩🇪

[@johnmoruzzi7236]

Actually very lucky that Hubnut was doing the filming video for the collection so the problem was spotted and diagnosed very quickly. It was handled correctly because it is always the responsibility of the machine shop or garage to check and rectify mistakes with their work. To be fair the original garage should have checked the work of the machine shop and did rightly take responsibility. At least several other lurking issues were identified and fixed !

[@HubNut]

100%. Stuff can and does go wrong. It's how problems are dealt with that matters.

[@jmdoutdoors5729]

Awesome job guys. The best long lasting cars in the world.

[@chrismolloy5079]

Good family movie for Boxing Day. A whodunnit with no swearing and a happy ending. Well played by the Mercedes in role of the victim. One minor complaint ~ the director/cameraman kept getting in shot. Isn't he the bloke that normally appears in French Film Noir ?

[@byronmills5952]

All's well that ends well. Sometimes things really do happen for a reason - as much as it was a real pain and inconvenience for all involved - the whole engine is now a complete known quantity. Fitting a set of new rings and a fresh clutch wont have done the car no harm either. Tim can now bed the engine back in and drive it any distance in confidence. Great video 👍👍

[@tony-yp6qk]

Hope you had a great Christmas another great video has always Ian and Carly miss/mrs hubnut and hublets and hubmutt 👍

[@tonys1636]

A lot of engines of that era sucked oil down the valve guides on the overrun so a puff of blue out the back on accelerating, nothing to be alarmed about if the guides or valve stems not worn.

[@grumpy2.0]

Knowing how grubby I am. I would have needed wing covers.

[@classicjalopy]

Great video and lovely car.

[@aslandama]

A very pretty car for sure.

[@JimF500]

It appears to me that this car was worked on by amateurs previously. Not really a Merc fan but this is a nice looking car along with the W123 IMO.

[@BillMalcolm-tn3kq]

Been in a few of those cars on two continents. And you can't argue the longevity. But the cylinder head combustion chamber design is antedeluvian. It most resembles the 1935 Chevrolrt Stovebolt six. A head gasket normally has four round holes where the pistons "fit". Not this thing, it goes off into flights of ovular fancy to accomodate the rather ridiculous combustion chamber shape and its stepped heights for exhaust versus intake valves. Perhaps it's a way to also accomodate the need for a long internal exhaust port for the "hemi" head which of course it isn't, just splayed valves, which do not seem necessary at all if a bit more thought had been applied when the engine was first designed. All quite disappointing, really to this old engineer. I had never known the details before. All done, one presumes just to avoid a crossflow head. "But we gve you five main bearings instead of just three last year!" said Mercedes. Only a good five or six years late compared to mainstream car makers in both North America and even BL's update of the B-Series. Can't say I'm impressed at all for a 1970 ish engine. The old Standard-.Triumph engine strikes me as being quite a bit more clever, and it came out in 1948! It was available in various capacities from 1850 to 2138 cc, in forms suitable for tractor work and TR4 alike. Plus there was a diesel derivative. 185 nt-m of torque is not particularly amazing from the M115 engine -- it's only about 115 lb-ft. The Triumph TR4 had 126, and a decent engine of the '60s made 55 to 60 lb-ft per litre. We're now up to about 75, btw. Nor is the original Mercedes M115 head suitable for unleaded fuel -- it really needs proper hardened exhaust valve seats to cope. All I can say is hmm. Wonky. Five years after Cosworth had proven the four-valve pent roof narrow valve angle combustion chamber, which everyone uses these days, Mercedes gave you the best of 1930s ideas. The car itself seems more bombproof and up to date in the structural department. The engine, well.

[@dreammaker730]

Problem solved , i fully understand why this car is so loved and well looked after , my kind of car 👍. I have a list of jobs to get sorted on my own cars in the new year . Im missing my estate battery is on charge as we speak .

[@iainmacleod4007]

Those symptoms are usually caused by valve stem seals, I had an Opel Manta B which did that. It smoked like a trouper. Eventually I scrapped the 2 litre engine and fitted a complete earlier 1.9 litre engine which cured the problem. As I recall the rings were not too clever on the engine I scrapped easily diagnosed with a compression test.

[@HubNut]

This one had good compression before and after.

[@Comfortzone99]

Now that is a head to take off on your own LOL.

[@richierex]

What are you worried about? It could be oil in the exhaust being burnt. It doesn't look bad at all. All cars smoked a little back in the day

[@AnyoneSeenMikeHunt]

No they didn't. Well unless you call 1902 'back in the day' 🙄

[@HubNut]

Yup. Plenty of actual maladies are written off as 'because it's an old car.' Poor brakes the most worrying one.

[@Weejie2011]

My dad had a 1965 (C plate) automatic version. It had a problem when driving through kiloponds (mkp joke) because of the location of the coil. It would cut out. It had a very particular smell due to the seat material.

[@DanielMcLean-q3t]

What an interesting video, I really like seeing work done on vehicles line these.👍Keep up the good work! Oh, and before I forget, “kp” is an old value they used to use in Germany for measuring weight. It was called “kilopond”. If you google it, there is an equation to kg and other measurements etc…

[@TheCarTakerGarage]

Lovely video once again..but ill bet that somethings up with the valvestem seals,or valvestem guides, and lifters. Smoke on overrun is 99.,9 percent of the times caused by oil drawn in to the cylinder through the valves._Its caused by high vacum from the engine braking,and vacum drawing in oil from the valve side. Poor oil control rings in the engine would manifest in oil smoke all the time. (Though it is hard for us viewers to really get a feel for how it actually behaves.But to me it seems that there is still smoke.New rings need bedding in though ,so abit early to say maybe?Eitherway.Good video ,and a superb looking Mercedes :) Greetings from Norway , Stefan :)

[@lesklower7281]

The blue caused by a cylinder head skim that didn't skim the whole cylinder head and how engineered is the engine rather reminded me of another 4 cylinder engine with a chain driven over head cam shaft that engine is also over built and over engineered and this Mercedes-Benz 2.2 litre petrol engine is built to last its a pity that they don't build Mercedes-Benzes today like this lovely example

[@gordonmcgregor6431]

Pedantry alert, I’m pretty sure that the bonnet has a second almost vertical service position which gets that latch out of your forehead. I had a slightly later 240D with a similar mileage as the Millennium Falcon has many moons ago

[@HubNut]

The W123 had that feature, carried over to the 124.

[@rogerbrennan4170]

Is your new chauffeur more polite than your last one Ian?😊

[@HubNut]

Tim is a true professional. 😉

[@akdenyer]

Dobsons gaskets. Make gaskets for all kinds of classic vehicles

[@HTMLEXP]

I really feel for Tim. He has such high standards and was let down by slapdash individuals. If he had the equipment, I'm sure he would do that work himself. As they have honoured the warranty, I understand not naming and shaming. However, some places should be shamed.

[@HubNut]

Thing is, mistakes are made sometimes. It's how they're dealt with that matters and Adam busted a gut to make well again. I don't like naming a shaming because reputations are very hard to gain and very easy to lose.

[@iancairns7398]

Those wiperblades for some reason reminds me of a Boeing 737.

[@Jam3sA]

I'm not making excuses of the machine shop, but I can tell you from personal experience it is very easy to miss "wings" on milling operations. You get too used to sweeping in rectangles

[@HubNut]

Indeed. This was not an ideal situation but it was rectified. Adam was the big loser in this really!

[@alanbellwood3902]

Mercedes like so many have now wiped their back catalogue of essential parts once stock has exhusted. Sometimes your lucky and a part will have been used for a decade after the model you own or by another company using Mercedes Engines but most of the time it is a hunt for used or New old Stock. I daily a W140 S280 which we have driven to Rome and back and cannot get wiper parts, thr unique wider wiper blades for sensible money, heater blower fans, rear drive shafts or most exterior trim. Land Rover have slowly reduced parts for P38, Discovery and Rover V engines. All of these cars are long lived most a fairly common site and still like my P38's and Merc working for a living. I don’t think it is a conspiracy to get old cars off the road more that electric and Hybrids don't share commin parts and the cost of making older parts is not on a scale that makes commercial sense to the big car manufacturers. I wrote to MB UK and got no reply. I Wrote to Land Rover and got a really pathetic buy a newer car type response. I remember 10 years agao when an old Merc, BMW or Land Rover even at 30 years old could be fixed with new genuine parts or at least OEM. These days Europe especially eastern Europe and UAE are my go to places for New old stock and are sometimes upto £900 cheaper than UK parts that crop up. USA which is brilliant and reconditioning, older parts and also manufacturing parts is often better for V8 Land Rover products which is sad. As for many new parts they are shocking quality, partly down to different spec materials used during COVID, partly down to Companies like Bosch not using Bosch core stock only during remanufacture. Bosch did respond after my 4th Starter motor to state I psy for the warranty not a Bosch part. I fitted a remanufactured local item done in a shed and no further issues. Previous starter made it 30 years and 120k miles new items less than 3 month's and one was faulty out of the box. Fear of the ECU in later cars is not as big an issue as loads of folk repair laptops, phones, tablets and newer ECU's so can re-solder, repair reprogramme or reolace with after market prgrammable for sensible prices

[@HubNut]

It is a shame. M-B used to claim they could get you any part for any car.

[@martinneumann7783]

mkp = meterkilopond; an old unit, that isn’t in use anymore. 1 kp = 10 Newton

[@robertmagee8223]

There could be oil sitting in the exhaust..a week of driving should burn it out...a small pool of oil on the top of the piston ..equals a long of exhausted oil after engine cycles.

[@SAM-zt2uy]

Did Scotty Fairno do the head skim 😅

[@dtourstravels4378]

That beard was getting awfully close to the timing chain!

[@nickjh1968]

Interesting video, just shows the consequences of rushed/shoddy workmanship. Surprised to see no bodywork protection whilst refitting the head.

[@HowardLeVert]

I noticed that it doesn't seem to have a heated rear window? Does sound much better though.

[@HubNut]

Maybe not a requirement in South Africa. Or optional maybe. It has absolutely zero options.

[@nigelmchugh5541]

Will the bonnet not open up to 90° on that series Mercedes?

[@CambrianClassicsLtd]

Unfortunately not. That came with the later models. It would have been helpful!

[@2tone209]

AY UP MR HUBNUT

[@AnyoneSeenMikeHunt]

What language is this? Even 'Translate to English' can't figure it out.

[@redzed40]

Next job wheel arch lips and bonnet rust?

[@AnyoneSeenMikeHunt]

Then where do you stop? That only the surface mate.

[@James-ld2jc]

My ideal car.

[@KevinGuy-j5i]

What a nightmare. It certainly puts me off ever owning a classic

[@GTI1dasOriginal]

... how is that a nightmare?

[@HubNut]

Plenty of modern cars have built in nightmare fuel.

[@GTI1dasOriginal]

@@HubNut "welcome" to the consumable society.

[@69spook]

How to check the oil. Okay engine out ... 😂

[@emilianocozzetto-m7i]

Should of been picked before not like this now ! In my 45 years of experience tell me it’s been over looked something is not right ! I didn’t want to write but to me questions need too be answered

[@HubNut]

Mistakes will happen. It's how they're dealt with that matters.

[@sim6699]

Could you be tempted into mercedes W123 estate diesel now?

[@HubNut]

Probably not. Even the 300D only has 88bhp.

[@3vom]

So it's gone Hubnut?

[@CauliflowerMcPugg]

Awesome video 👍 I hope the machine shop gave some money back as a sign of good faith. Top Bloke Award goes to Adam 🏆.

[@sportshatch]

It’s bad on the machine shop, but ultimately it is always on the person assembling the engine to check everything . I have built many engines and on at least three occasions found mistakes by the machine shop. Anything done by humans has the potential for errors. Always double and triple check before assembly.

[@HubNut]

Yup. I think a lesson was learnt but fair play for getting it sorted.

[@mrsmith697]

Well it probably oil in the exhaust to burn

[@HubNut]

Perhaps a little. New rings need to bed in too. Definitely much improved.

[@alansmith1770]

That is what you call major surgery Ian

[@Lobo-ih3bh]

Pretty shoddy from the machine shop. They may fix their error, but I bet they won’t compensate for the extra work involved in rectifying the issue.

[@HubNut]

Unlikely. They did at least cover the cost of another gasket set.

I've got one of these in my garage. Mine is burgundy with a white interior. Mine doesn't run though. Can't find anyone who knows how to work on an old Mercedes.

[@HubNut]

They do require some specialist attention sadly.

[@davestraight8219]

M116 obvs :)

[@HubNut]

It was discussed...

[@a.hammad9194]

Interesting that the piston rings packaging has Arabic on it. Perhaps were meant for export to an Arabic speaking country?

[@HubNut]

It was a true world car for M-B I believe.

[@a.hammad9194]

@@HubNut Indeed! I see these quite often in Egypt still, albeit in nowhere near the condition this beauty is.

[@CambrianClassicsLtd]

😎

[@SinghSingh-q4s]

Great video..butt not too sound negative but thought it sent up north to a Mercedes specialist so are u going too claim compensation? As I think ur got ripped off

[@HubNut]

The specialist is the other chap in the video. You can see he was let down by his engine shop.

[@rogerbrennan4170]

Ripped off is a bit strong! The aforementioned specialist is the one who will feel most aggrieved, as it was the machine shops poor quality control that let everyone down. The specialist done all the running up, and down the country, probably at his own expense! So I'd think that the compensation would be between the machine shop and him! Other inconveniences happen between friends/ colleagues, and become memories!

[@NeilBarratt]

No one has been ripped off intentionally, but a lot of time has been wasted by people who make their money charging by the hour who have wound up doing a lot of work for no reward. The chap from the specialist has also had to drive the best part of a thousand miles with all the costs that that incurs. I wonder if the specialist may be more inclined to check cars in future before he decides they are ready for collection.

[@giulianomarco]

Défense de fumer Rauchen verboten! Vietato fumare 😁👍

[@Zeem4]

"Rook verbode" seems appropriate (Afrikaans)

[@paulmillson9204]

hair cut time bud

[@AnyoneSeenMikeHunt]

Yes Mum. Sorry, we didn't realise the HubNut channel is actually a Social Etiquette Finishing School. What a weird thing to think let alone type. 🙄

[@COLLSWORK]

😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁

[@battlebbot]

I wonder who fitted the improperly skimmed head? Whoever it was should perhaps avoid working on engines in future, as they appear to have VERY poor eyesight....................lol

[@HubNut]

Easy to say in hindsight.

[@battlebbot]

@@HubNut The very first thing you do with a head that has been machined is to very carefully clean it. That the person who cleaned it didn't notice it hadn't been machined properly, seems to suggest a visit to Spec Savers is in order.............

[@mrc-by4vp]

I SAID IT WAS RINGS IN THE LAST VIDEO

[@HubNut]

And it proved not to be rings (though they were changed as a precaution).

[@69spook]

And you were wrong 😂

[@AnyoneSeenMikeHunt]

Maybe if you had TYPED IN CAPITALS you would have been right. 🙄

[@nigelrudd670]

Boxing Day tinkering non hubnut style 🧐🤔🔧🛠️☕🧰

[@69spook]

He's supervisor now .... 😂