I have an 89 300 SE and the head gasket is leaking oil on the passenger side near the back of the engine. My question, is this a major job? I am mechanically inclined and have done this type of work on American cars. How much labor can I expect if I pay someone else to do this. I appreciate your help.

 

are you speaking of a head gasket or a valve cover gasket ? if it is only the valve cover gasket its really a piece of cake ive just reworked the valvetrain in my 300se and the valve cover wasnt that bad now if its the head gasket wich im doubtful it is then your in for fun and you may want to have someone change that if your haveing trouble decideing wich of the two it is if its the cover you poor the oil into its the valve cover gasket and your in good shape just be shure to get some good gloss black engine paint , a new ignition wire holder if yours isnt top notch and do her up right

 

i think.

 

I believe it's the head gasket. It leaks behind the exhaust manifold ner the back where the head meets the block. I wish it was just the valve cover gasket. Thanks for the help.

 

then you need to replace the head gasket.

it is included in top overhauling kit as well as the other small seals.

not really a hard job. just remember the engine timing.

 

if you're mechanically inclined i'm sure you can do it and save yourself a lot of money. Just make sure you change the water pump bypass hose with a new one. It's real easy really , i've done hundreds of those jobs in the past and the fastest i've done it is about 2 hours to remove and approx. 3-4 hours to re-install. It's always a good practice to have the head resurfaced, valve guides replaced and valves grind before you put it back in. 300E's have reported problems with their valve guides leaking after about 140.000 miles and starts burning oil, so if you're doing all this work, you might as well do it the right way