I'm in the process of fixing up my 1988 244DL. Part of the project was a transmission swap from an AW70 to an M46. I figured that would be easier to do with the motor out of the car, as well as giving me the opportunity to do a proper cleaning of the engine bay and the motor itself.

Now, my question: how far should I go in taking the motor apart, "while I'm at it"?

Before pulling the motor, I did a compression test, and all cylinders were at about 180 psi. There is a coolant drip from somewhere, and I don't know the service history of the car (I'm the 5th or 6th owner). I've already removed the manifolds for easier access to the block.

My options, as I see it:

- leave the head on and just clean the block as best as possible, and do a valve adjustment myself
- remove the head and take it to a machine shop for them to check out, adjust valves, etc.
- take apart the rest of the motor "while I'm at it" and do a complete rebuild

The motor has 316,000 km on it. Am I just making work for myself by taking things any farther apart?

Michel

1979 242DL
1988 244DL