Head gasket make recomendation?

[erickmarciano]

Hi guys
What make head gasket should I get?
How about valve seals? Teflon or viton?
Thanks

[Tyler S]

Stick with the tried and true OE Elring brand on both. The valve seals are upgraded Viton on the exhaust side and Nylon I believe on the intake. The original would have been Nitrile. Here is a good article on valve stem seal materials.
http://www.enginebuildermag.com/1998/07/valve-stem-seals-materials-and-designs/

[erickmarciano]

Thanks for the reply
Is there a better option to the nylon ones?
Thanks

[Tyler S]

Not that I know of. Keep in mind our cars all have a little play in the valve guides. Even when new. The harder the seal material, the more chance of a leak. This is one of the reasons why the older ones would leak. They would get rock hard with age. Have not heard of any problems with the newer seals installed when the guides are replaced. If your guides are worn, no type of valve seal will fix that.

[Benz Dr.]

I think my machinist said valve stem to guide play is about .0015''   Does that sound right? Enough that the guide can move freely and so little you can barely feel it.

[Tyler S]

Dan, That sounds about right. I'll have a spec shortly when I get my head back.  The valves will expand more than the surrounding guide during operating temp because the valve face is right in the combustion chamber and draws the heat up. So that clearance is minimized a bit during operation. Probably one of the reasons they tend to smoke more when starting cold.

[ja17]

erickmaciano, Mercedes has upgraded materials used on seals and gaskets over the years. Its best to keep away from New Old Stocks when it comes to gaskets and seals, always buy "fresh" stocks from OEM manufacturers. Most of  the seals and gaskets on the W113 engines have been upgraded with improved materials over the years.

[Naj ✝︎]

Hi guys

What make head gasket should I get?

Thanks

'Elring' is OE

naj