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

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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

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

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

156 is my favorite engine! Easy to work on and a kick in the pants to drive! I worked for Mercedes-Benz for 20 years as a Master Certified Technician. My favorite is the C63. You can unlock the HP and Torque on a C63 via software reprogramming. These engines are almost doomed when they arrive at dealerships because of the salespeople. There is a break-in period sticker on the windshield for this engine! Long story short, the Sales Dept. overrevs the engine before it is sold. Apparently, they can only read when it comes to finalizing the paperwork? the second issue is that most buyers can't read either. They want to show off their purchase. I replaced a set of rear tires on a C63 with less than 2,500 miles. Overrevved abused engine. It brought up a bad story when you took off the lower oil pan and involves the oil quality sensor that stretches out synthetic oil change intervals for 10k+. Holger (the engineer) used to swing by the dealership often 1998. Very nice and very intelligent guy. He claimed that Benz stole his idea and patent. I/we have seen the proof. His marriage thus failed. His neighbors complained about a foul smell from his property. It was because he committed suicide. IDK. Benz has always been the leader in automotive technology and over the years it trickles down to other manufactures. Took a tour of the Benz Alabama Plant and they claim that they sell patents for $1 to other manufactures. RIP Holger!

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.

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

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 😊

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.

This dude right here and m539 restorations are probably the best mechanic videos I’ve seen on RU-vid. 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

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.

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

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.

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

"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

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!

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

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!

Pro tip: when prising something, always wear a glove or put a towel where your hand will slip to. Since starting that I rarely bust my knuckles open. Another tip: when tapping the headbolts thru the head (or any bolt), rotating at the same time can help. Also a great idea to put wood on the bolt and pound on that. If it busts thru, you won't mash aluminum into aluminum.

Many of these german cars are VERY protective and pro-active when it comes to oiling. If you're low on oil or the oil is getting hot, the car will absolutely warn you of it, it's damn near impossible to miss. I agree on the crash theory, a puncture in the oil cooler and a dazed driver who didn't shut the car off makes the most sense.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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 $$$$

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

This can be avoided if people DO NOT follow the “10,000 mile” oil change interval. Change your oil every 5000 miles (using quality Full synthetic oil and filter). Also for these engines don’t forget to replace the coolant every 75,000 miles!

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).

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 RU-vid 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 RU-vid channel.

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.

There was a recall and a service bulletin on those head bolts- for all the Mercedes AMG excellence, the head bolts that those engines came with corrode and snap, leaving the threaded portion in the block. There was a recall and a procedure to replace them one by one, but now it's customer expense. The new bolts are E-torx. This is why those head bolts were stuck- the corrosion problem and then the next step is for the heads to snap off.

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

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

Those exhaust ports are huge

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

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

I swear to god I am going to buy a billboard along I-95 near my home with the words: "CHANGE YOUR OIL EVERY 3000 MILES OR ONE YEAR!" This simple maintenance solves SO many problems!

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

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

So many moving parts equals that many things that can go wrong. For want of a nail a shoe was lost, for want to a shoe a horse was lost, for want of a horse a battle was lost. Things will snowball quickly. Thanks for the video. I'm not a mechanic, just a layman.

Got to love the adjustable rods!!

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.

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

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

I wanna see a gm 3800 I know it’s an old one but one of the best gm motor made possible one the best ever!!!!

"This has all been heat treated, and not in the good way" Perhaps one could say it's been... Heat Mistreated?

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.

Well that was a lot of fine engineering turned into scrap. It was amazing that none of the cam bearings had major damage if the engine just ran out of oil. Best part of all this is it's not my engine cos that would have cost big $$$.

I'm pretty sure the discoloration of overheated metal isn't just heat. It's actually creating a polymerized layer of engine oil, just like how you'd season a cast iron pan. Heating oil to higher than its smoke point, which is usually around 350 to 450 degrees in cooking oils. Not sure what engine oil smoke point is but im fairly sure the oil in an engine shouldn't get anywhere near that hot under normal operation

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...

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

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

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

I have a suggestion for the removal of that bushing of the cam chain. After removing the allen bolt, pump grease in that void, then use that smooth pin that you had in you slam hammer and put it in the hole and strike with your dead blow, an old timer taught me this trick when replacing pilot shaft bushings in the rear of crankshafts.

Didn’t you hear Mercedes is using invisible bearings in cylinder 8 in random engines?

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

Those are the Gen1 head bolts, 2011. Everyone changes to the Gen 2s.. it’s notorious on this engine

Would love to see a Mini engine, since they’re owned by BMW should be an easy decision!

I am bmw guy, but the two AMG V8 you took apart are designed much more mechanic friendly than BMW V8 or the V10 in the M5. Would love to get an e55 AMG NA or the latter supercharged version.

Tear down request-- being an old guy, I enjoy the older American made motors. Especially motors I've owned before. I'd enjoy seeing a Ford 300 I-6 EFI tear down and see why it is one of the best workhorse / long running motors made. Thanks

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

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

These engines are known to have camshaft lobe wear if oil not changed regularly..you should be able to sell those cams for good money.

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

I love watching the Mercedes tear downs the best honestly.

It blows my mind that someone would keep running an expensive engine like this until it's crank literally welds itself to the rod. Impressive the block did not get windowed. No mechanical sympathy from that cruel and heartless owner. Engines are people too, so be kind - LMAO

It's a closed deck block too. Much stronger than open deck.

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

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 RU-vid. best regards fritz

That engine looks like a 90°, so it is strange the crank throws are not split for balanced firing.

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

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

Another Mercedes-Benz engine...yay!

You need to get a studio audience, cause youre ready for “PrimeTime” , Bobby Bouchet “water boy”…🥳happy new year.

When removing the rod caps, if the shell sticks to the crank they're shot, if they stay in the caps they're good.

Another question comes to mind: Turning over a typical LS V8 with a 15 inch long solid wrench: About how many pounds of force does this take? Back in the day, my friends dad had a 350 Chevy that was rebuilt and ready for heads, on a stand and there was a wrench on the front pulley. I was amazed at how much force it actually took to turn a V8 over! I thought it would just turn easily with the cylinders lubricated, as they were, but it took a lot of force. I was 6'1" and 150 pounds at the time and not muscular, and I could easily turn it over but it was FAR more than I expected.

malice in the combustion palace!!! super! "even the water pump says AMG on it." riot "that rod is adjustable."

Not an MB fan anymore. The last 10yrs have tarnished the brand in many ppls eyes. Sad but true! -NY

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

You could store up some pretty metal shavings, clean them up and make your own snow globe.

How about instead of checking your oil level, you simply don't continue to drive once your car's low oil light turns on? Assuming that the oil light sensor is designed properly (so it actually turns on before you start getting engine damage) then that is all you need to do. I guess some people treat it the same way they would the check engine or needs maintenance soon lights, and just drive the rest of the way home while planning on going to a mechanic at some point in the future?

Almost therapeutical, love this,greetings from Holland.

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.

Need to get your on a LT5 ZR1. Designed by lotus built by mercury marine. Cool engine.

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

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.....