replacing 08 camshaft with 11

[Ziggy]

I have a type 08 cam which I would like to change to the 11 type.

The '11' has number 180 051 11 35 which is replaced by the 86 and not vice versa, does anyone know more about this?

Cam 1800518601 is still availble, but it seems there are versions with 3 different codes on the back.
Does anyone know which code it has on the back when you order it new? The MB dealer, Niemoeller and SLS couldn't tell me.

[Ziggy]

Noone ever ordered it new?

[Benz Dr.]

Zig,
some of these codes are nothing more than different treaments on the cam lobes or something like tin plating on the other parts of the shaft. It takes a bit of time to research all of this stuff. It took a very long time to come up with all the right bits for the 230 and I also installed power steering on the car which was a lot of fun. All of it was a steep learning curve at the time ( roughly 10 - 15 years ago )

[Ziggy]

Tomorrow I will replace the 08 cam with a 02 type. But since all headbolts need to come out to replace the cam, I wonder if this will give any problems with the headgasket (only 2 years old)?

[ja17]

Hello Ziggy,

Do not loosen all the head bolts at the same time.  Begin by removing the radiator cap so no pressure remains in the cooling system.  Remove valve cover hold down bolts two at a time, remove the hold down strap and torque the bolts back in place using an extra washer to make up for the missing strap. So before you remove the cam bearing head bolts you will have all four of your valve cover hold down head bolts torqued back in placewithout their straps. Then remove the cam bearing head bolts and the camshaft. Reverse the procedure to re-install.  This method will minimize the chance of head gasket leakage.  You may want to re-torque the entire head when finished in correct sequence. Good luck!