Engine swap 190e

[tomgrayson13]

Doesn't the fitting of a six require a different slam panel?
I'm returning to the final drive ratio. If - I don't have the numbers - the 4cyl diff has gearing too short for the six, unless you are building this car as a sprinter, the results could be very disappointing. This aspect considerably magnified if the V8 is pursued. A short geared large capacity V8 will have the thirst of Ollie Reed.

Ive read that you can remove it and weld it back on can you help me in regards of what to buy for the 190e LE 1.8 to fit the m103 2.6 in ive found mounts ecu and harness but im unsure how many mounts and of what type ive found 2 types

 

[Bellow]

Ive read that you can remove it and weld it back on

I think, there is a bolt in possibility but I've no objection to welding the original. It's just something that came to mind from reading posts on this topic in the past.

can you help me in regards of what to buy for the 190e LE 1.8 to fit the m103 2.6 in ive found mounts ecu and harness but im unsure how many mounts and of what type ive found 2 types

Nope, afraid not. Carat 36 is your man for that. I'm only here banging the 'get the gearing right or regret it' drum. Again, I'm unfamiliar with what's available re FD ratios but any engine swap I imagine has that consideration front and centre.

 

[tomgrayson13]

I think, there is a bolt in possibility but I've no objection to welding the original. It's just something that came to mind from reading posts on this topic in the past.

Nope, afraid not. Carat 36 is your man for that. I'm only here banging the 'get the gearing right or regret it' drum. Again, I'm unfamiliar with what's available re FD ratios but any engine swap I imagine has that consideration front and centre.

j think the fd i have is 3.07 how is that in regards to the i6?

 

[Bellow]

j think the fd i have is 3.07 how is that in regards to the i6?

I don't know. This aint my project and I've my own to research. Detail like this is best not overlooked.

 

[carat 3.6]

Ive looked and its a 300mls journey for me but as all goes if i go v8 ill need:
Engine (s500 m113)
Gear box (716.634)
Mounts for both
exhaust system
Wiring loom
Drive shaft ?
Axels ?
Diff ?

As for a m103 ill need:
Engine
Loom and ecu
2.6L mounts
Fly wheel

Can i ask a few seeming stupid questions
As for v8 first how do i make the mounts is there anyone wholl have one i can copy?
and how do i go about swapping something rhat big 1.8 to 5L is huge and feels so daunting to do comparednto the m103 like id much prefer the v8 but i dont know if ill be able to swap it

As for the m103 just whats the loom and ecu i understand what it is but where is the cut off and how do i add it to my car
Cheers for all your help so far

You need to be able to weld ideally to do the mounts on a v8. In my case I hang the engine and gearbox in the car where you want it to be, then mock up the required mounts using bits of cardboard. Next using the card template you've made fabricate them from steel plate. Believe it or not the m113 engine isnt much bigger than the engine you have now, modern engines are much more compact than the older units. Audi v8's being a good example where the bottom of the block is the size of a sheet of A4 paper.

On your 190 the engine harness has 2 large plugs hidden under the fuse board which connect it to the rest of the car, those plugs are where you make your connections.

I’d be interested to know the weight difference between an M103 and a M113 - might be surprising as the 103 uses a cast iron block and the 113 is all alloy AFAIK.

For an M103 conversion you might need to look at a few other items - fuel pumps (your 1.8 M102 will only have one?), and radiator etc too, probably rev counter and a few other things like that?

M111 Kompressor engine seems a popular swap these days - have a look at some of the W201/190E groups online or on Facebook etc?

Weight difference isnt alot, but the key thing is the weight is further back with the v8. The m111 engines are worth considering, even just a normal 220 from a w124 is noticeably quicker over the 1.8 m102 and is the simplest upgrade you can do.

Yeah tbh i think this time around im going with the 103 because the car already has fuel issues and although i have the money i dont have the time to do everything i need for a v8 swap i dont think can someone point me in the direction of the 2.6L mounts how many i need and which flywheel and loom to get

Are you keeping the car auto or manual? If you want to stay auto an m104 engine is also a possibility.

Doesn't the fitting of a six require a different slam panel?
I'm returning to the final drive ratio. If - I don't have the numbers - the 4cyl diff has gearing too short for the six, unless you are building this car as a sprinter, the results could be very disappointing. This aspect considerably magnified if the V8 is pursued. A short geared large capacity V8 will have the thirst of Ollie Reed.

The removable slam panel on the 2.6 body does make life easier, but it's not essential. If you remove the viscous fan and have an engine crane with enough height the 6cyl will squeeze through, you do need to have the engine hanging at a hell of angle though! His car should have a 3.07 or 3.27 diff ratio which will be fine with a newer gearbox, mercedes standardised the ratios on the newer cars so the 6 speeed gearbox has really low ratios to work with the auto diff.

I had a 3.91 diff with an om606 and cdi 6 speed for a while, you could pull away in third on the flat!

 

[carat 3.6]

If your on a budget the easiest swap you could do is to find a rotten w124 220, the m111 from that is a direct drop in job. It uses all the same pipework, radiator, gearbox, everything.

This one was a 1.8 with a blown headgasket, customer supplied a 1995 w124 as the donor car and I used everything from that. It took some time to find an airbox that fitted, the cone filter was a temporary fix.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[poormansporsche]

I've driven a couple of 3.0 M103 converted Auto 190s. Not speed demons but thoroughly "nice". The M104 is better and the V8 would be epic but the M103 is definitely worth considering if the right donor car turned up on the cheap.

 

[Will]

I've driven a couple of 3.0 M103 converted Auto 190s. Not speed demons but thoroughly "nice". The M104 is better and the V8 would be epic but the M103 is definitely worth considering if the right donor car turned up on the cheap.

I think M103s either the regular 2.6 or a 3.0 were popular swaps back in the day (20 years ago). But a M111K is almost 200hp and there’s plenty of these out there for peanuts, I’m not sure a 30/40 year old M103 on K-jet is as appealing to fit in 2025?

 

[poormansporsche]

I think M103s either the regular 2.6 or a 3.0 were popular swaps back in the day (20 years ago). But a M111K is almost 200hp and there’s plenty of these out there for peanuts, I’m not sure a 30/40 year old M103 on K-jet is as appealing to fit in 2025?

Not wrong. I loved my m111 230k w202. It would certainly be something in a 190. Plus you always have the option to "turbo" later on.

As the way with these things it's whatever the best donor that turns up

 

[carat 3.6]

An m103 is great if it's running well, and respond well if you want to play with it. The issue now is finding a good one, most of the rotten cars have been broken for spares which makes finding a donor vehicle difficult. That's why your seeing more m111's being swapped in.

An early SLK makes a great donor vehicle at the moment, cheap, and no messing about with weird keys....

 

[poormansporsche]

An m103 is great if it's running well, and respond well if you want to play with it. The issue now is finding a good one, most of the rotten cars have been broken for spares which makes finding a donor vehicle difficult. That's why your seeing more m111's being swapped in.

An early SLK makes a great donor vehicle at the moment, cheap, and no messing about with weird keys....

Years ago, when I sold my very last 190 2.6 for a grand I chucked in a rotten but running 3.0 m103 complete W124 for 250 quid

Live and learn

 

[carat 3.6]

Years ago, when I sold my very last 190 2.6 for a grand I chucked in a rotten but running 3.0 m103 124 for 250 quid

Live and learn

As you say, you live and learn. I shudder to think about the amount of stuff I've scrapped and what it would be worth now, you couldnt give them away a few years ago.

 

[Will]

As you say, you live and learn. I shudder to think about the amount of stuff I've scrapped and what it would be worth now, you couldnt give them away a few years ago.

Those poor early donor SLKs will be ten grand cars one day!

 

[Pontoneer]

Doesn't the fitting of a six require a different slam panel?
I'm returning to the final drive ratio. If - I don't have the numbers - the 4cyl diff has gearing too short for the six, unless you are building this car as a sprinter, the results could be very disappointing. This aspect considerably magnified if the V8 is pursued. A short geared large capacity V8 will have the thirst of Ollie Reed.

Yes , you need the landing panel from a 2.6 ; it comes in 2 parts with the extended middle bit bolted in .

Of course it would be much easier to just start with a 190E 2.6 , which already has an M103 , and could be swapped up to an M103 3.0 or M104 300-24V with very few modifications needed .

I changed the 1.8L engine in my 190LE for the M102 2.3L engine out of a W124 and the difference was HUGE .

There are lots of guys over on the 190 forum who have done it

www.mercedes-190.co.uk

 

[poormansporsche]

Those poor early donor SLKs will be ten grand cars one day!

Good ones are definitely creeping up a bit of late.

I did a delivery a few months back and the customer had a really early absolute minter AMG kitted one in that banana yellow colour, it was strangely appealing........

 

[Pontoneer]

here's my old 2.6



and showing the M103

 

[Pontoneer]

Here are some shots when I did the 1.8 to 2.3 swap into my 190LE - the 1.8 had a head gasket problem - very common and not worth fixing as the 1.8 heads are of lesser quality than the other ones and it will happen again .

 

[Pontoneer]

And another folder showing more detail

 

[Pontoneer]

Another 20 - only allows 20 uploaded at a time

 

[carat 3.6]

Those poor early donor SLKs will be ten grand cars one day!

I'm doing my best to thin out the numbers for you...