W124 changing from petrol to diesel

[swannymere]

How hard would this be to do? I've got a W124 E300D Saloon with a decent engine and gearbox but a body that requires some investment to bring it back to life. I've seen a couple of W124 Estates with decent bodies and knackered engines on eBay recently, just how hard would it be for an average mechanic to move the diesel engine to the estate? What parts would i require?

 

[Smiley]

Nice idea but it is more than one engine out and one in. There is the whole fuel system; the electrics and loom are different, dash is different with different rev counter and glow plug light, glow plug electrics, gearbox and final drive ratios may be different; new osf wing for the air intake.......what a job.

 

[dinoy]

better off looking for an estate with dead engine or gearbox and fit yours in and keep the saloon for spares. be careful with facelift diesel engine is different from none facelift i assume u already know that

 

[grober]

Provided you have a complete donor vehicle of approximately the same vintage its possible. Will involve a lot more than an engine+ gearbox swap of course front suspension +engine mountings plus engine controls come to mind for starters. You will need some muscle to heave about that diesel engine gearbox combo too. Not sure its worth the heartache and the potential buyer resistance/doubts if you ever come to sell it?

 

[swannymere]

Thanks guys, much as i thought to be honest. It's a great shame as great spec. W124 estates with blown petrol engines come up often and cheaply, i guess i'll need to bide my time and wait for a dead diesel OM606-engined estate to come up.

 

[bolide]

You'd need a self-levelling pump. If I were going to do it I'd try and finagle a turbodiesel from an early W210 in there

Nick Froome
the independent Mercedes Estate specialists

 

[e320cdiowner]

If you find a car before 1993 then you dont have to change the wing. I have a 1986 e300D which I re_did the bodywork with the 93/95 facelift in 1996 and now is year 2011 and the body is still ok . Mind you I used a zinc primer on both sides of the panel.
so changing the affected panels will be a good option provided the right technics is used . I dont know a turbo will fit in a RH drive W124 but Nick Froome is the expert on w124 estates.

 

[Richard Elliot]

Maybe you should see this the other way around, remove parts from a donor car and fit them to your diesel - I am thinking of going down the same road, worth it for the interior alone

 

[swannymere]

It's the body on my 94 E300D saloon that's in need of work, that's why i'm thinking of doing this, the mechanicals are fine, i've just overhauled the fuel pump and fuel lines and plan on replacing the tensioner and engine and gearbox mounts just to bring back 'tightness'.
I want a S124 E300D's estate, but in decent condition and with a decent spec. they seem to go for almost double the price of the equivalent petrol, i've got the donor mechanicals from my current car all i will need is a new loom (probably going to have to get one for the saloon sooner or later, so no extra expense is really being occured) and also the 'pump' for the self levelling suspension, everything else should be transferrable from the saloon.

 

[LastMinute]

final drive ratios may be different

They are. Petrol vs. diesel and saloon vs. estate all have different final drive ratios. So putting a diesel saloon engine into a petrol estate body will also need a new diff to make it "right".

 

[Rob77]

... finagle ...

Thought that was a typo as I hadn't heard the word before. Not often I see a brand new word

 

[kth286]

a diesel has been put into an SL 129 car on one of these forums,so it is do-able

 

[krimat2005]

all i will need is a new loom

can I just ask what do you mean?? as far as I know that engine is mechanical, there isn't much of the loom except for glow plugs and few sensors.

 

[swannymere]

can I just ask what do you mean?? as far as I know that engine is mechanical, there isn't much of the loom except for glow plugs and few sensors.

The facelifted W124's had bio-degradeable wiring looms fitted which tend to go after 15 years (or so i believe!) so if i'm due to replace the one on my saloon when it goes i may as well just get a new loom to suit the diesel engine fitted to an estate.

 

[bolide]

The underbonnet engine loom on an E300 Diesel is conspicuous by its absence. Yes, there are a couple of wires running forward to temp sensors, but that's about it

The glowplug loom is stand-alone and very simple (six wires to the plugs) plus a couple going back to the main loom & binnacle from the relay

Nick Froome

 

[dinoy]

a diesel has been put into an SL 129 car on one of these forums,so it is do-able

surely that would depreciate the value of the car and make my slower, i know the conversions done w107 where not selling well afterwards