w203 220/270 cdi to 400 cdi swap?

[pizdameti]

hey guys im new

asked this at benzworld board but no help there-

i see a lot of high mileage 220/270 cdi cars around europe for very low prices and i thought to buy one and drop in the om628 4.0 v8 diesel (the updated one without the chain clicking noise etc) .....how hard will it be? from size perspective, it came in w211 and considering there's c55...i guess its fit.

now , cdi's share the same 5 speed 722.6 trans, so that lives just electronics.....how compatible and interchangeable are they?

 

[R2D2]

I suspect that your lack of replies at benzworld is because no one will have tried it. The reality is that everything from engine mounts to plumbing to emission control systems to ECUs will need to be either fabricated or taken from a W211. IF it all fits you'll end up with a unique car that will be hard to insure but i guess it will be the only one.

 

[markjay]

As R2D2 said...

Large diesel engine in small/lightweight car may give rise to vibration issues - you will need hefty engine mounts at the very least. Keep in mind that the W203 AMGs were all petrol which is easier to bolt down at idle.

Also depending on why you do this - it will be an interesting car and a good challenge, but it will be anything but cheap to put together.

I've done engine swaps many years ago, i.e. transplanting an engine into a car that was not originally designed to have it, you end up fabricating lots of unique bits from alternator mounts to exhaust pipes to cooling ducts to air intake boxes...

One other thing - diesels were the relatively late to get autoboxes because up to recent years there were no autoboxes that could take the torque. Check the torque values well - or the engine will munch transmissions.

And don't forget to upgrade the brakes... and consider weight distribution - the Diesel V8 will be much heavier than a Diesel V6 or a petrol V8...

Good luck with it...

 

[gtvlusso]

Interesting concept:

Huge, heavy, over powered engine in lighter car chassis......has been done before.

1, Brakes will need uprating

2, Will the relevent gearbox fit in with the showhorn job - depends on chassis, I can imagine that the diesel V8 will be bigger than a petrol V8 + ancilliaries.

3, Engine mounts will need to be very tough

4, Understeer/handling will be affected - huge engine upfront is not gonna make corners very easy - see musclecar

5, diff/transmission with huge torque - change to a 55 rear axle?

Being honest, buy a C55......

If you are looking for a diesel with more torque and power, I would buy a standard car and have it remapped or look at getting a turbo the size of a dustbin fitted and remap.

There will be a reason why MB decided not to fit the C class with a V8 diesel, considering they fitted it with a V8 petrol.

 

[Doodle]

There will be a reason why MB decided not to fit the C class with a V8 diesel, considering they fitted it with a V8 petrol.

Yes, but possibly not the one you're thinking of.

The V8 diesel is aimed at the large luxobarge market, not really where the C-class is placed. However, fitting a V8 petrol engine to the same chassis makes sense as a performance flagship. Lack of market demand will have had a bigger say then technical feasibility here.

 

[Dieselman]

Keep in mind that the W203 AMGs were all petrol

Apart from the C30 AMG

The later V6 diesels generate greater output than a C30 though, so that's not an issue.
Fitting the lump in the space would be the biggest hurdle.

 

[markjay]

Apart from the C30 AMG...

Very interesting. Didn't know about that one... Googling it though:

Mercedes-Benz C30 CDI AMG SC | evo Car Reviews | Car Reviews | evo

Must be rarer than hens teeth these days?

And never been repeated...?

 

[pizdameti]

well. as dieselman said, i dont think the torque will be a problem. the c55 has 530 nm, the c32 has 450 nm, and the later 3.0 v6 cdi has 510 nm.
the w211 came with 270 and 400 cdi and i dont know about any difference in diff/rear axle between them. the trans is the same 722.6 with max torque of 796 lb/ft. if so, it within the capacity. brakes,springs etc is something i can get around.

so i guess the electronics & fab' work are the party popper's.....

 

[Deleted member 37751]

There was a C30 AMG for sale on Autotrader a while back, in fact there is a thread on the forum somewhere about the car.

 

[Uncle Fester]

One question that hasn't been asked is "why?"

Is there a particular reason for the big engine, instead of taking a 270 and rebuilding the existing engine (maybe with some performance parts) and getting it tuned/remapped?

It'll be cheaper and won't mess with the cars handling and you don't have to monkey with the electronics.

Not sure what the difference in performance will be though.

What sort of power can a 270 deliver once it's been tinkered with??

 

[timskemp]

The diesel V8 has never been offered in the cars in right hand drive, so i suspect it's not an easy fit (there was no S or E let alone c) - not heard of it elsewhere either.

But given unlimited funds I'd love to see what could be done with a V8 diesel in a W212 chassis, in a 203 it should be hilarious. And I wonder what they will tune to - 400ps/1000Nm?

 

[s88]

Aprils Merc enthusiast has a 400E diesel, sadly left hand drive only. USA and Japan!
(apparently quite cheap in Germany- autoscout24.eu)
car in the article is actually for sale.

Merc have been behind the times(snobish) in putting diesels in their large cars!

Personally I want a diesel CL??

 

[gtvlusso]

One question that hasn't been asked is "why?"

Is there a particular reason for the big engine, instead of taking a 270 and rebuilding the existing engine (maybe with some performance parts) and getting it tuned/remapped?

It'll be cheaper and won't mess with the cars handling and you don't have to monkey with the electronics.

Not sure what the difference in performance will be though.

What sort of power can a 270 deliver once it's been tinkered with??

Mine has 210BHP and 400nM of torque - that's after a remap. Standard engine otherwise.

However, I am doing a major service in the next couple of weeks, I will document it on here for those that are interested.