same goes for the output yoke on the tranny if you are planning on taking it apart. It HAS to be easier than trying to do it with the tranny on a bench. Most stuff is easier when not down under but not this one

__________________
'82 300SD - 361K mi - "Blue"

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

listen, look, .........and duck.

I have the engine mostly prepped for the swap, and have read all the threads which recommend pulling the engine/tranny out as a unit. My problem is that the kid who sold me the donor car said that the transmission wouldn't hold his car on a hill in park. That's why it rolled downhill into a minivan, and ended up in my backyard. The motor on the junker is recently rebuilt, and is just beautiful.

The transmission in my target car is known-good, hence the problem.

Should I pull both the donor motor/tranny and the junk motor/tranny as units, then swap the transmissions while they are out? Or would it be easier to leave the known-good tranny in the recipient car, and bolt the donor motor to it?

What aspects are more difficult if I decide to leave the tranny in the car?

RSCarey

IMO - Pull the target car first (motor and tranny).
Separate trans and motor.

Pull donor car (motor and tranny).
Separate trans and motor.

The time spent getting these trans to separate from the motors
while in the car far exceeds the time it takes to just pull the whole thing out.

This is just my thoughts. Once I finally commited to pulling as a unit it
just moved along in the shop.

Separating trans in car requires dropping the trans support at rear,
gott do this anyway to pull both.
If you do get trans separated and take out only engine..... you have to support the front of trans. And you would have to do it for two cars.

Are you leaving two cars in place and moving cherry picker/engine hoist
between the two cars ?
OR
Leaving the engine hoist more-or-less in place and pushing one car in,
doing the pull, pushing the second car in, pulling then replacing ?

I had to do a single stall push the cars around method.
They had to roll easily and the hanging trans would not have worked.

__________________
80 300D 340K Owned 30 yrs
83 300SD 440K Owned 9 yrs - Daily Driver 150mi/day
02 Z71 Suburban 117,000
15 Toyota Prius 2600 miles
00 Harley Sportster 24k
09 Yamaha R6
03 Ninja 250

ONE MORE THING RSCarey......
Did you get that car off craigslist ?

I seem to remember a long thread about a car that rolled down a hill
and smashed into minivan.

__________________
80 300D 340K Owned 30 yrs
83 300SD 440K Owned 9 yrs - Daily Driver 150mi/day
02 Z71 Suburban 117,000
15 Toyota Prius 2600 miles
00 Harley Sportster 24k
09 Yamaha R6
03 Ninja 250

I did buy the car off of craigslist. I bought it from a guy in Spring Valley (east of San Diego) for $500.

It has 25k miles on the rebuilt motor, and a nearly-new interior. It looks like there is a brand new cam, new vaccum lines, and new hoses.

Once I finish the swap, which I am doing outside in the dirt, I might part it out as the rear of the car is pretty thrashed. It hit the minivan hard enough to bend the throttle linkage!

It only rains 10 times a year--only on the days I want to work on my Benz.

RSCarey

I just wanted to post a few picts I took during the ongoing engine swap. What I learned more than anything is how much I hate working in the dirt!

The dead motor has been removed, the donor motor has been pressure washed, disconnected, and prepped for removal. I better finish this project soon, or will be undertaking the services of a divorce attorney.

I've also attached a pict of the bent linkage (longitudinal regulating shaft, I think it's called in the book). I'm not sure whether I should replace the mounting bracked as well. The whole apparatus seems a bit cockeyed to me.

Opinions?

RSCarey

Attached Thumbnails

     

That throttle shaft should be straight, but it is at an angle,
so it looks funny. I bent mine up thinking I was straightening it.
That was a mistake.
If the bushing holding the throttle shaft at the firewall is not good,
then replace it. If it looks torn up at all.

Another poster had a bad day last week and mentioned that his relationship was straining under the pressure of having to also repair his ride.
Maybe we need a special forum for the wives.
My wife recently asked me if she should cover herself in motor oil to make me more interested.
I assured her that would not help.
But we reached a conclusion together:
Working on my car is better than any kind of mis-behaving she could think of.
1. She knows where I am.
2. I do get a certain self satisfaction from doing the work.
3. It sometimes costs a little, but having the extra car helps.
So now I am allowed to work without interruption when I need to.
She has realized that she is not competeing with the cars.

__________________
80 300D 340K Owned 30 yrs
83 300SD 440K Owned 9 yrs - Daily Driver 150mi/day
02 Z71 Suburban 117,000
15 Toyota Prius 2600 miles
00 Harley Sportster 24k
09 Yamaha R6
03 Ninja 250

We pulled the donor motor today. What a chore! The force of impact bent all kinds of things, which made the project more challenging.

The steering was bent so as to prohibit access to the most inconvenient fasteners, and the engine shocks were a PITA. Even with the nuts off, then wouldn't let the engine be lifted. The washers and threads held the entire 617 in place. A few whacks with a ball peen, and the motor popped right out.

Ask me how much I love the $21 load handler I got from Harbor Freight (a great forum tip).

The whole motor had been over tightened. Every fastener was a struggle. The line to the oil pressure gauge had to be cut because the hollow bolt connecting it to the oil filter housing is destroyed due to overtightening. Stripped beyond belief. At least it's out of the car where I can doctor on it.

Other than those two things, it was a fun and productive day on the BenzFarm.

RSCarey

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If you haven't adjusted your boost yet, now is the perfect time to get in close and see how the cap retainer spring works.

Please pardon my ignorance, but could you elaborate?

RSCarey

In the picture is a pod that the tube goes to. The pod has a cap kept in place with a round spring/clip. A small flatblade screwdriver is needed to work it out of it's groove.

It can be tricky to do it in the car. With the engine out, you can get your face up to it and see it better.

A search will tell you exactly how to adjust it. If you don't feel like adjusting it, a manual boost controller can be installed.

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Thanks for the 411.

RSCarey

thanks for the thread, I'm getting ready to drop a new (junkyard) engine into an 85 300sd with a thrown rod.

I'm just glad I'm not going to have to pull the donor engine.
on the removing the torque converter bolts, should they be pulled thru the starter hole as with the american cars I've done before or can you get to them thru the inspection hole where you drain the torque converter?

126 chassis easier than the 123 due to the longer hood?

thanks guys.

karl

There should be an inspection cover on the front of the mounting plate for the tranny. Remove the cover (if it is still in place) and you can then remove the torque converter fasteners.
IMO 126 does provide a little more access than the 123.

__________________
Jim

After several grimy days, my friend and I finished the motor swap on Sunday.

Man, what a difference! We must have fixed 1000 things along the way, hybridizing as we went. A bunch of non standard hardware fixed, and many over-tight fasteners adjusted or replaced.

The new motor wakes up from a dead sleep in 1/2 turn, and purrs like a kitten, and runs like there's no tomorrow.

Thanks to you all for your support and help in this MASSIVE project. A Barney like me couldn't have done it without the tips and advice.

Now, if only I could get that damned glove box to work...

RSCarey