Both wagons. Would this be possible?

I suppose there might be quite a bit of engine control electronics that go along with that.

The '88-9x 300TE's are a hell of a lot cheaper and easier to find than the '87 diesels. But, get pretty low gas mileage in comparison. So why not the best of both worlds - great gas mileage and low cost?

BTW, I've located at low mileage '87 engine for damn near free.

4MATIC won't work with the diesel. Something about the front axle going through the oil pan.

Oh well, so much for dreams....(thanks for the info, re-edited my original post accordingly)

How about dropping the '87 TDT diesel into an '88 or later rear wheel drive?

I've thought about this project as well. I believe the only way it would work, requires that you source a OM603 4-matic oilpan and front differential assembly from a wrecking yard in Europe. I suspect they're rare, even over there.

At some point in the future, I'd also like to do exactly what your asking about in your second question. I'd like to find a nice '94-'95 E320 wagon and drop an OM603/606 in there. This requires a fair number of peripherals like the EDS computer, tandem pump, ignition switch assembly, gauge cluster, AND the diesel transmission. Essentially, you'll need both donor and upgrade cars sitting side by side in order to do this properly.

perhaps the oil pan from the 4matic could be modified to fit the 603.i thought about this myself.i currently own a 87 tdt and 90 300te 4m

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michael cole 1980 300SD gone now but not forgotten,87tdt,90 300te 4matic 95 e320 wagon

Well, that's not gonna happen, then....

I suppose if it was easily possible, it would have already been done - by hundreds of people.

I wonder why MB abandoned the turbo diesel wagon, yet kept on with the high mileage, high torque, sedans? Just doesn't make sense with Europe's love of wagons.

Since you own an '87(running on BD), could you give me some pointers on what to look out for regarding this year wagon?

I know the #14 head can be a problem and the #17 or #22 is preferred. Any other major repairs that need to be done between 175k-250k miles - trasmission, water pump, turbo, etc?

What kind of mileage are you getting on biodiesel?

I wouldn't want to own an early 4Matic. Nothing but trouble, buy a truck if the roads are that bad.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Wouldn't that make a killer car? But, you'd proably have to own your own repair shop because the labor costs would be nasty.


I noticed that more than few early 4Matics for sale have rebuilt transmissions or problems. Also found several posts on MB forums about the trani's. Thanks fo pointing that out. I was wondering why clean looking, fairly low mileage (for MB's), 4Matics had such low resale value - approx. $3k-$6k. far lower than the diesel wagons of the previous decade.

At the beach here in sunny Southern California? No rain, no snow, no sleet, no ice.

It's just that I make almost bi-weekly weekend snowboarding trips from Los Angeles to Mammoth Mountain during the winter (800 miles roundtrip). I need good gas mileage to and fro in order to offset the $70+ a day lift tickets. And AWD would really come in handy around the Mammoth town.

Not only do the front transfer cases cause problems, the front suspension wears faster.

Why not a late E320 4Matic, W210 wagon? Mileage will be about the same and the W210 wagons have a lot of room inside for stuff. The later 4Matic systems are much better.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

About what year did they solve the 4Matic problems? What ind of gas mileage do they get?

I personally prefer the pre-97(?) squared off front ends to the post 98(?) oval headlights and heavily slanted hood.

Before you buy any cars or parts for such a project, ensure that you can use the final result as intended.

Emissions laws are your enemy here. To perform a gasectomy here in IL, it appears that the patient would need to be at least 25 years old and would need have a "special construction" title after completion to licence it for street use.

Your home state almost certainly differs greatly.

In the late 90's the 4Matice system was sorted out.

A 2000+ W210 is a great buy. I don't see how you can go wrong with an 00-02. Expect mid to high 20's on the highway. The diesel might get 5mpg more at best.

This would be a nice ski car:
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=199938836&dealer_id=48515963&car_year=2002&mod_bookmark_id=null&num_records=&search_type=used&make=MB&model=E320&distance=25&transmission=&make2=sel_one&address=06460&advanced=y&certified=&max_mileage=&bkms=1152125629395&max_price=&min_price=&first_record=26&end_year=2007&color=&start_year=1981&drive=&isp=y&pager.offset=25&engine=&lang=en&fuel=&doors=&cardist=14

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Aaaah yes, but more than $12,000 out of my range.

Besides, I really don't like the look of that front end - too bug-eyed.

I'll just keeping looking for that rare '87 300TDT diesel to run on waste vegie oil. Mya bot be the greatest, but fits my budget just fine. Especially if I can find one with the head already replaced and trani rebuilt.