I've been looking around for a 124 body style 300TD, but they are scarcer than hen's teeth (only made in 1987) and really expensive when you find one. Most are in the 8-15k range, which is a lot for a 19 year old car. (I was too late for one listed on autotrader.com with 160k, went for $3500!!)

I've been wondering about the feasability of swapping a diesel engine and transmission into a 300TE, which are reasonably cheap and available. The rules here in California require that, for an engine swap, you use an engine from a car that is the same year or newer.

Would it be possible to swap the motor and possibly transmission out of, say, a 1992 300D 2.5 or a 350SDL into a 1992 300TE?

The coolest thing would be to swap a motor into one of the 4matic wagons. A Diesel 4 wheel drive wagon would be really fun..

Max Behensky

1982 240D (old reliable)
1992 300D 2.5 turbo (needs transmission repair)

I thought about the exact same thing for the same reason. My guess would be that the best thing to do would be to find a 300D W124 parts car and then take all the stuff out of that and put it in the wagon. I bet engine, tranny, wiring harness, instrument cluster, and on and on would have to be switched out. Finding someone who has already done it would make it much much easier. It would eliminate alot of head scratching.

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Doug

1987 300TD x 3
2005 E320CDI

You are looking for a real exercise in futility, you need the wiring harness for one thing. There is a lot of advantage to finding a diesel chassis for a diesel engine
In the 123 chassis its not so difficult to install an gas engine in a diesel or vice versa, I've seen it b4.
In the 124 chassis there is that electronics stuff, idle speed control, tach driver, etc all that would have to be changed over if you expected to have the same performance (things that work!)
Of course the best thing might be a 300TE with a 617 turbo diesel engine in it, and no electronic stuff!

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'95 E320 Wagon my favorite road car. '99 E300D wolf in sheeps body, '87 300D Sportline suspension, '79 300TD w/ 617.952 engine at 367,750 and counting!

There was a totalled 300TD for sale in Napa recently. By the last listing he was asking $7-800 for it.

Whatever engine you fit has to have an SLS pump. I don't know if the 2.5 is long enough to take a tandem pump.

IIRC California rules regarding same year or newer are specific to swapping engines that run on the same fuel. My understanding is that you have to run the emissions equipment for the newer of the engine or body. 32 Ford with 87 'vette engine should meet 87 'vette emissions requirements, 79 Camaro with 69 454 should meet 79 Camaro requirements. There are different rules for EV and LNG conversions which is more where a Diesel conversion would lie. I've never found those rules. I imagine it would be a headache to have to convince the DMV every couple of years that the car no longer requires a smog check because you know the system is going to keep putting that checkbox in your renewal form :/

Sixto
... stay tuned

The SLS pump is in the pwr steering pump in the 124 chassis so finding one of those is all that is necessary for the wagon if a 124 chassis. Its the 617 engines in the 123 and 126 chassis that use the SLS attached to the head.
So thats not an issue AFAIK as the pump exends back, not forward doesn't it?
Its true what Sixto said about Cal DMV, they are something to avoid if you live in CA. If elsewhere you may have a smog police that are worse, like taking samples of your tailpipe at freeway on ramps or in person annually. Burn some Bio and tell them to sniff it!
No, serioulsy - buy a diesel wagon that needs a new engine or one that haas a bad #14 head and fix it up and you will be ahead of trying to install a 603 engine in a gas wagon. Unless money is no object

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'95 E320 Wagon my favorite road car. '99 E300D wolf in sheeps body, '87 300D Sportline suspension, '79 300TD w/ 617.952 engine at 367,750 and counting!

Buy a nice 300TE, the diesel isn't that much better.


If you are hard over on doing a swap you would need to have a complete 300TD sitting next to your 300TE and a lot of time. There are simply to many things that are different.

I had a 420SEL sitting next to my SDL. MB changed an amazing amount of stuff between these very similer cars. Every single part under the hood was different. The entire cooling and electrical system is different. Under the dash its the same story. The entire drive line is also different. Its not as simple as sticking an engine under the hood, thats the easy quick part.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I brought this up because the 230TE (123 and 124) has the SLS pump in the head ala 617. The power steering pump is too close to the intake manifold to allow a tandem pump.

This sure looks like a head-mounted SLS in a 250TD to me. Might not be an issue with a turbo intake manifold.

Sixto
... stay tuned

Attached Thumbnails

 

!!!!!!!!!! Yes it is a SLS pupm!
And by golly that is right where the funny half-moon seal is on the 603 engines. I always wondered why they cut it out like that

Not having worked on a 250TD I can't say I've any experience. I know the delivery valve seals in the 602 are identical to the 603 O/W never saw one up close.
PS
Where did you find such a clean looking 240TD picture? Not on this side of the pond I bet.

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'95 E320 Wagon my favorite road car. '99 E300D wolf in sheeps body, '87 300D Sportline suspension, '79 300TD w/ 617.952 engine at 367,750 and counting!

Max,

Here's your donor car -

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/car/190092930.html

Offer $1500 for it. $1000 if the AC doesn't work.

Sixto
... stay tuned