Turning 190E into 190D?
 

Does anyone here have any experience converting a 190E into a 190D? What is involved in this process, besides the obvious work actually pulling the gas-engine and installing the diesel-engine, as well as swapping the wire-harness?

Is it possible to use the same fuel-lines and tank? Is the front-end different on dieselversions vs gasversions? I'm wondering whether the 190D-radiator will fit the 190E-chassis in particular?

Any input on this as regards interchangeability of parts and actual labour appreciated :)

i havent done but if you want to do it right start with a second complete car to do the swap. buy one with cosmetic issues and start switching everything over.

tom w

That's exactly what I plan to do (I have both cars already). To specify my questions a little bit, here are a few I'm particularly wondering about;

Donorcar; 84 190D automatic
Project-to-be-diesel; 89 190E 2.3 5-speed

- Will the diesel-radiator fit the gas-body?
- Can I use the manual gas starter for the diesel engine (keeping the manual)?
- Is the area where the fuelpumps and such are located, different on diesels?

I'd like to sort out as much as possible in advance in order to make a swift conversion...

i dont have personal experience with this model, bur from my experience with 123 cars i will make some general statements.

i would expect the radiators to fit. i would expect the rear ends to be different but interchagable. i would expect the starters to be different. i would expect the speedometers to be different. the fuel pump on a diesel is on the engine, on a gasser it is near the tank. the tanks may be the same with the difference in the fittings.

good luck.

tom w

Thanks for the input - all feedback is valued :)

I plan to use the complete drivetrain from the gas-car, as it has the 5-speed and ABS (incorporated in the differential), which is why I'm wondering about the starters. They are probably different between auto and manual though..

The reason I'm asking about the radiator is because I have a AC-condenser for a 190E that didn't fit my 190D - that might be due to the placement of the radiator rather than its physical size though?

Both 190Es and 190Ds have pipes going back to the tank from the engine, right? Probably interchangeable from the engine and to the fuelpump, but in any case I've got both complete, so if it doesn't work out I can just move all tubing from one car to the other.

Since I'm using the drivetrain from the 190E, I suspect I need to use the speedometer from this car as well, right?

wow sven, you ever get this project going?