300te 4matic diesel swap? which engine is best/easiest?
 

I have a nice condition 91 300te wagon with the 4matic that I would like to convert to diesel.. the 4 matic system is not functioning, and I don't really feel like ponying up the 2k plus to fix, so I'm going to ditch the system and go with a 2wd diesel setup.

since there was a diesel version of this car, I'm on the hunt for a wrecked 124 chassis TD to use as a parts vehicle.

I'm also considering another chassis to use, as it seems most of the 124s are still in pretty good cond., and fetching a fair buck.

my questions are
A) which engines are recommended and compatible?
B) has anyone done this?


thanks for any and all info!

It'd probably be much much cheaper and the car's value would be higher to just replace the gasser engine on that car. 300 engines are very easy to find, its one of the most sold models in MB's usa history.

As a diesel that car would have had a 603 diesel, quite hard to find and quite expensive.....it'd not be a small undertaking. And if the car has 4matic, I'd fix it! :D

nothing really wrong with the engine.. just the 4matic system. and the car is a pig.. like 15mpg in the city, 18 hwy.

I'm brewing WVO for straight use in a diesel, so the fuel savings will pay for the swap in a year. (I drive about 40k a year)
40k/18 mpg = 2222.22 gals fuel
2222 gals fuel x $3.15= $7000
WVO bioprocessed myself
40k/25mpg = 1600 gals
1600 x $1.25 = $2000

that's a pretty substantial yearly savings, and the biofuel doesn't cost nearly as much as I listed.

for some reason the value on these cars isn't all that great- the going rate seems to be about 2500, and with the 4matic not working, even less.

even so, the car is paid for. I really don't care about resale, just mileage, and saving fuel money.

I'd probably leave that car the way it is and just find an already-diesel car. That'd be a looot easier than converting over a W124 gasser wagon thats for sure.


Veg oil can destroy engines, keep that in mind.

Piston ring coking, compression loss. No start....rebuild. Weigh the risks.

I will never use it. Only dino diesel or commercial Biodiesel.

Their is a diesel 300TD for parts over in the parts forum that would work. It needs engine work, but it will have all the other parts you need.


Why not just do what everyone else does? Kill the FWD part of the 4matic, buff the car up and sell it on Ebay?

If I was buying a 4Matic (would be helpful around here certain times of the year) I'd surely want it to work.....

You would have to remove the 4matic system. The engine will not clear the front axle assembly. 4-matic 300D parts can be found, but they make W123 5-speeds look as common as rocks.

Check your local laws. Not only is WVO illegal, swapping an older engine into a newer car is also illegal and swapping gas to diesel would be very hard to register if it can be registered at all.

Actually that is pretty easy and common. There are many toyota pick-up trucks that get the gasser 22RE engine swapped for a 2-LT diesel engine. Fill out some paperwork and you can register the car + no smog check.

I read that the early 4matic systems were junk.

I'd buy a 2000 or newer, the old ones are pigs.

Ok, then I'd buy a new one....:D (I have no plans to buy one at all though.... ;) ) Rear drive is far more exciting in the snow! :D A posi-differential would be nice though.

Yeah tell me about it. I drove my uncles E350 4Matic, and you can still feel it a bit, he still got 25mpg going down to FL though. I really don't like AWD cars. IMHO the best AWD system is on the G35, its very rear biased so you can kick the rear out. The one Audi uses, and BMW's X drive are very smooth.

Since I live on the coast we don't get nearly as much snow as upstate CT. Usualy their are only a couple of days each winter where AWD would be nice. But I don't want to have to live with it for the 363 that I don't need it.

Having a locking rear, with ESP and ASR would really, really help in the snow. IMHO all the newer MB's are perfectly acceptable with this setup and RWD.

darn! my 450 is nearly finished with a 617!!! what am I gonna do now?? and how is WVO illegal again? Not in TN, and certainly not in Europe:D
we can save this earth from a destructive ice age if we all burned vegetable fuels. And that ice age (I know, yawn) isn't far away...
back to the topic, go on vacation to germany and get a diesel 4-matic. they exist, right? leave the plates on (they're not personal there) and ship it back. when picking it up at the port practice speaking with a german accent. "Ich wolte gern ferien machen und spazieren in Amerika".
drive the car to your house, swap it all including harness and junk the body.
Or: cut the vin, make the german car your ol' 4 matic TE. That's what I would do.

hypothetically of course.

Its illegal in the sense that you are burning a fuel that had no road tax on it. Tax free fuel, such as WVO or home heating oil, is illegal to use in your car on public roads/highways. BIG fines if you're caught and they feel like prosecuting you.

ah, ok so that's why it's not illegal in europe. there you actually pay road tax depending on weight of your vehicle, and what kind of fuel it uses...
I believe you are supposed to pay tax on wvo, but nobody does that of course. like here:D