Engine swap idea
 

I have a 81 240D and I love this car, minus I do a long high speed drive on the freeway almost every weekend(well not right now I'm deployed) and the mileage isn't that great, but then again it has 210,000 miles, and I have no idea about the previous maintenance done prior to me buying it. Since I don't have a lot to do during my down time ive been searching the web and I know about the updated om616 in india, they don't make much more power even turboed but the torque has increased, has anybody thought, planned, or tried to swap one in along with the 5speed trans, looking at images and the factory engine parts manual they changed the intake manifold design quite a bit. I've already contacted a supplier in india, but I'm sure its not gonna be cheap but a newer om616 designed for a turbo, I'm sure that horsepower can be increased easier, so I'm stuck between just putting money in my original engine(needs injectors, and leaks a ton of oil and also smokes quite a bit after idling, thinking it might be the injectors) or attempt this swap that could be legendary

I think you may run into import restrictions. The EPA has absurd restrictions that may make your plan unworkable. You may have to break down the engines and have them brought in in separate shipments as "paperweights", "artwork", "ballast", "solar panel stabilizers", "machine tool shim stock" or "quantum riffle matrix hold downs".

Shipping might be an issue too.

Import restrictions? It would seem engines get imported from overseas (a lot of Japanese motors come here) all the time. I think the issue is when cars requiring an emissions test to be done, the inspector verifies that it has the correct engine and emissions equipment in said vehicle.



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Mach4 is right. That engine, if it does not have the blessing of the EPA, will not make it past the border. If you somehow slide it into the US and the government finds out they will not be happy.

Look over at the Range Rover forums for real tales of woe. People who manage to get Euro market RRs in past customs get them seized by the government.

Much easier to find a wrecked/rusted out US market 300D with a OM617 (better yet a turbo 617) and install that engine into your car. Pretty much a drop in because the 123 body used both engines.

Welcome to the forum and thanks for your service.

I agree. The 617 with turbo or even not turbo will transform the car along with changing the final drive ratio into a quiet cruiser at highway speeds.

While I believe there will be problems, apparently someone has figured out how to get the Subaru Boxer Diesels into the country, and have been doing so for awhile - Boxeer - Subaru Diesel Engines Whether it's greasing the right palms, breaking them down into garden ornaments or some other means they've gamed the system....apparently.

I tried to get a Listeroid diesel once and those are banned, banned banned.

The boxer diesels...I have been dreaming up future builds that would involve one of those, but I have seen little about them. I'd be curious about some people's opinions of them around here...but that's for another thread.

Not sure about 2016 rules but circa 2006 my friends and I worked with an importer for multiple engines. I was part of a car club and we swapped the following engines into our cars.

Honda B18C5 (integra type r)
Honda B16A1
Honda H22A
Nissan sr20det from a Slvia (my old car)
Nissan sr20det from front drive bluebird

We could even buy whole front clips if we wanted. I'm pretty sure you can import any car parts you want. Just not whole cars.

Good info, but worth checking into - it would be a disaster to get them confiscated after buying them and paying the freight to get them here.

I'll be following with interest....

I think it somewhat depends on your state, too. Here in MA anything post-2001 definitely will not pass inspection without an EPA-approved setup... and older cars would fail if the shop noticed.

EDIT: Whereas in Cali, I think you're pretty much screwed.

This is because you have not read all the rules.

The EPA will allow you to import a brand new engine into the US, INTACT, if it is for an antique car.

I know this because there is a brand new (rebuilt) Citroen engine sitting in a crate in my basement, shipped from England. There is paperwork to fill out and there is a provision for shipping antique car engines in low quantity.

You might have issues getting 100 of them into the country, but not one.

I don't have the paperwork handy, but it's useful to carry the EPA reg with you to show Customs because they are not real well-informed. In fact, the customs form also includes this.

A good carrier to handle this is a company called Econo Caribe. Despite the name, they do handle this stuff.

Explain that you want to buy an engine that is for an antique car. Call up your seller and be sure that he/she knows it's for what American Customs considers to be an antique car as well.

Good luck! It takes about three months to do, have now done it twice.

Good luck getting one from India. I've already tried for a few years and zero bites. Tried "India-Mart" and nothing. I buy and sell parts, here and there, and this is some of the feedback received from various folks in India on this topic.

... "They stopped that facility in 2003 or 2004. During the 80s, it was very common to see cars getting dieselized for better economy. Diesel is subsidized in India. Most common engine swaps were done with Indian OM616 made by then Bajaj Tempo [Now, Force Motors] & Izuzu engines. The classic Morris oxford aka Hindusthan Ambassador was the common target. Most of them got dieselized during this era. But, nowadays, the economy has grown. Its a use & throw culture prevailing here with automobiles. No one is bothered of these kind of mod jobs. Again, Force Gurkha is a very very rare vehicle on Indian roads. The reason being, most of the people, i would say 99.99% prefer the Mahindra Thar [Simple, rugged Indian avatar of the original Jeep Wrangler] over Force Gurkha. ... Even if you can manage a new engine from the dealer, you would need a consent letter from the RTO [Road transport Officer] to grab it. ... "

So, the hurdles I see are 1. Not sure there are many viable donors out there, 2. Even if you found an engine, "who" will act as your agent to move it from point A to B, 3. What happens if you get a clump of metal? 4. What price point is a deal?

Good luck on your search. CoPart started buying and selling cars in India but not sure the infrastructure is up and running to get cars shipped yet.

I stand corrected then. I was thinking of the RR guys who were trying to slide Euro RRs in to the US. I think what tripped them up was they were trying to play the antique rule. I heard one story where they had something like a 2006 and they claimed it was a 91 on the paperwork.

If you're thinking of the story where the feds did a naitonwide sting where they went around and impounded Defenders, those people have all had their cars returned and charges have been dropped...

But yeah, there have been some issues with fake vins etc.

A guy on BangShift imported a Land Rover Diesel drivetrain in the past couple of years. It was pricey but I don't recall him saying that it was difficult from a legal standpoint (but he IS a lawyer). As I recall that project is on hold and for sale, needing only some wiring to complete it.

Dan