My 1980 300 SD was in a small crash but it ruined the front clip. The body is all ready ruff dents dinks ect. The motor just had a valve job and is strong. I have a 1979 300 SD with a perfect body but worn out motor and transmission. I was going to cut the clip off the 1979 and put it on the 1980 but there’s more damage than I thought. So now I am thinking of putting the 1980 300sd motor and transmission in the 1979 300sd these things are never as straight forward as one would like. Does any one know of any drop dead reasons this can’t reasonably be done. If there are no known reasons it can’t be done do you know little things I should be aware of before I try this engine swap. Do you really need a engine hoist that swivels ? Thanks in advance and while I don’t post much I have read this board nightly for years it’s been a huge help. NUTS ABOUT MBZ DIESEL

Matt,
It should be a pretty easy swap. If I am not mistaken the '79 intake/exh manifold do not have the egr - use them. I would suggest replacing the front/rear tranny seals and if I had to do it over (when I put the ebay engine/tranny in my 300D) I would have replaced the front/rear seals along with the oil filter housing and injection pump gaskets. Lot easier to get to when they are out.
Take you time and you should be fine.

__________________
Jim

Thanks for your input I just noticed the lack of the EGR valve on the 1979 and am very pleased to be rid of that.

after rebuilding the head,injectors,starter,altenator,replacingthe upper oil pan and finding out the new one has no hook up for the blow buy oil to crank case hook . And a million other problems. The engine is FINALY in the car. not hooked up but on the notor mounts. I am so happy at last the end is in site>
Dave

Mattdave,

My '80 300SD doesn't have an ERG valve. I don't think they were installed until the 126s were made in '81.

The only difference I can see between a '79 and '80 SD is the '79 has the knob inthe dash to increase the idle speed.

P E H

P.S. How does one do a valve job to a "MOTOR"?

Did the CA models have EGR in 1980? My most recent purchase
an 80 300SD has EGR and looks like the original engine.

My daily driver also an 80 300SD does not have EGR.

Glad your making progress mattdave! Hang in there you'll be glad you did.

__________________
1980 300SD Manganese Brown Metallic Clearcoat 248k
1979 300SD White 148 k
1984 300D Silver project car for daughter
1982 300D wrecked
1980 300SD 310K not running

That could be true that the '80 CA models had an EGR Valve. Leave it to CA to screw up everything.

P E H

How's about the glow plug system?? Somewhere around '80 they switched from loop plugs to pencil plugs. Bosch adaptor kits are available for upgrading loopers to pencil type.... but am unsure about how to retrofit pencil plug engine into loop style electrical system.

All the Turbo engines had pencil type GP.

P E H

Ah, but did all 116 SD cars have turbo engines??

Diesel Dog,

All the Diesel 116 had turbos. The gasoline 116 were not turbos. First Diesel SD was a 116 in '78.

P E H

Thanks, am always glad to learn something new about MB production runs. Btw, the first "S" class diesel was actually the 170SD produced from 1953 to 1955 - replete with flared fenders, suicide doors, traverse single leaf spring front suspension, pedal activated kingpin suspension lubricating system....... am amazingly advanced automobile of its time.

The car is not finished yet but I could have never done it with out all the help I got from this forum. A very big thank you to all of you for your patience and help! There were many threads regarding this project. One major difference between the 1979 and 1980 is on some 79 models they vented the blow by gasses right to the turbo inlet therefore there is no second pipe going into the upper crank case to return the oil to the pan. The search feature was a lot of help although in some cases the information was just plain wrong but then how many people have had to change a upper crank case this car had every bizarre problem you could think of. I should note it was bought off eBay sold as a daily driver. Lets see top speed 50 mph new tires so corner worn steel belts showing tie rod so bent it was amazing 9 degrees of chain stretch and on and on.
Now I pray it starts in a few days when were ready to fire it up. The motor is now %45 1979 %45 1980 %10 this and that. The big news is it’s in the car tranny stuff still needs to be hooked up but the end is near.
Thanks Dave

DieselDog,

I'll have to admit, I never heard of a 170SD. Got any pictures? Were they imported to the USA?

You call suicide doors, flared fenders, traverse front spring, and kingpins advanced? All the American manufactures discontinued all of these years before. I think MB was actually way behind the times in the 50s and early 60s.

That 170D must have been super slow. My first MB was a '59 180D. It had a 36HP pushrod Diesel engine. Every truck on the road could pass it on a hill. Used to run it on Kerosene that was 14.9 cents a gallon.

P E H

The 170SD was super slow. It had a 40HP OM 636 4 banger with a top speed of 60MPH. It would get 38 MPG though.170SD info
-Joe

__________________
'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.