Hello All.

I have a 1986 190E 2.3 5 Spd. Manual trans.

I want this car to be FAST. This is my baby, and I have had her for 3 years now, made MANY modifications, made her into a showcar basically. But, unfortunately, she is still unbelieveably slow.

I was wondering if there would be any way to switch a SLK engine into this car, making it a 6 spd manual?

I do not want to put a non-benz engine in my car, and I WILL not switch to an automatic trans.

If anyone has any ideas for engine swaps or other mods to increase speed, please tell.

Thanks
Abby

Anything is possible, as long as local laws permit it.

in souther california, you will have a hard time with local smog laws by putting different engines in different cars.

I think the law here states that if you put another engine in an older car it has to be an engine that came with another year of the car, but cannot be older than your year.

I am not sure on this though.

I do know someone has put a 560 engine ina 190E. It might be possible to get a C36 Engine with a Manual Tranny from a European version if they made them like that. That would make the car a real screamer if you ask me.

The SLK Engine might work. If I was going to do an SLK Engine, I'd use a kompressor of course.

I'm not a tech, but I dream of dropping a C36 engine into my 300CE. For my car the C36 engine should fit without a problem (same basic block I believe, but then wiring, tranny, diff, etc might all have to be worked on to make it all work right. either that or I'd have the thing complete rebuilt and bored and tuned by a tuner.

Alon

__________________
'92 300CE - Sold
2004 C240 - 744 - C7 Wheels - Android Radio
2002 C320 - 816 - Sport Wagon

Abby

Consider a 2.3-16. Stock it will run 143.5 mph. Remove the mirrors, hood star, stuff the antenna and run a 195 series tire and it will top 155. The engine swap is not easy and you'd be better off buying a 2.3-16. If you do the swap you need the body kit to keep the car on the ground at triple digit speeds. Note that the US engine is 167 bhp and the euro model is 185 bhp.

[Edited by Robby Ackerman on 06-21-2001 at 10:28 PM]

One other option is a 2.6 liter conversion for your existing engine. Bekkers (www.bekkers.com) sells a stroker engine rebuild kit for ~$3500 which they claim is good for 180 HP. Just a thought.

__________________
Glen Tokuhara
Beauty & the Beast and the wagon that could!

Last week I saw my shop drop a used 300E engine into a 190E/2.6 chassis. I don't know the end results though. I will check with them to see how it turned out.

Primo

I know of someone who put a 3.2 litre MB motor in one and it screwed and was serviceable at the dealer. Check out the 190revoltion website...I believe his black 190 is there and you can contact him on the details...it must have cost a bundle though...I also had a nice 2.6 190 that I wanted to beef up but decided to drop the money on a 500E. No regrets. Let us know what you do. Peace

We dropped a 1995 C36 engine & drivetrain into a 1988 300TE wagon.

In California, you can install any engine *system* as long as it's the same year or a later year, from any manufacturer, as long as the engine is CARB certified, and you retain all emission components, including any computers.

I had to install the OBDII interface to pass CARB, and you must provide documentation of the engine.

Since your car is a 4-cylinder, you may have issues converting to a 6-cylinder (e.g., tach).

Glen's idea of the bored & stroked 4-cylinder is sounding better each time, or a 2.3-16V engine swap.

Best of luck,
:-) neil
1988 360TE AMG

Friend of mine has a 190E with a 3.0L from a 124 car and is still using his manual tranny. Guess it bolts in. Its a pretty quick little car with the 180bhp. Don't think the engine compartment required too much modification. Just a thought...

Mike
500SEC Euro
190E with Euro 3.8 (automatic but still fast!)

Just a clarification, when I said a "later" year, I mean the model year of your car and greater.

Yes, if you have the smaller M103 6-cylinder in your 190E, it is basically a bolt-in replacement to go to the 3-liter version of the M103 at 188 HP.

I've heard that the early M104 3.2 liters WITHOUT HFM, like the early 300CE can also be a fairly bolt-in replacement.

:-) neil
1988 360TE AMG

The 190 was delivered with the 2.6 M103 Engine which is, as pointed out by ke6dcj, the same engine as the 3.0 M103 Engine only with smaller displacement. This means that an engine from a 300 would fit in nicely. AMG also delivered a 3.2 litre model from 1992, which also basically was the same engine (M103).

The 16-valved engines are also a posibility, which leaves you with these options;

- Install an M103 Engine (2.6, 3.0, 3.2)
- Install a 16V Engine (2.3-16, 2.5-16)

However; Lots of tuners (among them AMG and Brabus( delivered 190s with 5.0 litre engines, and some even with the 5.6 litre engine. This would involve extreme modifications though! This leaves you with another option;

- Install large engine (4.2, 5.0, 5.6)

Or, you could look at newer engines like the M104 (also pointed out by ke6dcj), which basically is the same as the M103, only with 24V instead of 12V. These engines are however more complicated, and also have a reputation of not beeing too solid..


My point is that there are lots of possible ways for you to go, the easiest way is to use any of the engines originally delivered in the W201-body; The M103 or the 16V engines...


Good luck!

Regards

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::: Sven :::

http://home.no.net/shvoldum/Sigpic.jpg

Robby: How are you able to get 143.5 / 155+ out of your 2.3-16? Is it a Euro with the different rear end ratio? If not, my (stock, except K&N / no cats) US '87 2.3-16 with the 3.27 final drive (I believe) seems to top out around 130 (I'm usually backing off @ 127 as it's getting REAL buzzy around 6k). I'm missing something...

Paul
'87 190E 2.3-16
'98 ML320
'58 TR3A
'99 Arctic Cat ZR500

I have a mostly beautiful, low mileage 2.3-16 that has rust problems affecting the rear fenders and suspension. The engine was rebuilt at 83K (don't ask). The a/c is completely new and the suspension has just been changed to eliminate the self-leveling hydraulics (190 2.6 Sportline shocks + Eibach rear sway bar). I have decided I can bear no more financial pain and have to chose between this car and my E420+.

Perhaps you should buy my car and graft it with yours. It is, other thanthe rear fenders, cosmetically gorgeous, has a limited slip diff, and runs VERY well.

__________________
Charles Cleaver
1975 350SE + 1992 300CE-24 SportLine 5-speed + 2002 SLK320 6-speed + 1974 W114 280
1986 190E 2.3-16 (Decomm rear self-leveling suspension; Euro-code headlamps) sold
2004 Audi S4 6-spd - sold
1969 (2) and 1980 Porsche 911T, S, and SC - alas gone
1987 300SDL - Graf Spee; Euro-code headlamps; 16-inch 8-hole wheels - sold
1994 E420+(E500 suspension/E-code headlamps/PAD chip) sold
1968 250SE 4-speed (NICE car) - long gone
1962 220S 4-speed/column mount - long gone

Paul

yes it is a Euro. 10.5 compression ratio, 7,200 rpm rev limiter, 2,607 lbs, 4.5" ground clearance. I don't know the rear axle ratio. The book says it will run 129 in 4th gear. That sounds about right because at around 110 mph I'm turning 6,000 rpm in 4th. Nothing buzzy about the car. The rear feels light but the spoiler keeps it on the road.

Robby

Hey Robby-

You're Euro sounds great, shoot me an email pic if you've got some. 3rd for me is 85 tops, 4th has to be somewhere around 110-115. What an enormous difference!

Paul