so im thinking of picking up a 97 S500, car needs an engine. the guy says only 4 of the 8 cylinders are firing. just wondering if there are other known problem areas with these cars. was thinking of picking it up and swapping the engine. car has a clean title. the body and interior are prettyclean. just dont want to get head over heels on this project. thanks for the help.

u should try to understand what si the prob of the engine first, sometimes can be a simple fix.
2nd these cars can be very engine specific, some says the ignition tumbler has to be matched or else computer wont fire. Dont quote me on this.
The more newer the more convoluted there is.

3 rd the gas is cheap for now, what would u do if it goes up again?

a 500 nonetheless will always be a hog. easy to get in but hard to unload too.

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This is most likely either the ignition coil or the ezl[ignition control unit].
If the engine runs, just check to see if one coil is working by unplugging it. The only two major mechanical things that go wrong with a m119 is the timing chain and the headgasket by cyl. 7-8 from the fuel pressure regulator failing.

The 1997 models have coil packs, so there's no distributor/wires. If the engine is only firing on four cylinders (you don't mention which four) I would be looking at something more nefarious, such as the engine wiring harness being shot.

The W140 is a very complex car so it may be worth it to have the car towed to a dealer or indy shop and having a pre-purchase inspection done. It will cost you a couple hundred bucks, but you will be going into the deal with your eyes wide open.

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"It's not about how fast you can go, but how well you can go fast."

Bob in Richmond

'97 S320 (LWB), Ruby Red Metallic, 73k miles
'97 S420V, Smoke Silver Metallic, 155k miles

Never trust the seller, and how does he know it is running on for four. Some engines are married to their electronics, where are you going to get a good engine, and are you capable of doing a swap?