1993 300E, how to tell if M104 is 3.2 or 2.8?
 

Hello,

I'm thinking of picking up a 1993 300E and was wondering how to tell if its really a 2.8 or a 3.2 just by looking at the motor?

Does the russian VIN decoder or EPC tell me which motor the VIN is registered to?

You can't really tell just looking at the motor, but if it has MB Tex rather than leather it's a 2.8. Leather could be either model. If it has no headlamp wipers it's a 2.8. But that's just for fun - the real way you tell is looking at the VIN - the 6th and 7th digits say either 28 or 32.

perfect explanation deanyel, thanks.

another question:

does a 1993 300E 3.2L ever come in astral silver color? I keep seeing a trend with the 93s where the blacks are all 3.2 and silvers are 2.8.

Of course they did; color never had anything to do with engine choice with MBs. The VIN tells all, but most cars have a sticker under the hood (on radiator crossmember sometimes) that has the catalyst information and the engine information will be listed on there as well.

i guess they are just hard to find then.

2.8 litre VIN for M104 is 124-028
3.2 litre VIN for M104 is 124-092

Engine
2.8 = M104942
3.2 = M104922

Engine number is on the block lower front passenger side

Anyone know when the Russian VIN decoder site will be back (if ever?)....it was a pretty useful site...

Not bad, except for the mistakes. A 092 is a wagon. A 3.2 liter 124 sedan is a 032. A 2.8 liter engine is a 104942 but a 3.2 liter is a 104992. Our VINs in the U.S. in this era start with five letters, e.g. WDBEA, followed by a two number model designation, which in this case happens to reflect engine displacement - 28 and 32.

If the badge just reads 300E, then it is a 3.2.

The 2.8 liter cars were badged as 300E 2.8.

If the badging says only "300E" then it's either a 3.2 or a 2.8 with the "2.8" emblem removed. I bought a new 2.8 in 1993 and the dealer actually asked me if I wanted the 2.8 emblem removed, and I said yes. At age 18 lots of them are missing by now.

i have a 93 2.8 with headlamp wipers...

Russian VIN decoder:

http://www.auto-parts.spb.ru/cat/cats/m.mycat?cat=mb&client=dr2000

Enter the VIN, pick the country, and in the upper right corner you'll see a link to Data Card. A lot of the option codes will be blank, but you can still run the codes through the old decoder pages.

Like leather the presence of headlight wipers is inconclusive. But the absence of headlight wipers is a 2.8.