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  #1  
Old 05-06-2011, 06:45 PM
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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?

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Old 05-06-2011, 08:00 PM
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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.
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Old 05-06-2011, 08:03 PM
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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.
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Old 05-06-2011, 08:38 PM
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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.
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Old 05-06-2011, 08:39 PM
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i guess they are just hard to find then.
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Old 05-06-2011, 10:46 PM
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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
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Old 05-06-2011, 10:48 PM
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Anyone know when the Russian VIN decoder site will be back (if ever?)....it was a pretty useful site...
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Old 05-06-2011, 11:51 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ivanerrol View Post
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
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.
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Old 05-07-2011, 10:54 AM
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If the badge just reads 300E, then it is a 3.2.

The 2.8 liter cars were badged as 300E 2.8.
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Old 05-07-2011, 11:13 AM
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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.
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Old 05-07-2011, 12:25 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deanyel View Post
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.
i have a 93 2.8 with headlamp wipers...
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Old 05-07-2011, 01:38 PM
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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.
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Old 05-07-2011, 01:53 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by biking4jesus View Post
i have a 93 2.8 with headlamp wipers...
Like leather the presence of headlight wipers is inconclusive. But the absence of headlight wipers is a 2.8.

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