Hi All, would love to pick your collective brains.

I have a 1990 W126 300SE with a bad engine. I also have a salvage but running (well used to be running till I took the engine out!) 1993 W124 300D with the 2.5 liter Turbo-Diesel. You know where this is going of course!

I do VW TDI swaps all the time, and it's quite ordinary for me at this point, but this is the first Mercedes I'm attempting to swap to Diesel, and with an engine that was never installed in a W126.

Now here is the technical help I could really use:
I got the engine and harness out of the W124, and started taking out the harness out of the W126 - how do I get the thick harness out from under the windshield cowl area? It seems that one side goes into the fuse box and onto the engine, and the other side goes into the ground point and into the inside of the car, very different from the W124..

Any ideas for me? I'll post some more pics of the carnage tomorrow

W124 Donor


W126 receiver

you're beyond my experience in this swap. Any time you start to put an engine in a body it was never offered in you can expect an order of magnitude tougher problems.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

ALL the wiring should connect properly to the 2.5 except of course the glow plug harness, and controller.
swap over the motor mounts from the 3L and drop it in.
MB kept the rear locations same on the 2.5, so the trans and driveshaft SHOULD be same, but likely some adjustment or lengthening of the driveshaft may be needed.

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

I did exactly this... except on a w140, which also never had a 602. The only things I modified/fabricated are the engine arm/mounts. And finessed the front crossmember to clear a small part of the oil sump. I didn't move the transmission in any way.
Hope this helps.

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85 190E 2.3(SOLD)
86 230E (-->300D) sold
87 300D (-->300TD) sold
68 250S w/ a 615 and manual tranny (RIP)
87 300TD (SOLD)
95 S280 "The KRAKEN" (Turbo 2.9 602 transplant) traded
86 190E 2.3... current project

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/tech-help/325855-anybody-have-pics-w140-empty-engine-bay-fit-turbo-om602.html

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85 190E 2.3(SOLD)
86 230E (-->300D) sold
87 300D (-->300TD) sold
68 250S w/ a 615 and manual tranny (RIP)
87 300TD (SOLD)
95 S280 "The KRAKEN" (Turbo 2.9 602 transplant) traded
86 190E 2.3... current project

Thanks all! I'm doing this in the spare time, so I'm not far into it yet. Currently, I'm trying to figure out how to take out the wiring harness out from under the cowl. any tips?? It's such a pain.