Today I'm leaning over my engine in my girlfriend's driveway when her Dad walks by and says jokingly "what are we breaking now?" I have spent a lot of time fussing with this car and now it is once again beginning to leak oil on his driveway (sigh). So he comes up with the idea of finding a junked w124 with an m103 engine that's in good shape (as far as the block is concerned), and replace all the gaskets, hoses, and any other repairable items on this junked car, get it running perfectly, then swap the engines into my current pristine looking, crappy running 87 300e. Says he used to do it with old VW bugs every weekend. I am forced to buy a junker car to obtain the engine because unfortunately I only have 1 car right now, which I need every day.

Is this something to consider? Is it economical at all? Granted, I would do it more for the experience than anything else, but what would a junked w124 with a solid engine and all the wear and tear parts for the engine cost? (shudder)

Is it even possible to find a junked w124 with a solid engine? maybe a bad rear-end accident?

The more I think about it, the more I like it, but I'm probably not thinking rationally. It would mean daily posts on my part about many, many different things. (just warning everyone)

What does everyone think about this? Any experiences of this nature?

p.s. I am fairly mechanically inclined, but have never attempted something this complex, my girlfriend's dad is a 30 year+ mechanic and willing to give some (emphasis) SOME assistance.

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headrivenoise... listen.

To begin with VW engines are a dime a dozen. That approach is not practical on your car unless your engine is totally trashed.

I don't think that I would replace engine over an oil leak. To begin with, where is the oil leak? Most likely it is the upper timing cover gasket and relatively easy to fix. The next most common source of an oil leak is the head gasket, but not near as likely.

If you will be specific about the ills of this car, the odds are we can point you in the right direction and get it back in shape with some work on your part. I fully expect it to be much less complex than changing engines.

The bottom of these engines from the engine deck down last virtually forever if oil and filter are kept changed. In most cases the most that needs to be done mechanically is to do a valve job and replace the head gasket.

Find where the oil is coming from. You may have to wash the engine to find the leak. Then also tell us what is not right about the engine or how it runs, and let's get to some diagnostic.

Good luck,

Hi,

I have an 87300tdt that developed a nasty, unrepairable head problem that was going to cost thousands to repair properly. On top of that, the car had 171,000 miles on it, so other items on the engine were likely to need repair soon. Calling around to a few salvage yards yielded a complete engine with starter, injection pump, alternator, flywheel for $1100.00. Considering that most reputable yards will give you a "if it doesn't work, bring it back "
warranty, it seemed like a good deal. It seems as if you are pretty handy with repairs, so an engine swap shouldn't be too hard, especially if you have help. As it turns out, my "new " engine has been running fine for four years with no oil consumption between changes, and I got a bunch of spare parts as backup. Of course there is the risk of getting a bad engine, or one that needs some repairs but if you do the labor, all you risk is time. If you are concerned about keeping your car original though, spend the big money and have your engine overhauled.
If the only problems your engine has is leaks, consider having it re-sealed by a good shop. It will cost you some money, but a lot less than a complete overhaul.

As a 30 year professional technician, I can't tell you how crazy your proposal sounds. You can't fix a leak on your motor so you replace it. To me that is like saying you got a zit on your nose and are considering a face transplant.

Now if you could get a whole new head I might consider it!

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Steve Brotherton
Continental Imports
Gainesville FL
Bosch Master, ASE Master, L1
33 years MB technician

If you must, you could 'pretend' to swap engines. Just take the engine out of your car, replace all the gaskets and hoses, and put it back. This'll work if you truly believe you'll save time by having the engine out of the car. But I'll stick with the others above and say it's a crazy idea.

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95 E320 Cabriolet, 169K

You don,t need to take the engine out to replace some leaky gaskets.
You said you needed the car and can not afford to have it parked for a few days when you do the repairs. Why don't you rent a car for a week or two while you do the gasket job?
Your plans (buy a donor car and swap engines) are not economically logical. Assuming your front-end cover is leaking, having the job done by a competent technician would take less than a day....still cheaper than buying a donor car and do the job yourself.

If its an educated decision, it might make sense. But even that depends on the severity of the problems & the availability of the replacement engine. It sounds more like you're frustrated. If it were my car, I would figure out exactly what's wrong, how much $$ to fix, and how long the repairs will take. It will probably be cheaper to rent a car as suggested while fixing the repairs. It depends on your own circumstances and your mechanical abilities and collection of tools. Old VW's were air cooled & held in by 4 bolts. I'm told guys could pull the motor in about 20 minutes. Not so easy with a Mercedes.

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Brian Toscano

Unless the bottom end of the motor is shot, it's unlikely to pay.

It's difficult to estimate the condition of a salvaged motor. If you performed a head job on your motor (for instance), at least you would have a like-new head.

Before getting into transplants, consider not just the parts, but the value of your time carefully. This comes from a guy who has gotten in too deep many times, and blown out any possible cost/benefit balance.

You can sell out of a car that runs, but not one that is in pieces. Plus, it is very risky to perform major surgery on your daily driver.

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1986 300E 5-Speed 240k mi.

While I SHOULD be insulted by the VW engine comment, it's actually a pretty accurate statement...the cost of a NEW MB head would pay for the parts to build a VW race motor! And While I have a decent VW motor right now, I have enough top end parts for a second one (just in case).

Actually, we had engine pull contests in VW shows and the last record I remember (two-man team pulling it out, rolling it a few yards from the car, putting it back in and getting it running) was like a minute and a half!

Anyway, I digress...

You have an 87...as others have posted, there are several places that can leak in that engine...I believe age is your worst enemy right now, second only to high mileage. So failing ancillary components, leaky vacuum hoses, and the like, will contribute to poor running performance.

What you need is a full-blown diagnosis performed on the engine by a competent MB tech. More than likely, you have a series of small ailments that combined, appear to create a larger issue.

I stress COMPETENT tech, because you don't want someone who just thows parts at it until it starts running properly. Replacing parts unnecessarily can get quite expensive, so you only want to pay for expert diagnosis, and then the associated repair of said component(s).

And I believe you'll STILL be ahead $$-wise than looking for a good boneyard counterpart...

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2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car