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Opinions on Swapping 300D Engine

Hi all,

I have two Mercedes 300Ds. One with a bad engine but o.k. body and one with body damage but a nice engine. I plan on swapping the engine from the damaged body/chassis to the undamaged.

At the crucial moment when the engine is sitting in a hoist and the recipient car is partly torn down I start wondering if there are any little gaskets/connectors/widgets way down deep in the engine bay that I should fix while I'm in the vicinity. If this were a scuzzy old truck (which I'm more used to) I'd be replacing rear main seals and everything in sight during the transfer. For a smoothly running 300D I'm not so sure I need to do anything special. I considered doing an engine rebuild even though the engine runs fine (sort of a "preventative repair") but that seems too expensive to do before it's required. (The good engine has 300,000 miles and runs great the good body has 240,000 miles.)

My mechanic suggests I'm overreacting and should just swap engines and be done with it. I'm sure he's right but like to make sure I'm not missing any opportunities.

Any words of wisdom?

Shadowjoe

Reply to
shadowjoe
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Replace the oil filter housing-to-engine gasket, turbo oil return tube seals, crank seal front, vacuum pump-to-engine gasket, water pump, and engine shutoff diaghragm.

In the car- engine mounts, trans cooler lines, trans front pump seal, engine oil cooler lines. Bill Ditmire Ditmire Motorworks,Inc.

425 White Horse Pike Absecon,NJ 08201
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609-641-3392
Reply to
Bill Ditmire

Hopefully both cars are of the same model year so their emission controls are identical.

Suggest you treat yourself to new motor mounts while you have the engine out AND, if these are turbo engines replace the hoses to the oil cooler as these are tough to do after the engine is installed. Also, replace the turbo's oil drain line's "O" ring seals where it enters the crankcase.

IMHO there's no benefit opening a 300K mile engine unless you're going to completely overhaul it. Meanwhile you have the marginal engine to overhaul for the day when the 300K engine is kaput.

Reply to
T.G. Lambach

I think you are doing way to much work installing an engine with 300,000 miles on it. But it's your time.

--Geoff '83 300D

shadowjoe wrote:

Reply to
Geoff

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