Hi all, I have a 230 123 motor with a 4 speed manual , wondering if it will be a hard install to put it in a W116 both are 1977 's. Any help or comments appreciated, Jim
W116 help ?
Oct 03, 2005
10 Replies
You may have issues fitting it. What car do you have, if a 280SE then you should check to make sure that a 230 transmission will fit a 280E. If you have a 350 or 450 then I very much doubt that it will work.
You expect a 2.3L motor to move a 116?
The 116's weight vs. the 2.3L's power is too high; i.e. 3800 lbs / 100 HP = 38 lbs/HP This will be dangerously slow.
Comparison: A '97 E320 weighs about 3,550 lbs and has a 217 HP six:
3550/217 = 16 lbs/HP
That is far more power than the some of the diesels ever had - 240D has ~60hp and similar torque to the 2.3l gas engine. And those cars wieghed just as much. There were smaller diesels in some markets, 200D and 220D. Even slower.
Kevin Rhodes
I would like to see how you fab in the clutch master cylinder and clutch pedal :-D Is this the carbed M115 engine or the fuel injected M102 that you are throwing in?Photos when you are done would be great to see:-)
Well, a 300 diesel moves a 116 the 4 cyl is a 230 the 6 cyl is a 280 as it is now with the 280 it gets 0-60 in 11 secs. The 300sd is 0-60 in 19
The w 116 that I have now , has a 4 speed manual tranny in it as it is, so I won't have to fab in the clutch master it is already there, the 230 is carbed single carb motor
What model 116 is this? I have wanted to add a manual to one of my
116's for quite some time and was not aware of a manual transmission offered.Here are some different ratios of differentials to counter sluggish acceleration from the 4 cylinder.
280S,SE 3.69 300SD 3.07 450SE,SEL 3.06 450SE,SEL 2.65Hope this proves useful :-)
Ah ha!! There is a manual transmission in the W116 :-) Did a extensive search and found out myself!! So you have/had a 3.5 litre M116 in there?If so,that
230 engine will bolt right up(same transmission).Now I must find a M116 engine and manual trans just cuz !Dear Cap, The car is a 1978 280se with a 6 cyl fuel injected M116 motor, I believe, I have honestly been in thousands of benz's as I sell used parts and have been thru bone yards coast to coast and this is the first manual 116 that I have seen. a rare bird indeed. I don't know the whole history of the car, but I am sure that the manual tranny was factory. Will the 230 bolt up to the 280 tranny? Someone told me that the 4 cyl and 6 cyl splines are different thicknesses. Jim P.S. I will keep my eyes open for a manual 116 for ya, maybe they are indigenous to Texas,lol, Jim
If you are referring to the straight 6 then that is a M110 engine and not a M116 because a M116 is a V8.The
4 cylinder M115 will bolt right in.The M110 uses the same transmission as the M115 and that being a W4B 025 .Very nice find and I must say I am a bit,oh who am I kiddin', VERY envious.Best of luck :-DYes,please keep an eye out for a manual transmission for me.I would really love to have one!!
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