ctravis595

hopefully ill be able to get detailed pics in case anybody else wants to take on the challenge of swapping the bigger amg engine into your car since they're going on ebay for about 2000 thousand USD with under 80 k miles. im in the process of ordering mine now so any advice would be helpful as this is my first engine swap (ill have help from more experienced people)

some might argue the typical response " just sell your car and buy the model with the bigger engine" but some of us have a certain bond with our particular car already, as well as non engine related modifications. (my current engine runs like a champ but it has an annoying valvetrain/lifter noise). plus i would love to write somewhere in my autobiography that i somewhat put together my own AMG!

from my research i've concluded that any 99-02 "55" m113 amg engine will directly bolt up to any 00-02 w215 transmission(5 speed auto) as well as the exhaust and accessories (engine is coming with alternator/ air pump/ headers/ harness/ etc). most importantly, the beauty of this swap lies in the fact that since the engine did not come with a supercharger, (the engine itself is basically the same as the "500" engines, just bored out with beefier parts and lower compression i think) my ecu will already know what to do with the bigger engine

although i think a software "refresh" from the stealership might be necessary after the swap is completed

as far as parts im thinking im gonna need all the necessary sockets of course, but also two engine hoists (might be able to get away with using one? ....unsure of what accessories i will need to swap between the two engines...). as well as multiple jacks/stands for lifting the car and holding the transmission in place.

does anything else come to mind as far as parts so i can start preparing my garage?

ctravis595

old engine ready to be pulled


don't forget to pull out!!


painted the valve covers black along with changing out spark plugs for iridium laser ngks, check out that oil cooler! ////AMG


ran into a hitch mating the engine and tranny, hopefully everything is fine but there's a chance i wrecked my TC or tranny oil cooler and might be looking at having to get a rebuilt tranny or maybe beefier TC! lesson learned the hard way to never force anything that isn't going together easily

im in the process of making a write up with a checklist of everything that needs disconnected to swap out engines on these cars but as im not sure if my tranny/tc are good, i have other things to worry about

lphillips1117

I'd say make sure you tag and label everything but since you've already gotten past that point, all I can say is good luck!

ctravis595

thanks and good advice, i made a really crude drawing of the engine labeling all the hoses/electrical plugs/fuel line and what tools most of them required. im gonna try to put together a write up (with the picture)for other people with mechanical abilities that want to try this but are scared that the mercedes is too complex of a machine

stopped into the stealership today for the 90 dollar USD snake used to check transmission fluid so i can fill the necessary fluids to start the car...for 90 bucks this thing better be indestructible or do some cool tricks....

awiner

The workshop dipstick tool is only calibrated for when the trans temp is at 90 degrees Celsius.

You use the workshop computer to keep track of temps. Without it, some use a IR temperature tool aimed at the pan.

ctravis595

thanks for the advice, so in short the dipstick reading is only accurate when the drivetrain is warmed up? i emptied the torque converter of fluid and didn't fill it before putting it back in the drivetrain.

from what i've heard this won't cause any damage but the TC operates off of the oil pressure, so it won't properly function until it's been completely filled with oil. does anybody have an idea of how much oil the TC usually holds?

ctravis595

got her running today, more details to come

lphillips1117

Congratulations on the swap!

ctravis595

thanks!

got her driving and shifting through the gears today. leveled tranny fluid and filled it up with coolant. fixed a loosely fitted hose in the back of the engine for coolant that was leaking fast but have ran into a problem with my engine fan not kicking on. also having intermittent problems with the cabin fan not blowing either but from what i've researched, the engine fan and cabin fan are piggy backed on the same circuit

ctravis595

if you were wondering about how the differential lines up - this should give you a better idea

http://carsinamerica.net/mercedes-benz/01mbzclc.htm

the 500/55/and 600 apparently utilize the same rear end

ctravis595

diagnosed bad fan and also faulty duovalve along the way of the swap. currently sorting out issues with TCU

ctravis595

here's a good link with info regarding torque values for hydraulic mounts

http://www.mbca.org/tech-talk-article/cheap-massage

robunicu

this looks identical to my old w215.. are you in florida?

ctravis595

Yeah, I take it you're the one with the west palm beach navi entries? If you don't mind I'd be interested in some of the cars history

MLT

Hey, just wanted to know how your now CL55 is doing? Are there any new adjustments or have you now debunked everything? Thanks

ctravis595

car is running great, i seemed to have messed up the a/c as it only blows cold on the drivers side but all the other issues have been sorted out

JUNEBLOOD

Do it feel faster or way faster

ctravis595

A lot faster =). Better gas mileage also

A/c blowing cold on only one side was a symptom of low freon

JUNEBLOOD

Which ecu are u using ya cl500 or the e55 or cl55 non superchared one

sick430

was the ecu able to adapt or did you change it out?

ctravis595

im using my original TCU for the new transmission and im also using my original ECU for the new engine

biggking

I have a spare CL55 cluster laying around, did you want to upgrade your puppy?

ctravis595

sounds tempting but idk if i can pull the trigger on such a small mod. what speed does the speedo top out at? it would look cool if it said 200 on the dash lol

what other cl55 parts ya got?

biggking

It says '200' on the dash

I just posted it up on the classifieds $400 obo. Ill beat eBay prices for mbworld members

ctravis595

just a quick note, something ive learned over the years is not all the oil pans will line up correctly between models. the CLS/E class have different shaped oil pans than some of the S/CL class for example, do your research on the oil pan especially. otherwise N/a 500 to n/a 55 swap i recommend to everybody who has any considerable valvetrain/internal issues with their 500 engine. i was able to get 32 mpg on a drive last weekend, may have to do with the ECU still working off of cl500 maps, i assume it's more so because the 55 engine is just that much more efficient than the 500 at moving this large car

almost 6 years later, and this thing still runs strong despite the fact that i give it way too much throttle everywhere i go lol. i tested compression recently and all cylinders were 169psi + so im really satisfied with this swap in the long run

now its time to add a turbo lol