Spooky55

My oil consumption problem is getting to the point that I will have to do something about it very soon. The engine still has lots of power, but smokes on startup and WOT. Consumption is around 2 qts per 200 miles. I'm fairly certain the oil rings are shot and it's not the heads. Luckily, I've only driven the car about 8000 miles this year since I'm nice and close to work now. I really like the car and want to keep it. Anything else I like is in the $30k + range, so $10-15k project cost is acceptable. Of course, the salvaged engines are now running around $3500-5000. So - options...

A. Can the M113 block be honed and rings/pistons replaced? I'm under the impression that that won't work since it's an aluminum block with treated cylinders.
B. I can swap in either an na M113 or an M113K. Which engines fit and which don't? I know for a fact that the M113K from a W220 WON'T due to where the oil pump mounts on the block.
C. If I'm able to swap in an M113K, how do you tell the computer how to handle the supercharger clutch? Other as yet unknown issues? I know people have done it...
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D. for the win: M113K with a manual trans. Will the manual gearbox and clutch swap hold up to 500hp?
E. LS swap? ;-)

Baltistyle

Why not just buy a brand new used c55 or 03 plus e55 for your project cost? 10-15 will get you lots of choice. If it were me, I would only do this on a very low mileage car.

Spooky55

Yes, I've thought about that. They're somewhat hard to find (it took me a year to find this one after my first one was wrecked) and I've now had 2 for 2 C55s with bad engines (supposedly "bulletproof" M113s). I live in Texas so the black interior is not my favorite but is the most abundant (my silver car with black interior was WAY hotter in summer than the black car with beige interior). I'd also have to start over with the other things I've done to the car. Six of one, half dozen of the other I suppose but I know where I stand with this one. Also, I've already sent one of these rare beasts (1750 imported to the US and around 4000 worldwide) to the dismantler and don't want it to happen to another. I'd have to sell this one with a bad engine (kind of a hard sell) AND buy another car. The prices are also going up on these - for my budget, they're all around 150k-180k miles. A low mileage car is likely closer to $20k or more (for a 20 year old car) AND most of the AMGs of this era are located on either coast (mostly SoCal and Florida), so add another $1500-2000 for shipping. More money out the window, at least short term. If one comes up in the meantime I'll definitely consider it, but an engine rebuild or swap looks like the easiest and best option at this time. I can put a low mileage drivetrain in this car for $10-12k. Not much of a value add but I'm not particularly worried about resale - I just want to drive it for another 5-10 years.

CGAMG

Yes you can hone, it is alusil though and that will be the biggest issue. Any M113(k) 5 or 5.5L block will work. Mercedes Swap Shop can handle the electronics, that who im doing my swap through and I'm also building and engine with upgraded valve springs and retainers.

Spooky55

Thank you! The Mercedes Swap Shop looks like an excellent resource for the M113K and/or manual trans swap electronics.

As to honing the engine, WHY is the alusil the biggest issue? Is it too hard to hone normally, or will honing remove the surface treatment and wear out the engine sooner?

The M113K out of the W220 (and probably others) has the oil pump mounting bosses in a different location so the W203/W209 oil pan won't bolt to it so you can't simply relocate the oil pump. Do you know which cars are compatible?

CGAMG

Alusil engine blocks don't have a normal cross hatch like most engin5e, they have a matte finish, and require a special cutting paste. AN30 is what I've got from some Audi store. I've also had trouble find a professional shop that is willing to work on it. BES racing engine in Indiana will.

I got my block from an SLK 55. But you need to make sure you get the correct year block too. I believe it is 03 and up but don't quite me in that. I was fairly sure that almost all the short blocks are all the same and it's just to swap the windage tray, upper oil pan, pump, ect.

I did forget but you will run into issues finding connecting rod bearings for the supercharged varient as they are no longer in production. The N/A pistons have an extra oiling port and the boosted ones don't. You have 3 options, you can try to run the N/A ones, buy 2 sets of N/A bearings because only one side has the oiling port hole. Or buy the VRP trimetal. I'm on option 3 but I've been waiting since 9/14. Not too sure how well the other options would work out.

cdk4219

Yes essentially rebuilding one of these engines is a costly endeavor. There are lots of 5.4 blocks on eBay, but none or few of them have main caps, which I can imagine would be an issue since the caps are machined with the block.

CGAMG

I got lucky and got the matching set for my block, if you know someone, you could get them machined for each other or just reuse your current block. I only got a spare block because this is my only car and I need to complete the swap in a weekend.

Spooky55

I don't think I'd buy anything less than a complete engine on eBay. Buying another engine AND rebuilding it seems like a bad idea. I'm either going to rebuild mine or swap it out complete. I'm just wondering which is the best course of action.

What do you think about just replacing the pistons and rings and nevermind the block (provided of course there aren't any big scratches in the cylinder bores)?

Still a lot of expense since it is a total teardown, but if I can't find an engine shop to recondition it locally, I think shipping it out of state is probably going to blow the budget. I'll do $10-12k. Maybe even up to $15k, but any more is not worth it. Keep in mind this includes parts and labor, as I don't have a large enough garage to do an engine swap myself.

Just swapping the complete engine might be the best course. I have had 2 C55s with this same problem, so it would be a real roll of the dice if I get a good motor. I don't put a lot of faith in the M113s "bulletproof" reputation, but many others have not had any problems...

CGAMG

If you're not setting any horsepower records you could probably get away with just throwing it in. I got sucked into the while you're in there and ended up with a whipple kit. I'm also building the engine myself so the Whipple is the same cost as the rest of the the engine and trans build for me.

cdk4219

If it has bore scoring replacing parts without addressing the cylinder issues is futile. It may be as simple as valve stem seals, get a bore scope inspection.