I've been looking around for some more power in my 190e and I've come to the conclusion that I either have to turbo or do an engine swap. I read something about swapping the m103 with a c36 and was wondering if this would be a direct bolt on. I don't really know anything about these engines so any info would be great! Btw my car currently has a 5speed, is this compatable with the c36? c32?

With all the money ( and headaches)you would spend to do the engine swap, I would recommend just buying a C36.They can be found in the 6-8k range.Good luck,

Not sure about that yr, would be more compatible if it were a 92,93,94,95,96 or 97 E or C class with the DOHC straight six motor. Other than that I would take C43AMG(Dave's) advice.

well arn't the m103 and c36 the same block? I know that m103/m104 are the same, and I just figured that the c36 was an updated version of the m104. I would consider buying another car except that the one I have has been really a great car, just kinda on the slow side. Does the c36 come with a 5 speed? I don't ever want to go back to auto

Have you driven ANY AMG ?

95/96 model has 4 speed and 97 (last year model) has a 5 speed auto.

look, if you want a sweet 190e, just take the time, money, and effort you would put into doing an engine swap and purchase a 190e EVO II those are SWEET AS HELL pretty much looks like a dtm car with normal car paint on it. although theyre rare thats what i would go for, hell id buy one right now if there was one for sale!

otherwise, if trying to pep up a 190e you would pretty much wind up with a c36 theyre close in styling and it would be a much more economical purchase. i think i saw a post somewhere about some guy tossing a 5spd manny in his c36, not sure how it turned out but im sure its possible.

no, but believe me it's not by choice

as far as an evoII goes I really doubt I could find one in America and if there did happen to be one it would likely be in the price range of a new(er) car anyway- although they are the holy grail of the 201's.

so it's kinda sounding like an engine swap is a waste of time then? in that case what should I look for in these cars? Good years, "bad" years, etc...

if you are really set on a c36, go for the 97 (lesser issues, i think) or a 2k c43 but it isn't gonna be cheap.

yeah for sure 97 c36! theyre so much faster than the 93-96 its astounding. Im pulling number from mem but i think the 93-96 had like 267hp 280tq and in 97 they had 284hp 290tq, i could be a little off but im in the ballpark im sure. They upgraded the intake system and stuff to give it more pep in 97, and then they souped it up nicely with the addition of a 5spd auto vs a 4spd in the previous years. this yeilds the fastest c36 ever made. in fact, the 97 c36 is almost exactly as fast as the c43's! (0-60 and 1/4 mile) good luck finding one with low miles.

watch out for the head gasket (on all mb i-6 motors from the generation) they love to go around 120k miles, its a 3k job to replace but you end up being in the motor, if you have a good mech doing the job he will have your head refinished, maybe even ground down a little to increase compression, your engine will be as good as new! chip and kn filter will make the c36 a beautiful ride

Ummmm...

I think the US ones had 267 in 1995-1996, and it was 276 in 1997 and for 1994-1997 in rest of world,

The was never rated at 280bhp or above

"They upgraded the intake system and stuff to give it more pep in 97"

No, they didnt, P/Ns are exactly the same, its something do do with emissions.

The 4 speed, while a bit slow is a solid unit and will not crap out on you like the 5 speed.

Dont bother with a chip, this is from personal experience, and the filter only really changes the noise.

Re the OP:

I can see why you would want to put the motor in the 201 as theres a few hundred KGs less weight.

As far as I know its direct bolt in, and all M102s M103s and M104s share bolt patterns and bell housings, so the gearbox will work with a bit of fiddling around.

It has been done before, and even the 3.2 M104 makes the W201 a rocket, the 3.6 would be hugely quick!!

The only hard bit would be the EFI and electronics..

The 95 C36 performance is very close with the 97 C36 even though the 8hp increase in the 97. Because of the extra 100lbs over the 95-96 c36 and gearing. From experience my C36 vs the C43 1/4 times are close.

you just made my day because this is EXACTLY what I wanted to hear... read whatever
as for EFI and stuff wouldn't an OE ECU for the engine be all I need? I mean if I was able to find a wreck for example, then it would be an easy swap. But I can see how the electronics would be a problem being at least a 5 year difference between the engine I have now and the one I am hoping will fall into my front yard sometime soon. Anybody have some connections/acquaintances looking to sell an engine?

come on over to 190revolution.net. This swap has been done about a half dozen times that I can think of off the top of my head, and many more 3.2L m104 swaps as well (same block). It will drop in, but the electronics are a bit of work from everything folks who have done it have said. Yes you could buy a C36 on the cheap these days, but a 201 is a different car (and IMHO more ideal in terms of handling qualities) and it would at least be a bit lighter.

Maybe you can talk Ramil (rammbs) into buying his white 190E 3.6 5 speed stick car from him... I drove his car from West LA to Orange county and back it was pretty quick to install some RDM TEK camber plates. He is on 190rev as FLYnavy suggests.

I love reading and seeing swaps. I am all for more power. If you decide not to go with the motor swap, you can turbo just about anything you want. Run a standalone system and have an experienced fabricator make a turbo system. I have a shop in NYC that will turbo anything, the did my 91 jetta vr6 turbo and my 1983 vw rabbit 2.0 turbo. Good luck!! Post pics.

When I say plug and play,I mean just drop it in and plug in the harness. I know that in the E & C class cars that had the twin DOHC inline six motors,this would be a much simpler undertaking and you would not have to go thru as much drama with the engine harness. However I certainly can't speak for the older cars that had the SOHC inline 6's.
Basically if your car came with:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_M104_engine

Then the C36 motor would more than likely be a drop in ,plug and play.

When the 5.5l motor was dropped in my C43 that was a drop in plug and play. No finageling with any electronics.

well the search is on for a c36 or 3.2 m104. I'm gonna start with some local wrecking yards, maybe I'll get lucky and find a motor that just needs a rebuild or something.

I've looked into turboing the m103 and in general people have said it is a good engine to turbo as long as the boost is kept around 7psi. The Mosselman kit is pretty much out because of rarity and cost and I figured an engine swap will be easier and more power. When the time comes I will definetly be posting some pictures.

that simple? if that's the case, i'm now gonna be searching for my 5.5!

Only mod would be to place a small water pipe you buy from MB that goes into the back of the drivers side cylinder head. That's it!!! Drop it in. Hook up the harness. Start her up. And drive her away. Simple plug and play!!! Simple 4.3L to 5.0 or 5.5L conversion for any and all 4.3L M113 motored cars or SUV. Just like a Ford or GM V8.

****in awsome i think i might just go your way project c55, problem is i dont really know how to do the swap so id probably have to pay someone.