Pics or it didn't happen

 

I have the answer as to the car's colour! I put the VIN into the EPC and looked at the codes on the Datacard. The car has code 768U - diamond black metallic. So it looks black regularly, but in the light is blue. Very cool. Maybe not as cool as the chameloen like colours that TVR used to paint their cars, but still pretty cool.

Here's a thread I found on the topic of diamond black metallic:

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...-metallic.html

 

C43 update:

Had a very very very busy week at work (but very fruitful too) and so did not have any time until today to finish buttoning up the 43. There really wasn't much to do to get it to a position to fire up - connect up the MAF, vacuum lines, fill with fluids, tighten up the two upper engine to trans bolts.

Fingers crossed and tried starting the car.....and sputtered and died. Okay, no worries, probably just needs to get more fuel into the rail. Try again. Nothing. Again. Nothing. f*ck f*ck f*ck f*ck same bloody symptoms as before!! Fires up, dies. Try again, fires up, spins to 3500rpm and then dies. I did not try to keep it running by prodding the throttle, because it's exactly the same situation as before. So that's the bad news.

The good news, if there is any, is that there is likely nothing wrong with the 55 motor. And also I'm now extremely familiar with the M113 and the removal and install in the 202 chassis! And I do have a lovely W203 C55 on the driveway too.

The only hardware variable that was changed between the swaps was the intake manifold. I don't see it being the issue, but I suppose if I can find one to try, it may be worth it. That said, I'm still pessimistic that is the issue, given my previous testing of the reassembled one.

Perhaps it's a wiring harness issue? I was ultra careful when I had that out, but I suppose I can check each and every connection to be sure there is nothing dirty. Other than that, I'm out of ideas. Anyone? Anyone have a spare intake manifold?

 

Oh, pls. vince, what’s going on there,,!, i think this is a sign tells you you have to go back & complete your C55 project,,, do you have any

friends with working M113, can take the harness and try it in your Engine to see then........

ZAYED,,

 

Hmm... The first thing that come to my mind is maybe something got messed up in the process of washing the engine bay. Could something have gotten exposed to the water or soap during that?
Otherwise seems like the only other potential culprits are the tranny, wiring, intake, or (god forbid) something that just decided to go wrong in the ecu. Could there also be something along the fuel delivery path? Some kind of malfunction in the fuel pump perhaps?

 

Disconnect the injector plug from cylinder 5 in the diagram and see how it runs

 

It has to be one of the common parts between the 43 motor and the 55 motor, the intake manifold keeps coming to mind. Think about it, what changed on the 43 motor?

List all of the parts that you swapped from the 43 motor to the 55 motor, it has to be one of them.

 

I doubt it's the manifold/plenumn chamber causing this.
I'm hedging my bets on crossed multiplugs somewhere, either to the coil packs or to the injectors, or as I suggested earlier the No5 injector and plenumn actuator (did you check the wire colours?)
I would start by disconnecting the injectors one at a time and noting the changes to running conditions. Disconnecting the injectors is perfectly safe for the engine.

 

I don't think it's the manifold either, it is a pretty simple device when it comes down to it. The linkage is either on properly or not, and I had a good look at it already. Also, even if it was stuck in a certain position, it's not like it wouldn't work. I've already checked the wiring on the injector too.

 

Good way to go,, sharing a same tips, pls. little patience well solve that puzzle....

ZAYED,,

 

I'm thinking it's something else. The injector wiring is fine. The coil packs cannot be mixed up with anything either.

I will double check, of course, but I want to take a very close look at the integrity of the harness too. That said, I was very careful when handling the harness so I'm at a loss there.

 

The only other plugs that could be swapped and might give this kind of running are the two knock sensors in the vee.
It has to be something simple

 

Here are a couple of shots. First is the 'old with the new'.



And then the ultra rare, 4-door 'CLK 350 4Matic'!!

 

mad props to you. Ive been following this thread and wished that it would have worked out. So the 55 engine you got was bad??

 

Nah, now I think that there is nothing wrong with the 55 either. I need to investigate why the car is still not running even with the 43 re-installed. The only bit that was mucked around with was the intake manifold, but I don't see it being the issue. The only leak I found was a very small one. I'm going to re-check the wiring harness, see if I can find anything at all wrong with it.

 

Broken wire(s) somewhere in the harness you swapped?

 

Since I am in the pleasant position of currently owning both my ’99 C43 and ’05 C55, I would like to share some thoughts and feelings on the two cars. As an aside, I only bought the C55 after it became apparent that my C43 was having issues, somehow related to the 55 engine swap that has been detailed in my C43’s build thread. That said, I was also jonesying for a newer, more modern car anyway, and likely would have tried to sell the swapped C43 at some point. As it stands, once I get the C43 running again, it’s going to stay in the family, as my parents(!) want to drive it.

So, anyway, onto my impressions. The cars are only separated by six model years, but I’d suggest there is a wider gap between them. The C43 is clearly a product of the ‘90s, while the C55 is a product of the ‘00s. Both are fantastic cars, but generally, I would have to say that the C55 moved the game on considerably. I recollect some discussion about the 202 AMGs vs. the 203 AMGs, some of it rather incredulous, some of it rather vitriolic. https://mbworld.org/forums/c36-amg-c...335i-nose.html

The gist of some of that discussion was that the older cars are ‘better’ because of front double wishbone suspension and being hand built in Affalterbach as opposed to being constructed on the line with the other C-Classes (although, of course, the engines were always hand built). After a couple weeks in my C55, I can say ‘Pshaw’ to that argument. The C55 is a better car than the C43 in nearly every way.

Power – here, there is no comparison. The extra displacement is felt immediately. Whereas the C43 peaked at 300 ft lbs of torque, in the C55 there is 300 ft lbs available at 2000rpm, and then it just keeps getting better. The C43 is a lovely daily driver, with more torque and power than most other ‘plebian’ cars on the road. The C55 is even better, in that there is even more torque and power than most other plebian cars on the road! The C55’s easy torque just makes cruising and passing effortless.
Handling – perhaps it was a function of moving over from the other cars I was driving immediately beforehand, but upon jumping into the C55 for the first test drive, I immediately noticed the steering weight. Much heavier than our LR3, much much more than my S2000, and maybe a tad more than the C43. One must not equate weight to feel, however, so to that end I can’t comment more. That said, while the C43 always felt lovely in a straight line (the V8 helps of course), it almost always felt ponderous to me in the corners, even with the Vogtland springs and Bilstein shocks I had fitted (plus piles of new bushings everywhere, and a new steering damper). Even with those mods, I never really had the confidence to dive into a corner. Again, perhaps that’s a function of driving an S2000 – nearly anything (save a Lotus Elise or other sportscars) by comparison is going to feel dim witted in the cornering game. But in the C55, I have had more confidence in cornering, the car seems more locked into the cornering attitude than the C43 ever would. Rack and pinion vs. steering box? Could be the answer. I can’t recall exactly if the C55 is slightly quicker in the steering ratio though compared to the C43. I think it may be though, 3.3 vs. 3.5 turns lock to lock seems to ring a bell?

Build quality / materials / interior design – in this category, I can see there being more thought into the C43. And by that I mean that the old school thinking from even older Mercedes pervades throughout. I keep reading about W124s and how there was ‘no expense spared’ in their construction, and while I have never driven one (I’ve seen one in a junkyard though!) I think that some of that thought is in the 202 still, but not really into the 203. For instance, the first aid kit – 202 has a nice little cubby hole in the rear parcel shelf specially made for the first aid kid; 203 has it held to the side of the trunk by a piece of Velcro. Maybe not so tidy, but then I get to use that Velcro strip to hold other stuff too!

202 has the Rest function. Loved it, very nice for Canadian winters when popping in and out of shops. 203 no Rest function, boo. Benz must have saved a bundle of cash in eliminating those hoses and the recirculation pump!

And I be t they also saved a packet in going away from a full size spare in the C43 (that Monoblock still looks brand new!) to an inflatable spare. Boo again.

My Canadian market C43 had wood trim as standard. I hate wood trim, but I could see how some buyers feel it is a nice upgrade. I know that the bird’s eye maple wood trim is a rare option on C55s, and I’m glad my car doesn’t have it, just simple, aluminum (aluminum look?) trim. Like that much better. I would have preferred my C43 with the Euro spec fake carbon look, and that is easy enough to achieve with some patience, an exacto knife, a heatgun and a bunch of carbon look vinyl.

And correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the C55 has electrically operated power door locks, as opposed to vacuum operated as in the C43 (and other older Mercedes?). While the vacuum operated locks have a nice, smooth action, I prefer the electrically operated ones. For one, problems are likely easier to diagnose. Change the unit, as opposed to trying to track down a vacuum leak. That said, I never had any issues with the vacuum operated locks on the C43.

Another point about the locks. The range on the C55’s keyfob is much greater than the C43, more in line with what I expect and have grown used to on my other cars. I’m not sure if it was just my C43, but I had tried changing the batteries to no better effect, and the range was annoyingly short for the keyfob to operate. Yet another point – I see that Cartronics has remote start options for the newer cars that enable remote starting with the keyfob. I’d say it’s probably a much better option than the ever popular remote start modules that can be purchased in the aftermarket. As other Canadians would understand, these are very useful for Canadian winters (and apparently, Middle Eastern summers but for totally opposite reasons!). I’ve never had one for any of my cars, but the Cartronics remote option seems attractive. The keyfob logic can be reprogrammed on the C55 such that one press opens the driver’s door and fuel door, and another press opens the others. I’m fairly certain the C43 didn’t have that capability, and just opened everything together. Finally, my high mileage C43’s trunk lock had a tendency to let itself go in cold weather. Not nice. I had to manually lock it with the mechanical key, which was a pain in the winter. Summer time, no problem. Winter, it was a pain. Trying to load a pile of hockey gear or groceries or whatever into the trunk while fumbling with the mechanical key in the middle of winter was a trying experience. I would have replaced it, but the trunk lock is VIN coded and costs like C$650.
Instrumentation, the C43 has a very nice look. I like how the gauges are white in the daytime, and then darker at night. Much different than the other 202 cars. The C55 is again a step up from the other 203 cars, and feels much more modern, more in line with current Mercedes trends, despite it getting on seven years old now.

Seats are comparable in bolstering, but the C55 misses out on the adjustable, pneumatic seats from the C43. That was a lovely feature. Also cool are the contrasting white/black seats (which I don’t have in my C43, but kind of wish I did). That’s not available on the C55, but no matter, because the bolstering is quite good, seats are very supportive. It is clearly a sporting car in that respect. I have no trouble with the quality of the hides too, and the contrasting alcantara inserts are a nice touch too. But while the C55 lacks the pneumatic seats, it does have the nifty convenience entry feature (the seat slides back upon engine shut down, and then moves ahead to the last selected position upon start up) and memory settings. Those memory settings are not just for the seats, but the mirrors too. The bonus is that the right side mirror can be programmed to fold downwards when in reverse, a very useful feature – I’ve grown used to that function on our LR3, although both mirrors fold in reverse on it. And of course, no memory seats in the C43. Not sure if there was an automatic, downward tilting right side mirror option, or programming available for the C43?

The C55’s shift knob is a huge disappointment though – just a blank roundel? Boo. I’m going to have to upgrade that, currently pondering an Affalterbach laurel badged knob from formymercedes.com, but of course with black leather: http://formymercedes.com/images/S-19.jpg

I noted that the C55 has the old school Benz function of being able to flip the rear headrests down with the flip of a switch, just like in my C43. In the overall scheme of things, not that useful, but having gadgets is nice, right?

I was also quite happy to find that my 202 spec’d, factory accessory winter/all rubber floor mats fit into my C55 no problem! Saved some money there.

The C55’s HVAC controls are an improvement over the C43. Surprisingly, the C43, the most exclusive and expensive C-Class in 1999, did not have dual zone climate controls. My base model 1998 Volvo V70 wagon had dual zone climate controls. Boo. The C55 clearly has dual zone climate controls. Adjusting temperature is not as precise, as there is no digital display – but then again, no LCD display to burn out either. The temperature control knobs are a bit small, especially to use with gloves, but I’ve been managing thus far. I understand that W209 digital HVAC control units can be swapped in, but I don’t think I can be bothered.

The stereo in the C55 is much better too. Not that I had the Bose option in my C43, but my C55 has the Harmon Kardon option. I’m no audiophile though, so keep that in mind when reading my comments. That said, upgrading it is a pain, as it is one of those bespoke, OEM units – not a single DIN unit like on the C43. I had actually purchased an aftermarket deck with iPhone and Bluetooth connectivity for $300.00, to use in the C43, but I haven’t installed it and probably won’t install it. Probably I’ll put it into my S2000 at some point. But the point being that to achieve the same functionality on the C55, I would need to shell out more. Fortunately for me, there already is an iPod connection in my car that charges my iPhone and allows me to use the steering wheel controls to access the music, which is nice. I don’t have Bluetooth though, so that is next on my list of interior mods. I just need to ascertain if my Dension unit is capable of adding their Bluetooth module. If not…back to the drawing board, or rather, to visit Cartronics’ site to get something that will work for what I need. The ultimate from them, however, is the Comand-Plus unit, which features nav, Bluetooth, iPhone charging and rear view camera capability. Cool eh?

On the exterior, there is much more bespoke-ness, if you will, on the C55 than the C43. Whereas the C43 fundamentally just used a 202 shell with rolled fenders, the C55 basically has the CLK’s complete front end. So it has different headlights, fenders and hood (if I remember right) than the other 203s. That was all required to fit the V8 into the car, which I guess the 202 had no problem doing, but which is probably why the 203 AMGs were made as C32s – the V6 and the charger fit into the engine bay without extensive modification like the C55. So to go back to the handbuilt 202 AMG vs. line produced 203 AMG debate, which is more bespoke? I think you can see a manufacturer’s dedication to producing an exclusive model car by the lengths they will go to produce it. They could have said ‘nah, we won’t go to the hassle of modifying the 203 chassis to accommodate the V8’, but they did, and that’s cool. Reminds me of Subaru when they build the 22B (different assembly line because its wide fenders wouldn’t fit the normal line) or the 500E / E500 (which visited two factories before it was built) or Porsche spending a couple hundred thousand Euro just to homologate bespoke side marker lenses for the 997 GT3RS with the even wider fenders it had, as compared to the ‘normal’ GT3 or BMW and the E30 M3, with its almost totally bespoke body (front and rear fenders, and of course the rear windshield). Not to forget the 190E ‘Batmobile’ Evolution IIs.

I suppose the preference for the overall look of the two cars is completely subjective. To my eyes, the C43’s upright, rectangular headlights give it a purposeful look. It’s just a box, really, with a big engine in it. And you can of course draw comparisons to the mid 90s DTM race cars. The 203 body is much more elegant. I’m not a huge Star Wars fan, but I’m sure everyone’s seen the movies. You look at the fighters in Episodes 1 to 3, and they have smooth, elegant lines, and lots of chrome. In Episodes 4 to 6, they are much more brutish, purposeful and squared off. I think of the 202s as the spacecraft from Episodes 4 to 6, and the 203s as the fighters from Episodes 1 to 3. The C55 is much more elegant looking (my Wife loves it for that reason) than the C43. The headlights really make a huge difference, as from the rear, the cars look pretty similar, and you can see the evolution between the cars. But the headlights are a giveaway, and a revolution, if you will, between the two models. One effect of that headlight change is that there are no longer wipers on the C55, just squirters. Gives the front end a cleaner look when they are retracted. I love the look of both of them. I love the look of the C63 even more, as it is very deliberately brutish, with the very wide front fenders and the two bulges on the hood. But that, as they say, is another story altogether….

 

The 4.3 is not handbuilt btw.

 

Crazy review Vince, sounds like you are pleased with your purchase.

I completely agree on the C43's key fob range, pitiful. As far as reprogramming the C43 key fob to open 1 door or all doors you can. I can't remember how you do it but I did it as when I got my C43 it opened all doors and now it only opens the drivers door and gas tank unless I push the button twice in which case it opens all doors.

 

I believe Mercedes decided not to put a full size spare on the C55 to save weight. Lots of modern cars do this now, even BMW Ms. Also, Mercedes may have purposely made the key fob on the C43 to operate with low range for security reasons too. I know a few friends with Lexuses who accidentally set off their cars' panic button while their fob is in their pocket. You could easily imagine what would happen if the fob unlocked the car instead.

 

Great review!

This is the main reason i wouldnt purchase a 203,the dash reminds me of this...





...But love the updated 203 C55 exterior.

 

Posted up some more photos of my C55.

https://mbworld.org/forums/4946449-post2060.html

 

Hey Vincent, what happened to the C43? Your garage looks empty and needs something beside your 55'

 

The C43 (and my S2000) are on the concrete patio in my back yard, under covers. My wife's LR3 was on the driveway when I shot the garage pictures of the C55, as I was doing a bit of patch up work on the garage floor concrete.

 

So I assume you didn't get the c43 running yet?