Engine longevity - expert advice sought
12-11-2001, 02:23 AM
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2005 smart cabrio; 2008 Mercedes-Benz B 200
Engine longevity - expert advice sought
A question about M-B engine longevity:
I understand that the Vee engines have the cylinders bored right into the (unlined) aluminum block, and that the bores are then treated with some sort of hardening material. This presumably in order to avoid the Chevrolet Vega effect.
My main question is: how does the typical lifespan of a V-6 M-B engine compare to the IL 6 that preceeded them, or indeed to the four cylinder iron block engine? Would a well-maintained example typically see the far side of 400,000 km (250,000 miles) without a major failure? How would the wear of the treated Al bores compare to that of a cast iron cylinder liner or bored iron block after such a mileage?
My secondary question is: when the bores of the Al-block engine are worn, does one have to chuck out the block and get a new one, does M-B have a process for re-treating rebored engines with the hardener, or do cast iron sleeves have to be pressed in?
As you can probably tell, I'm going to be a long-term owner when I get a C and these questions matter to me. For comparison, I once got 575,000 km (355,000 miles) from a hard-driven 1963 Peugeot 404 before it died, and my present 1989 405 daily driver is in fine, untouched, form at 250,000 km (155,000 miles). Both these cars have cast iron cylinder liners, the former in an iron block, the latter in Al.
TIA.
I understand that the Vee engines have the cylinders bored right into the (unlined) aluminum block, and that the bores are then treated with some sort of hardening material. This presumably in order to avoid the Chevrolet Vega effect.
My main question is: how does the typical lifespan of a V-6 M-B engine compare to the IL 6 that preceeded them, or indeed to the four cylinder iron block engine? Would a well-maintained example typically see the far side of 400,000 km (250,000 miles) without a major failure? How would the wear of the treated Al bores compare to that of a cast iron cylinder liner or bored iron block after such a mileage?
My secondary question is: when the bores of the Al-block engine are worn, does one have to chuck out the block and get a new one, does M-B have a process for re-treating rebored engines with the hardener, or do cast iron sleeves have to be pressed in?
As you can probably tell, I'm going to be a long-term owner when I get a C and these questions matter to me. For comparison, I once got 575,000 km (355,000 miles) from a hard-driven 1963 Peugeot 404 before it died, and my present 1989 405 daily driver is in fine, untouched, form at 250,000 km (155,000 miles). Both these cars have cast iron cylinder liners, the former in an iron block, the latter in Al.
TIA.
