greenfrog

my 02 e430 went through a HUGE puddle and you guessed what happened. since i need a new engine, doesn anyone know if i can convert my block to (210)e55 pistons, and cylinger, crank etc?
in other words, is the e55 engine based on my 430 or on the 500 engine?

KL316

i think i heard once that they are based on the 430 engine, and that the 500 is also based on the 430 engine.

KL316

im sorry but i dont understand, did you engine fall through your car or something?

EX-BEEMER

I'm guessing greenfrog ignored the "turn around... don't drown" rule. The puddle wouldn't have happend to be a rain swollen stream or river would it?

E55 KEV

greenfrog, Is you 2002 E430 already out of warranty. Or is what happened to your engine not warrantied. The latter would be a shame.

Are you trying to rebuild it or buy a new one or what? More details and good luck.

greenfrog

the engine took a few gulps of water until the rods bent. Its not under warranty just like hitting a telephone pole isnt covered.

but it need new rods and pistons. So the labor and parts arent much higher to put in 5.5 parts. But i need to know what if the E55 block starts out with the 430 or 500. Then I am in business.

mikE55

Shouldn't your insurance cover it then?

Anyway, the E55's engine is based on the 500, and it's not a simple matter to convert it to the 55 even if you had the 5.0L block. I've heard of people dropping in a 55 engine, but never converting a 500 to a 55, that magic comes only from the AMG factory. And then the E55's transmission is also upgraded, to handle the 391 lbs. of torque.

To give you an idea, this is from an old review of W210 E55:

Specifically, here's what that AMG badge says on the E55: The 5.5-liter engine is based on the new 5.0-liter V8 from the SL500, a sophisticated twin-plug, three-valve sohc design. The increase in displacement comes not from a simple overbore, but from an extended and balanced crankshaft that slightly increases the stroke. The object is smoothness; vibration is further silenced by hand selection of weight-matched sets of connecting rods and pistons. The hollow camshafts are replaced with modular cams that are even lighter, and shaped for horsepower. The valve size is unchanged, but the valve springs are stiffened. A new air filter system rams cooler air down a complex array of elongated tubes to the fuel-injection system. The intake system is quite complex, involving electronically controlled flaps that force the air to travel in varying quantities and speeds through spiraling passages, all in the pursuit of low- and mid-range power. Finally, an exhaust system was designed to complement the new power characteristics. When you look at the sticker price, think of the dynamometer time.

greenfrog

nice mike, thanks for the research
so basically its a 500 stroker and cams
i can get my hands on a 500 block. just need an e55 crank and the rest is the easy stuff.
kool

yes, insurance will cover it but its just me in the end that will be paying for it! besides, they wont cover changing the engine

ac5s4

they advertise having low mileage AMG engines that they install in similar body MB cars. I can't remember the name of the company, but they did have a booth at the SF Int'l Auto Show last November. I think this is their ad on craigslist.org:

http://www.craigslist.org/sfc/car/24273757.html

Andre