I know, I know, I'm probably gonna get some hate because there's probably some super long detailed list somewhere on this website detailing all the issues found on the M113k engine. Well... all the stuff I could conjure up is spread out between posts nearly 20 years old and posts a few years ago. So I, like many others, ask: What are all the common (and uncommon) issues that arise with the M113k engine, especially in 2025?

The E55 AMG has always been my attainable dream car. Now that (as my name hints) my Subaru has blown up FOR A SECOND TIME, I might as well use this opportunity to buy an E55 AMG as my daily. Since I'm looking at buying an E55 AMG as my next daily, it's going to be a high-mileage car, as I do not want to ruin a low-mileage, pristine E55 AMG. So is buying a 150k-mile $10,000USD E55 AMG as a daily a good thing?

Yes, I will take care of it. No, I am not another ignorant teenager. I rebuilt the engine in my Subaru with forged internals from Manly, then it decided it wanted to spin a rod bearing for a second time... I'm currently in the process of replacing only the spun bearing, so I can sell it for the amount I have left on the loan... IDK if you guys are toxic like the Subaru forum, so I'll try and defend myself right now and try to minimize the keyboard warriors in the comments.
Oil changes were done every 3.5k miles with an OEM filter from Subaru and oil from Motul. All parts replaced were always replaced with OEM or well known performance brands, no cheap stuff. Tranny and diff were flushed at 80k. All it currently has is an intake, turbo back, and tune, and it still managed to break...... The car was definitely driven spiritedly, but was maintained and repaired accordingly; and that's my plan for this E55, driven spiritedly, maintained and repaired accordingly. Or do you guys think I deserve to be banished to the shadow realm of Edgar's and broccoli heads who drive an E350 with an exhaust too loud, blown airmatic suspension, unpainted ducktail wing, $100 Walmart tires, and peeling tint

Edit: I have little to no plans of modding it. Maybe a throater exhaust, or making my own valved exhaust, and maybe a head unit that looks stock but has Android Auto and a better sound system, but other than that, it's going to be stock.

 

FWIW, I just rolled over 246,000 miles on my W211 E55. My W210 E55 is close to rolling over 180,000 miles.

At 150,000 miles I would look at replacing the gaskets associated with the oil filter housing and replace the voltage regulator in the alternator (by now the brushes will be reaching minimum length). I took the proactive approach at 150,000 miles pulled a bunch of maintenance on my car at one time. Your philosophy may vary.
https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...ummary-2k.html

A good thread by Alex on the restoration of the highly modified E55 he purchased. I've driven his car and it is crazy quick.
https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...s-perfect.html

Another good thread by former forum member Andy from the Netherlands:
https://mbworld.org/forums/c219/8443...ld-thread.html
The W211 E55 and C219 CLS55 are essentially the same vehicle wrapped in different sheet metal and different interiors.

"Advanced" search upper right is your friend. Once you learn a few key words you'll zoom in pretty quickly on the subject of your interest.
Oh, and if the E55 you purchase has the stock fuel pump relay ('03-'05) replace it with a 70-amp relay ASAP. The AMG uses a very different wiring harness than the non-AMG vehicles so research a bit. On the AMG the relay is hidden behind the passenger side trunk panel and is NOT in the rear SAM like the non-AMGs. If you buy an '06, the harness was modified again to include two relays for the fuel pumps; the '06 model relays do not melt down like the earlier models.

 

Stock, unmodified motors with reasonable amounts of miles (150k or less); oil leaks from valve covers, oil cooler gasket, oil pressure test port. Possibly burning oil from failed valve stem seals.

Modified, beat on, high miles motors: everything above x2, but also pulleys. The double roller pulley gets temperamental at age and starts eating belts, especially modified with a belt wrap kit and smaller pulley. Rebuild the entire kit with VRP or UPD pulleys and be done with it.

RARE SHOW STOPPER THAT RUINS MOTORS: front engine timing cover o-ring after water pump. $1 rubber o-ring fails and now coolant is getting into the engine oil. If not caught QUICKLY this ruins motors.

FWIW you won't be rebuilding the m113k; unless you're lucky enough for the alusil cylinder walls to be good. If you have damage to those, you're easily looking at $15k in parts alone to try and save it with mixed results. Rod bearings are so rare to fail and rare to replace that any time someone actually needs them they're hard to find and $$$. The flip side is that the m113/m113k is so sturdy and reliable that almost no one needs to rebuild one, and good used motors are much much cheaper so it's easier to just replace it.

 

One great thing about all of those old threads is that since the model is maturing in age, most repairs you could ever need will have been covered. Since this information is complete, you won't find tons of new posts asking questions. It makes the forum seem dead but really it's just very efficient so not lots of talk needed on the older models. An e55 is a great car but I would look for lower mileage and well maintained. The cost of some parts can be very high and you will want to keep it near oem vs aftermarket parts like coil suspension so a well maintained example won't bleed you dry the first year. Even DIY can be expensive though saves a considerable amount. And lastly, stay away from VRP, dont give them a dime and find any other reputable company to deal with. They are scum that does not stand behind their products and will ignore and denigrate customers that need help and or speak out against them.

 

Imho there is no "ruining" a low mileage example by actually using it. These were made in sufficient quantity that we are not talking about future collectibles here . Spend the money upfront on a well cared for and well sorted example . Trying to sort out a high mileage Benz can be very very expensive and time consuming.

You have been warned ;-)

 

Here’s the downfalls of the 113 and 112 engines. First, they aren’t economically rebuildable, parts are expensive, you cannot bore them, and bearings are unobtanium. Once you pass that hurdle, you can look at the weak points, which most include rubber seals. They are cheap, but getting to them is the difficult part.

The valve stem seals are cheap, but you will also need a couple hundred dollars worth of tools, most of which will need to be modified to make work properly. most of the valve stem seals in these cars are hard and brittle by now. If they are still working correctly, consider yourself lucky.

The next ones are the front cover coolant orings. I work on these engine frequently, and can tell you that almost all of these cover rings I have replaced are swelled to almost twice the size of they are normally. I have personally had 2 passenger orings dislodge and find their home in the head coolant passage. The front cover of this engine is a terrible design, and getting to these is quite a bit of work.

The oil pump oring is also hard as a rock on the 113k. Front and rear main seals also go bad.

the bad part about these engines is the parts availability. For example , the valve rocker bolts are one time use, many are NLA and the cost of the ones they have are north of $400.

These are throw away engines, and if you get one that drinks oil, you better hope it’s the valve seals, as if it’s in the rotating assembly, it’s going to cost more than the car is worth to fix.


As for the good used motors, that ship has sailed. They are very expensive and being 20 years plus hard to find.

 

Bolts are not an issue. Every bolt on these engines can be replaced with grade 8 or 10 replacements for a fraction of the cost. For instance the cam gear bolts are 55.00 each from Benz. Replacement bolts from the nutty Company is $4.50 for two. ARP has all main bolts for $400.00 compared to $1,000.00 from Benz. The rocker arm bolts....still working on those LOL
Bearings can be recoated and brought back to new. Mains are still available at 200.00 per set.

Hmmmm....an LS swap is looking pretty good when my car does not need to go through emissions any more. LOL

 

Gary look at bloodmotorsports on IG. He has I think it’s a E350 turboLS swapped.

 

I have a 996 convertible with an LS1 mated to the 722.6.. I bought the Kennedy adapter and made the torque converter mounts to the flex plate.

 

Tim that looked really cool and outside the box for sure !!
CDK that's very cool. How did you drive the transmission?

 

Transmission is controlled by ofgear stand alone. Nice guy from Sweden makes them.