What do yo think is the best Mercedes engine ever? AS the tr

[SEL_69L]

As the thread title suggests .
I am after your biased opinions, based on your own experiences -
that should exclude things like a DB601 or a DB605 !

 

[c107]

The M110 would be a good candidate.

They made massive power for their displacement (185hp) in european spec and they are practically unburstable. Probably the most durable petrol engine Mercedes ever made. The emissions version we got after 1976 was a shadow of its former self though. But the non emissions version was making significantly more power than many V8s.

No obvious design flaws like the M116/M117 chain guides.

 

[Patrick_R]

Crap.
Why exclude the most beautiful German made inverted V12 ever.
It took it right up to the smaller capacity Merlin, and it’s direct competitor the Griffon.
This engine in the BF109 made any Spitfire pilots sphincter tighten.

It held the speed record for a propellor driven aircraft until 1969

Oh,
And not to mention it ran a 20mm canon between the V.

What more could one want

 

[SEL_69L]

Based on experience only, the engines with which I am familiar are the M100 (in a 6.9), and the the M112 and M113.
After owing a 6.9 for 15 years, only the front main seal , the harmonic balancer and the timing chain were replaced. Since then no further work has required to be done by the next owner who has the car on the road, and driven regularly for the last 4 years, occasionally on interstate trips.

As for the V6 M112 (in a W202), the valve cover gaskets and rear main seal have been replaced in the period of my ownership of the last 4 years.
Car have travelled 225,000 klm. I have replaced all 12 plugs.
I have two M113's an AMG 5.4 liter and a 5 litre in a CLK. coupe.
No work at all so far on the 5 liter, but it has travelled only 101,000 kilometers. However oil seals deteriorate as a function of age, not distance covered, and I will consider the idea of a preventative maintenance decision to replace all oil seals sometime in the not too distant future. I took the decision to replace all 16 plugs not long after I acquired the car

The 5.4 AMG engine in the W210 is 23 years old and has also covered only 101,000 kilometers. However I have already taken the decision to replace front main seal, the harmonic balancer, the rear main seal and valve cover gaskets and all 16 plugs for preventative maintenance reasons.

In terms of reliability, the M100 engine tops my list.
But I will need to own the other cars for at least 10 years more to consider them more highly, but based on what I have read on other MB forums, the M112 and M113 engines, if maintained regularly have been considered by others to be "bullet proof".
Not quite so much so for the later M272 V6 and M273 V8, (which are a quad cam development of the M112 and M113), that had timing chain sprocket gear problems, which can distribute very fine metal particles throughout the engines from new. as the teeth on the sprocket wear out prematurely. They also have some problems with the plastic flap valves in the induction manifolds, parts of which risk getting into the combustion chambers.

 

[Styria]

I continue to be amazed that Companies like Mercedes and AMG should be subject to what essentially are minor failures, yet result in huge repair bills as the components invariably are placed in most inaccessible areas from a repair or maintenance point of view. I think it is total negligence on the designers' part for choosing components that are due to fail. For God's sake, even Ferrari knew 50-60 years ago that timing gears associated with metal shavings would in due course result in failure of Main and Slipper Bearings.

Incidentally, much is made of the 5.5 litre engines in David's E55 AMG. Look I drove that car to Oberon and could not keep up with Bryce's 420 E-Type. On the way back, with David driving and myself hanging on in the passenger seat with legs pushed hard against the Firewall Area as I was worried at the risks that David was taking, he could not hold off a Toyota Utility (4 wheel drive) that obviously handled better, and certainly kept up speed wise. In fact, in the event, David let him go.

That's why I concur with some of David's remarks as far as the 6.9 is concerned - it's not the fastest by any stretch of the imagination, but it's quite bullet proof and it has got two features that are of the utmost importance - integrity of Engineering from a reliability point of view, and it has oodles of such easy and accessible engine torque. From the little I know, the 6.9 M100 engine gets the nod. Regards Styria

 

[abl567]

There is only one Benz Engine that has an enthusiast international Daimler accredited club devoted to it.
The M100.
That's because it is the best by an order on magnitude

 

[BenzBoy]

After 10 months of ownership I am in love with the diesel E250 twin-turbo. OK so it does not rev very high so it could never be called sporty, but it is smooth; powers uphills with a full load and and without any loss of speed; cruises in almost total silence and does not rattle like an oiler at idle. The only let down is the noise from the rear Pirelli Zeros at speed on coarse bitumen and they may have to go even though they have only 3,000 ks on them.
I am not a fan of Pirelli tyres anyway; they either have great grip and high wear or high noise and low wear - just my experience.
OK - so the little diesel engine will never win in popularity against the 6.3 and 6.9 but for my purposes it has turned out to be a little gem of an engine and far better than I had expected. It even has a nice little growl when in M and the throttle floored.
Regards,
Brian

 

[Patrick_R]

That is a great review Brian.

Anyone would be deeply impressed to experience that engine.
You don’t need cubes anymore Brian, we need smarts, that’s what your engine has in spades.

 

[Oversize]

My heart says M100 but my head says M119. Built at the end of an era when cost was no barrier. A fantastic design that just needs a few tweaks with modern tech. Reliable? I cannot comment since I’ve never used in long enough to assess. Obviously the wiring issues let down many.