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Thread: 5.4 litre swap into C43

  1. #1
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    5.4 litre swap into C43

    I know some people here have done it . What all do you need to swap the bigger 5.4 litre into the c43 ? any running gear, conputers etc ? or will it drop in , bolt up, and plug into the existing harness ? Im talking about using a earlier m113 from the w208 CLK 55 or W210 e55. Just wondering how hard the swap is.
    1996 C280 elegance edition - SOLD 9/21/2013.
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    Senior Member anf6789's Avatar
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    from what ive read its plug and play... i think the 43 ecu will run the 5.4 too. i know there are alot of people doing/have done this swap. even some with a 55k...
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    Senior Member John Jones Jr.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by anf6789 View Post
    from what ive read its plug and play... i think the 43 ecu will run the 5.4 too. i know there are alot of people doing/have done this swap. even some with a 55k...
    Yes, I read about several 5.4's fitted in the U.K., all seemed to be using the C43 original ECU, some too may had a remap carried out.
    JJJ.

  4. #4
    Moderator Sulaco's Avatar
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    Use w210 e55 engine. Plug n play. All others have different oil pan that won't fit. Single coolant plug on back of engine you'll have to plug up. Otherwise that's all folks.
    94 C280, 250k miles, 1999-2011 (gone, never forgotten)
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sulaco View Post
    Use w210 e55 engine. Plug n play. All others have different oil pan that won't fit. Single coolant plug on back of engine you'll have to plug up. Otherwise that's all folks.
    early 97-98 5.4 engines had the coolant plugged and missing the hose.
    later version engines had the plug removed and using the same waterinlet like c43
    buy a 5.4 engine from a later year

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    Quote Originally Posted by kowalski View Post
    early 97-98 5.4 engines had the coolant plugged and missing the hose.
    later version engines had the plug removed and using the same waterinlet like c43
    buy a 5.4 engine from a later year

    so get a 5.4 m113 from a face lift w210 2000-02 ? and it will be completely plug and play ?
    1996 C280 elegance edition - SOLD 9/21/2013.
    1999 C43 AMG - Bagged, Daily driver.

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    it's plug n play for you
    best engine you can get is from facelift cars, find last year w210 if possible?

  8. #8
    Moderator Sulaco's Avatar
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    Yah, 2000-2002 E55's had 385hp at the crank, too. Right?
    94 C280, 250k miles, 1999-2011 (gone, never forgotten)
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    040 Black 98 C43 AMG, 190k miles, 2013-

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    thougth it was 354 or something?
    clk55 had 347 if I'm correct?

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    im not after a CLK55 motor although i noticed they seem to be cheaper and easier to find than ones from w210 e55's a couple of buddies have owned them one was pre face lift the other owns a face lift and the 02 is deff faster. i feel like i can keep up with the pre face lift w210 just fine. it doesnt walk away fast at all.
    1996 C280 elegance edition - SOLD 9/21/2013.
    1999 C43 AMG - Bagged, Daily driver.

  11. #11
    Member DRBC43AMG's Avatar
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    From what I've heard and read, all 5,4 engine will fit. Those using a different oil pan to the one found on the C43, just swap and swap also the oil pump.

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    Moderator Pagz's Avatar
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    looking at both 210/208 M113 5.4 ...as of engine 60 046180 they changed the crankshaft,I cant see where this equates to a higher compression but I'm pretty sure that's the case as all other mechanical parts of the engine are identical ie crank case,heads,valves,cams,pistons,rods etc.

    Interestingly enough...there is a call to not use the original camshaft part number as replacements.

    Apparently the reason the 208 has 347hp instead of 354hp is due to the 210 twin exhaust being able to flow more. also E55 header is less tight than the 202/208.

    Because 208 is basically a 2 door 202 the 208 has same headers and very similar/same exhaust, however there's a slight difference in the center muffler... it looks identical so probably a change internally - I heard this part was changed in the 202 C55 which fits the theme.
    Last edited by Pagz; 11-24-2013 at 09:29 PM.
    >>00 C43 Black w/birch Black. Immaculate
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    >>89 2.6 RED w/16vkit. POS
    >>Old Turbo 2.3 History >>Old Turbo 2.3 Video

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    Quote Originally Posted by Pagz View Post
    looking at both 210/208 M113 5.4 ...as of engine 60 046180 they changed the crankshaft,I cant see where this equates to a higher compression but I'm pretty sure that's the case as all other mechanical parts of the engine are identical ie crank case,heads,valves,cams,pistons,rods etc.

    Interestingly enough...there is a call to not use the original camshaft part number as replacements.

    Apparently the reason the 208 has 347hp instead of 354hp is due to the 210 twin exhaust being able to flow more. also E55 header is less tight than the 202/208.

    Because 208 is basically a 2 door 202 the 208 has same headers and very similar/same exhaust, however there's a slight difference in the center muffler... it looks identical so probably a change internally - I heard this part was changed in the 202 C55 which fits the theme.
    hmmm. well i know that mine flows a tad bit better than stock I have removed the center muffler ( resonator) added a y pipe from the secondary cats back to an aftermarket muffler ( borla brand)Using 3 inch piping instead of 2.75in. The car instantly felt a bit more peppy with a quicker throttle response in the lower RPM range when i dropped the stock exhaust for this option. Im not to worried about the numbers I make as im sure that even a lower HP 5.4 litre m113 will feel more peppy than my old tired worn out m113 it has over 208,000Miles (over 334,744KM ) on both engine and trans now.Which leads me to my next concern. My old tired trans...... If i were to purchase engine and trans combo, Will the trans from face lift W210 e55 or even the trans from CLK 55 mate up to the trans mounts of the W202 chassis without major modification or custom fabrication ? I know they are diff 722.6 i believe ???? 5 speed shiftronic. Mines a 5 speed steptronic. Will TCU communicate or will this bring about a whole new set of headaches in order to complete the swap ?
    1996 C280 elegance edition - SOLD 9/21/2013.
    1999 C43 AMG - Bagged, Daily driver.

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    for new tiptronic you will need a newer cluster showing gears in the display,
    trans mounts would be the same.

  15. #15
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    Pretty sure Dennis is correct, however.... the w202 C55 we have here comes with 722.636 and regular gate shifter..well, that's what the data card shows and the owner says it gater.

    I pulled up a few VIN numbers for local 2001/2002 208/220 55's and the enigne numbers where no way near 60 046180....the best I could get was 60 031822 on a 2002 CLK55. , if compression changed it must be very very late 2002 or maybe not at all!.
    I did find a 2005 CLK55 with 60 046305 which I know has the 11:1 compression,but that's a 113.988 so im not sure if the numbers are comparable. I wil go back ove the EPC again as I really want to confim that.

    I'm about to take on the challenge of converting the C43 gater to C55 with tiptronic using a complete ME2.0 CLK55,currently waiting for it to arrive. plenty more on that topic to come xD
    >>00 C43 Black w/birch Black. Immaculate
    >>99 C43 Silver w/CLK55 package
    >>99 S202 RED 250TD Daily.
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    >>Old Turbo 2.3 History >>Old Turbo 2.3 Video

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    Hate to burst all the joy but the tip tronic shifter module uses a different transmission tunnel then the non-tip 5-speed.

    2000' is the only year US had 202's with tip; and those had different trans tunnels then the 99' and older. Ask me how I know.

  17. #17
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    Tells me this after I purchase the clk55

    That part is going to be really interesting, when you mentioned it a while back I checked the EPC and there is a picture but no part # available to replace the tunnel on its own,only as a complete chassis?.

    Is it just the cut out that is different or the entire tunnel?
    >>00 C43 Black w/birch Black. Immaculate
    >>99 C43 Silver w/CLK55 package
    >>99 S202 RED 250TD Daily.
    >>89 2.6 RED w/16vkit. POS
    >>Old Turbo 2.3 History >>Old Turbo 2.3 Video

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    The cutout is much larger and totally different, as well as the hieght & width of the tunnel.

    Try to find 202' tip tronic shifter modules to compare to a normal gate shifter (pay attention to size and bolt mount pattern)

  19. #19
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    Got it, the cutout is much larger to accomodate the protrusion and looks 3 bolt instead of 4.

    That is unfortunate,I'm aiming for bolt in only so if I can make it work it will have to be the regular gate shift with 722.636, it's a long shot but I wonder if the CLK55 ETC will except the anolog inputs instead of CAN, wiring diagrams show the anolog ETC terminals as "not used"... fun times ahead.

    Shouldn't you be ruining porcshe owner conversions? =P
    >>00 C43 Black w/birch Black. Immaculate
    >>99 C43 Silver w/CLK55 package
    >>99 S202 RED 250TD Daily.
    >>89 2.6 RED w/16vkit. POS
    >>Old Turbo 2.3 History >>Old Turbo 2.3 Video

  20. #20
    Moderator Pagz's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SD202 View Post
    hmmm. well i know that mine flows a tad bit better than stock I have removed the center muffler ( resonator) added a y pipe from the secondary cats back to an aftermarket muffler ( borla brand)Using 3 inch piping instead of 2.75in. The car instantly felt a bit more peppy with a quicker throttle response in the lower RPM range when i dropped the stock exhaust for this option. Im not to worried about the numbers I make as im sure that even a lower HP 5.4 litre m113 will feel more peppy than my old tired worn out m113 it has over 208,000Miles (over 334,744KM ) on both engine and trans now.Which leads me to my next concern. My old tired trans...... If i were to purchase engine and trans combo, Will the trans from face lift W210 e55 or even the trans from CLK 55 mate up to the trans mounts of the W202 chassis without major modification or custom fabrication ? I know they are diff 722.6 i believe ???? 5 speed shiftronic. Mines a 5 speed steptronic. Will TCU communicate or will this bring about a whole new set of headaches in order to complete the swap ?
    SD202, it seems most guys change the engine only,run the original ECU and leave the 722.631(C43) trans in there. If your trans has no problems I would consider doing it this way to keep effort and cost down.

    The 210/208 changed to ME2.8 at various stages, when they did this the engine harness, connectors, throttle body etc changed also. this means you will need to swap parts from your C43 engine depending on which model/year donor the 5.4 comes from.

    As for the 722.636 its the same in both 210/208 and will definitely bolt into your 202, the output flange is larger though - I'm not sure if your C43 one fits the output shaft!.
    >>00 C43 Black w/birch Black. Immaculate
    >>99 C43 Silver w/CLK55 package
    >>99 S202 RED 250TD Daily.
    >>89 2.6 RED w/16vkit. POS
    >>Old Turbo 2.3 History >>Old Turbo 2.3 Video

  21. #21
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    changing transmission into a tiptronic version takes time an effort also some cash.
    question is if it's worth doing the conversion?
    better get a non tiptronic gearbox from 98 - 99 e55 when the old bugger blows out.

    doing the c55 modification on c43 is cool, however to complete the looks a 300 speedo is needed and they are impossible to source for a w202 car.
    I only managed to get complete speedos for pre-facelift w210 E55 AMG cars and some loose dials
    I have to find time in the future to make the dial swap

  22. #22
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    Paul you are forking at a big piece of pie by thinking about swapping modules.

    The CLK ME is variant coded for CLK and same for the 202. The ETC and ME are both vin coded and locked. Not a simple swap!

    The output shaft (if it differs) is a simple swap.

    Sorry I have not figured out how to "quote reply" with my mobile.

    ... And no, I've got on a Porsche forum but its a bit dead & idk anyone like I know a lot of people here. So I just stayed on here. I still have a black C36 left, it's a pile of shit and nothing like my blue one was.

  23. #23
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    Learning A lot here. Pagz, Deff excited to see your swap. I've made up my mind I want to find a 5.4 from a face lift and just mate it to the gated shift .631 trans not worried about gaining tip-tronic over the steptronic, as the gated shift really grew on me when i owned the C280 with the vacuum controlled 4 speed. although that trans felt way more solid when shifting thru the gate and this 5 speed feels laggy. Thats the least of my concerns. Mostly want compatibility and for it to be a bolt in swap. Also, I dont want to start to shell out money on engine and trans parts that wont fit. or require custom fabrication for them to work properly. I want to be able to purchase the engine, drop it in ,and be on the road again. I know it probably sounds a lot easier than it is. Thanks Remo for the useful info !
    1996 C280 elegance edition - SOLD 9/21/2013.
    1999 C43 AMG - Bagged, Daily driver.

  24. #24
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    Bring it my way for the swap!

    We can probably flash the software as well!

  25. #25
    Moderator Pagz's Avatar
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    Remo,
    To overcome this issue the aim was to use the entire ME2.0 CLK55 and any extra wiring as it appears nearly all modules are same mechanically as tiptronic 202(bar the Illumintaion module).

    I have an SDS with developer which I see is very limited with coding... but I hope it at least helps with seeing the problems ahead.

    Also, tiptronic was not the goal,but I thought may be nessassry to run the rest of the CLK55 system, if there is a way around this I will run the normal shifter...you would know how awfully slow/usless tiptronic is.

    I think you will sell the the run down 36 and get a 43 =P
    >>00 C43 Black w/birch Black. Immaculate
    >>99 C43 Silver w/CLK55 package
    >>99 S202 RED 250TD Daily.
    >>89 2.6 RED w/16vkit. POS
    >>Old Turbo 2.3 History >>Old Turbo 2.3 Video

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