i wish my first postings to this site were a little less gloomy, but i need to share my pain here and hopefully get some good advice from you guys.
bought an 01 E55 w/ ~40k miles about 4 months ago. the car was (seemed) immaculate and everything checked out. just recently (and a few weeks after the 3-month warranty expired- of course) the car broke down out of the blue, and, after diagnostics we found no compression in cylinder 1, cracked spark plugs, and metal shavings in the oil. Dug deeper and removed the heads to learn that a piston "got loose" somehow, shattered, and tore up the engine pretty bad. (i'll try to attach some pics here if i can figure it out.)
so, i'm now looking at either dumping the car or going ahead with a new engine. either way, it's a nice big kick to the groin. i've entertained the idea of trying to squeeze a W211 in there, but the electronics seem to be the big obstacle there.
this whole saga seems strange to me- especially when we're talking about a MB AMG w/ less than 50k miles and has been babied pretty well. i can't come up with any theories as to how this happened. any ideas? do i have any chance of MB helping me out here? who/where would i even address a letter to?
just looking for any advice you guys can provide. thanks in advance.
Oh man ... I am so very sorry to see your trouble... never heard of a piston getting loose on its own before. are you sure the engine has not been tampered with before? Did you confirm the previous ownership and mileage ? Usually the car will shut down whatever cylinder is not working on its own before any damage like that will happen.... Does it pay to have the ECU checked? There was a brand new ECU on Ebay recently.....
If the car is immaculate everywhere else I would say your best bet is to drop a new engine into it. Dont even try to get the W211 engine, it will cost you more than an actual W211 car...you can pick a used M113 engine , low miles , with a compression test, ( check out Potomac , I have had great experience with them ) , better yet, if you have the funds, get a used engine, open it up, port and polish the heads and intake manifold, drop it in and you ve got yourself a better than OEM setup ! Best of luck to you and I do hope your next posts are happier!
Welcome to our group.
Sorry about your loss! Hard to say without better diagnostics what happened. My very wild guess is ECU, piston rings, oil supply.... Where to go from here.... I'd look for a short block from a wrecked one and replace the engine. Look on craigslist in LA, as I think there is a wrecked one there right now. Move fast and try to get it. After that, buy a warrantee, and enjoy the awesome car.
thanks a lot for the input. i'll definitely have that ecu checked out.
just tried to find that wrecked e55 on craigslist- l.a., but without luck so far...
EBAY has the w211 engine with ecu and harness for sale
Don't know if that will fit your ride or if the interfaces are the same for the rest of the car. But that would be a great DIY project. From that picture I can't help but wonder if you could not hear the rod knocking around in the cylinder? It appears that it ran like that for some time before you stopped it. Did the piston breakup? If the dealers in your area are anything like the ones in mine don't count on much more than lip servce, Oh I'm sorry, that's terrible .... I wouldn't ditch the car though I see two engines on ebay right now. Good luck and keep us posted !
......I will seriously avoid trying to put an AMG V8K engine in your car. You have no idea how much work is involved. It can be done, but gone will be your reliable everyday driver.
........I think you should drop in a replacement NA V8 AMG engine. The least expensive source is an outfit in CT. Below is a link to their website. Don't worry if the engine is not listed in their web inventory. Call them directly.
......I will seriously avoid trying to put an AMG V8K engine in your car. You have no idea how much work is involved. It can be done, but gone will be your reliable everyday driver.
........I think you should drop in a replacement NA V8 AMG engine. The least expensive source is an outfit in CT. Below is a link to their website. Don't worry if the engine is not listed in their web inventory. Call them directly.
Wow! I wish I had some useful advice to give as far as the engine replacement and such but I don't. I just wanted to say "I'm sorry" that this happened to you.My heart just sunk reading your post. I just recently bought an 01 E55 with 60K miles on it. I would be at a total loss if I had to incur and endure what just happened to you.For all it's worth, good luck and stay strong. Regards, Brian
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