Morning guy's, early here in Barbados but no snow.
Need to remove my power plant, stopped with a clunk about a month ago at idle, ordered a smog hog from California, the big question is do I have to pull the motor and tranny as one or can the motor be removed by itself. I'm old and just getting use to computers and Merc's, think I need a brain transplant.
Thanks, Grey

 

It will be lot easier to remove both together and transfer the box to new lump and reinstall the engine and box as one system change. Leaving the tranny on the vehicle makes the engine installation mighty difficult and you would have to pull back the tranny anyway. While removing the tranny alone from the engine does not require the engine to be pulled out, removing the engine requires the lot to come out. Hope it helps and dont forgeet to replace engine mounts, subframe mounts and flex disks & centre prop bearing. All the best!!.

 

Much appreciate the advice, and yes, your right, was able to unscrew the motor and transmission as one lump and slide it out easily.
The pictures you sent pretty much show the process and how easy it was.
Being down here in Barbados and dealing with the local Merc dealer has also been an excercise in stupidity, no parts and it takes months to order anything, and costs, now I know why he has two corporate jets at the airport.
It took two months to ship down a smog hog from Calif, and then the duty and shipping, yikes, and then I found I had a German built engine, no smog stuff, higher compression and different part numbers on everything, cams, lifters, etc.
Also found out why the engine died, somewhere along in the service history of the car someone installed shims under each cam tower, of differing thicknesses, oh duh, guess they didn't understand the term " hydraulic lifters", the center tower fused to the cam bearing surface and locked up the motor, no oil getting to the bearing surfaces or cam lobes either.
But now, after replaceing everything I needed from the smog hog and reinstalling the motor I have no compression on #2 and 4, guess I've got bent valves. As the stomach turns will update the findings, maybe I can use palm tree leaves for head gaskets. Probably should slip in a 501 Chevy, could be easier.
Thanks again for the help from an old guy named Grey.

 

You did very well indeed in swapping over the engines in such a short time Grey!!. You really have your hands on!. Shims under the cam towers?? Yikes!!!. Probably the previous mechanic was an unemployed brain surgeon! Luckily you have a spare motor and could swap the heads. Time for new timing chain and guides, plus a new set of head-gaskets. Would suggest to request the seller of MB parts in USA to fill in the export licence marked as “returned parts” or “sample tools”. This gets around import duties etc. You shouldn’t pay for the Lear Jets of MB executives!!.
Keep us posted of your great undertakings and the progress you are making.

All the best.

 

Wow, here we are in May, it's only been 6 months since I started this stupidity and with any luck I should be able to start the tank in another week or so, problem is can't get the lowdown on cam timing. Have set number 1 on TDC and right side cam, passenger side, on the timing mark, the notch almost verticle, now comes the problem, can't find any marks for the other cam. Most information I've been able to find says set the keyways on the cams close to verticle and go from there, I've already got a supply of good used bent valves, really have to be careful at this point.
This problem initially occured from the inability of a Mercedes mechanic to diagnose the problem of the motor running rough and then stopping. The hydraulic valve lifters were solid with gunk and wouldn't allow the valves to close, the shims under the cam towers only worked for about an hour until on cam bearing seized and the motor went clunk. I reset everything, started the motor and didn't realize the motor had sheared a keyway on the left side cam, sure messed up the valves and my head.
Any insight into this cam timing would surely be appreciated. With any luck may be able to take a picture of the sled and post it, maybe to Afganistan, mount a 50mm on the roof.