1997 Mercedes e55 estate - a bit crashed, but super cheap!
Discussion
griffin dai said:
What are these mate?
If your after some extra bit of oomph and a better growl, fit an x-pipe
I also had a sprint booster fitted to mine, it came with the car but the previous owner said it made a nice difference and perked things up a bit.
I tried a couple different air filters but found the standard MANN filters worked best, the K&N panel filter shagged the MAF sensor so performance dropped right off! 0-60 was getting close to 8.5 secs! New filters...back to 5.3
Sorry, maybe I should have called them vapourisers, rather than reducers...If your after some extra bit of oomph and a better growl, fit an x-pipe
I also had a sprint booster fitted to mine, it came with the car but the previous owner said it made a nice difference and perked things up a bit.
I tried a couple different air filters but found the standard MANN filters worked best, the K&N panel filter shagged the MAF sensor so performance dropped right off! 0-60 was getting close to 8.5 secs! New filters...back to 5.3
X-pipe really make that much difference? A mate works for Powerflow exhausts, so it will paying a visit there at some point. Don't think I want it loud though - really rather enjoy the stealthy look!
Art0ir said:
Those adapters look like a great job! I wonder why they're not more widespread?
I think they are a relatively new concept, hope they will become more popular, I have had great results with them. I first used them about 2 years ago. I notice more LPG suppliers in the UK are stocking them now though, although I bought these from Poland for about a quid each!Well worth registering here mate-
http://mbworld.org/forums/w210-amg-82/
There's a US firm called AMS who do some nice bits for it, like headers and the pulley kit. Then again of you can get the exhaust done for cheap with a friend.....big shiny headers would be on the list
I had a full magnaflow system on mine, sounded lovely! Really wanted to decat the system and get a more aggressive exhaust note plus aim for over 400bhp (was 381) but lost my job so had to sell it
http://mbworld.org/forums/w210-amg-82/
There's a US firm called AMS who do some nice bits for it, like headers and the pulley kit. Then again of you can get the exhaust done for cheap with a friend.....big shiny headers would be on the list
I had a full magnaflow system on mine, sounded lovely! Really wanted to decat the system and get a more aggressive exhaust note plus aim for over 400bhp (was 381) but lost my job so had to sell it
It has been pointed out to me on the LPG forum that I should be using 8mm pipe for a 350bhp engine, not 6mm. Pleased I read this now, as I was going to run the fuel pipe today. It does mean that I also need an 8mm solenoid, so it does potentially put me back a day or two as I need to order a couple of parts... Still plenty to get on with today though.
You gained 30 bhp just from the exhaust? Just in two minds about exhaust note at the moment, as when I have gone for louder exhausts on other Mercs, it also gives a horrible booming sound in the cabin at cruising speed. I also don't usually want to draw attention to my car! But then, V8.
griffin dai said:
Well worth registering here mate-
http://mbworld.org/forums/w210-amg-82/
There's a US firm called AMS who do some nice bits for it, like headers and the pulley kit. Then again of you can get the exhaust done for cheap with a friend.....big shiny headers would be on the list
I had a full magnaflow system on mine, sounded lovely! Really wanted to decat the system and get a more aggressive exhaust note plus aim for over 400bhp (was 381) but lost my job so had to sell it
Ahha, looks like an active AMG forum, thank you! http://mbworld.org/forums/w210-amg-82/
There's a US firm called AMS who do some nice bits for it, like headers and the pulley kit. Then again of you can get the exhaust done for cheap with a friend.....big shiny headers would be on the list
I had a full magnaflow system on mine, sounded lovely! Really wanted to decat the system and get a more aggressive exhaust note plus aim for over 400bhp (was 381) but lost my job so had to sell it
You gained 30 bhp just from the exhaust? Just in two minds about exhaust note at the moment, as when I have gone for louder exhausts on other Mercs, it also gives a horrible booming sound in the cabin at cruising speed. I also don't usually want to draw attention to my car! But then, V8.
No that was with a custom remap aswel. To get some decent power out of it your looking at a supercharger kit but its a good £6/7k! (Better off buying a w211 e55k if anyone's thinking of doing the conversion) those things are crazy fast....I got murdered by one in my AMG
Kleeman do some nice kit for these.
Kleeman do some nice kit for these.
So, 2 days worth to update with - or at least 2 half days, as stuff always gets in the way...
I am not being quite as methodical as usual, as I am still missing a few parts. As such, I am not really able to finish one bit before moving on to the next. However, good progress has been made.
So this was the state of play after day 1
Day 2
I have finished the water cooling system, started the car and brought it up to temperature. No leaks. Considering I have added 20 jubilee clips to the cooling system, this is good! Also, the reducers are getting nice and warm as required.
I needed to do some wiring next, as the injectors are hard wired to the loom.
This is the loom. Nicely labelled so easy (ish) to fit!
The ECU, as per my e430 build fits just snugly in the box with the other ECU's. Almost like it was meant to be there!
Photo here before loom attached.
By the end of day 2 - actually only got about 3 hours in the end - the loom was roughly laid in place and some of it attached. It is amazingly time consuming laying wires and attaching it so it looks neat. I want it to look as close to a factory install as possible.
Injectors connected up and loom laying roughly where it supposed to go.
Day 3 - again, about 3 hours
Rain didn't stop play!
So the wiring is now complete, except the solenoid and fuel gauge wires that go to the back. I think it looks reasonably neat.
Fuel gauge and selection switch nicely hidden in the ash tray
Gone!
Towards the end of the day, I started playing with the air filter housing. This is the only part I am not sure how to do at the moment. Unfortunately with any LPG install, there is going to be a certainly amount of compromise. On this one, I think I will have to reduce the air input slightly. The e55 has double the air filter surface area of the e430, so I hope it can cope if it looses a bit. If this doesn't work, I will have to come up with some sort of ricer induction kit thing, but would obviously prefer it to look stock in the engine bay...
So, the photo below is where I got too before it got too dark/cold. Or more to the point, it's Friday and my lovely wife wants us to go to the pub!
Rubbish photo, but you can see that I have had to cut out quite a bit to get the housing to fit over the injectors. I don't think it will actually make a massive impact on the air flow, as there is very little input volume in the middle there anyway. In real terms, I reckon less than 10% reduction. Will see in the next few days if it is going to work...
Next update hopefully Monday evening...
I am not being quite as methodical as usual, as I am still missing a few parts. As such, I am not really able to finish one bit before moving on to the next. However, good progress has been made.
So this was the state of play after day 1
Day 2
I have finished the water cooling system, started the car and brought it up to temperature. No leaks. Considering I have added 20 jubilee clips to the cooling system, this is good! Also, the reducers are getting nice and warm as required.
I needed to do some wiring next, as the injectors are hard wired to the loom.
This is the loom. Nicely labelled so easy (ish) to fit!
The ECU, as per my e430 build fits just snugly in the box with the other ECU's. Almost like it was meant to be there!
Photo here before loom attached.
By the end of day 2 - actually only got about 3 hours in the end - the loom was roughly laid in place and some of it attached. It is amazingly time consuming laying wires and attaching it so it looks neat. I want it to look as close to a factory install as possible.
Injectors connected up and loom laying roughly where it supposed to go.
Day 3 - again, about 3 hours
Rain didn't stop play!
So the wiring is now complete, except the solenoid and fuel gauge wires that go to the back. I think it looks reasonably neat.
Fuel gauge and selection switch nicely hidden in the ash tray
Gone!
Towards the end of the day, I started playing with the air filter housing. This is the only part I am not sure how to do at the moment. Unfortunately with any LPG install, there is going to be a certainly amount of compromise. On this one, I think I will have to reduce the air input slightly. The e55 has double the air filter surface area of the e430, so I hope it can cope if it looses a bit. If this doesn't work, I will have to come up with some sort of ricer induction kit thing, but would obviously prefer it to look stock in the engine bay...
So, the photo below is where I got too before it got too dark/cold. Or more to the point, it's Friday and my lovely wife wants us to go to the pub!
Rubbish photo, but you can see that I have had to cut out quite a bit to get the housing to fit over the injectors. I don't think it will actually make a massive impact on the air flow, as there is very little input volume in the middle there anyway. In real terms, I reckon less than 10% reduction. Will see in the next few days if it is going to work...
Next update hopefully Monday evening...
Edited by Utterpiffle on Saturday 14th December 10:44
piers1 said:
What a result after the cat B fiasco! How come they suddenly taxed it though, seems odd, as surely once it is a cat B, it is a cat B? Did they say?
Local DVLA office were wrong. Car has an MOT and a valid VIC cert. The insurance category is nothing to do with them, so Mrs Busybody-DVLA-clerk in the local office should have just done her job. I sent it all off, tax disc turned up a week later, then followed by a V5C three weeks after that. Fully road legal. A cat-B car "shouldn't" go back on the road. Luckily, that doesn't mean it can't.Only issue is that if I do have an accident in it, the insurance company will consider it scrap value only.
Utterpiffle said:
So, does anyone want some very good e55 bits?
Drove fantastically for VOSA check. I have the VIC pass cert in my hand.
Went to local DVLA office for tax disc.
Can't tax this sir, it's a cat B.
In hindsight is there a way you might have checked before starting ? Drove fantastically for VOSA check. I have the VIC pass cert in my hand.
Went to local DVLA office for tax disc.
Can't tax this sir, it's a cat B.
I know I once phoned a FREE vosa helpline about a car the owner 'thought' might be CAT D and they told me over the phone that it wasn't. (And that car was £40 so no exactly a risk)
Utterpiffle said:
piers1 said:
What a result after the cat B fiasco! How come they suddenly taxed it though, seems odd, as surely once it is a cat B, it is a cat B? Did they say?
Local DVLA office were wrong. Car has an MOT and a valid VIC cert. The insurance category is nothing to do with them, so Mrs Busybody-DVLA-clerk in the local office should have just done her job. I sent it all off, tax disc turned up a week later, then followed by a V5C three weeks after that. Fully road legal. A cat-B car "shouldn't" go back on the road. Luckily, that doesn't mean it can't.Only issue is that if I do have an accident in it, the insurance company will consider it scrap value only.
New POD said:
In hindsight is there a way you might have checked before starting ?
Well yes, I should have HPI'd it, but is was a thousand pound car and I never even thought to do this. For £3, I will now always HPI any future purchase!New POD said:
That changes my understanding. What does CAT A mean ?
It changed mine! In theory, a cat A car could also be put back on the road, but I think you are pushing it then, as a cat A shouldn't even have any parts removed, it should just be squashed. Cat A might be a fire or fatality or something equally as nasty.
Cat B is usually bent chassis or significant structural damage. Flood damage cars often also get a cat B. My car should be a cat C as it was not structurally damaged.
Small update, as not had much free time the last two days.
However, I finished the air filter, and it fits well around the injectors
Cover to match
Front end complete now
Will get a pic with the complete air filter on tomorrow.
Spent the afternoon running the fuel line to the back of the car and working out where to put the filler.
On my last car, I had one of these sneakily hidden behind the fuel flap:
However, I have since found out these are not CoP-11 compliant (the UK LPG approval body) as you need to always use an adaptor which is frowned upon. You should also mount the filler so that it has more than a 50kg breaking strain in case you forget to detach the filler and drive off (as if!).
So I think I will just mount a conventional one to the tow bar, but set it back under the bumper.
Weather is supposed to nice for the next few days, so hope to make some progress...
However, I finished the air filter, and it fits well around the injectors
Cover to match
Front end complete now
Will get a pic with the complete air filter on tomorrow.
Spent the afternoon running the fuel line to the back of the car and working out where to put the filler.
On my last car, I had one of these sneakily hidden behind the fuel flap:
However, I have since found out these are not CoP-11 compliant (the UK LPG approval body) as you need to always use an adaptor which is frowned upon. You should also mount the filler so that it has more than a 50kg breaking strain in case you forget to detach the filler and drive off (as if!).
So I think I will just mount a conventional one to the tow bar, but set it back under the bumper.
Weather is supposed to nice for the next few days, so hope to make some progress...
Edited by Utterpiffle on Tuesday 17th December 17:19
IN awe of your confidence and nous tackling this project. Most notably how you justify so much time on the car away from 'er inside. Respect.
You mention the injector brackets on the inlet manifold manifold being novel, how else it normally done? Im not familiar with LPG. I think we need to see a vid of this beast in action!
You mention the injector brackets on the inlet manifold manifold being novel, how else it normally done? Im not familiar with LPG. I think we need to see a vid of this beast in action!
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff