I am asking again about a replacement engine for my 164 e pferrably aftermarket or by another manufacturer. newer and with better economy
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dcasetanner

Rollcall, I missed the previous messages. What is wrong with the engine you have? Why change it? In what country do you live? What condition is the 164 body and is it worth a mess of engineering to install another engine?

There isn't a kit to drop another engine straight into a 164. There are all sorts of options for replacing the engine, but all of them will involve substantial amounts of re engineering to make everything fit. If you go more modern there is the inevitable question of getting the electronics to work, how you get round any security there may be in the ECU.

It is always the small stuff that really starts to rack up, propshafts, engine control linkages, hoses, all won't drop straight in from whatever you use as a donor.

Have you considered rebuilding the B30 properly and controlling it using a good aftermarket injection system? that should yield some economy>

Alternatively if all you really want is the 164 look, it would be far easier to graft a 164 front end onto a 240 than it would be to substantially re engineer the 164 mechanically.

I agree with Lee and others who have said that a 960 engine is the only logical choice for such a swap (if you were thinking about a BMW engine, for example, why not just buy a BMW) Due to the shape of the engine compartment, anything but an inline 6 (or a 4) would be very difficult, if not impossible to install. Not only that, but it would be FAR more work than simply replacing your existing engine with another B30, assuming there is indeed something serious wrong with it.

If your engine seems to be down on power, and its not just that it needs a tuneup, there are two likely causes: Older engines will develop valve seat recession from being run on unleaded gas. The cure is to pull the head and take it to a machine shop to have hardened seat inserts installed. This is not a problem on 74-75s as they had hardened seats as original equipment. The second possibility is a wiped cam lobe. Again, the head has to come off, and the cam and lifters must be replaced. Either one of these problems can be diagnosed fairly easily with the valve cover off. On older cars, it is possible to have both at once, in which case the car will barely run.

The BW 35 automatic transmission is a miserable device, that is inherently sluggish. If you have one of these, in an otherwise nice car, consider swapping the transmission to a 4 speed with overdrive. I've done this before, on a 140, and the transformation is amazing. You may also want to change the rear axle, if you do this, to get a better gear ratio.

You didn't say what year your car is. The engine output varied quite a bit from year to year. 72 was the strongest, though it requires premium gas. By 75, which will run on regular, it had gone down by about 30-40 hp.

The 164 is inherently thirsty. There is not a lot you can do about it. If you have a 4 speed with OD, you MIGHT get up to the low 20s on the highway, mid teens around town. Automatics are worse---they can go as low as 12-13 in city traffic.

What do you have to spend? This will not be cheap! If your goal is to save money on gas, It will be years before your benefit at the gas pump pays you back for your initial investment. Also the resale value will most likely be less than a bone stock original 164e.

How much technical knowledge do you have? If you have to pay someone else to do the work at $75.00+ per hour when will you give up? If you can do the work yourself do you have the time?

Do you need to drive the car anytime soon? Will the neighbors, landlord, life partner complain if it sits undriven for months?

If you still want to do it heres other things to consider.

Once you decide on a donor get the whole car and keep it around till you're done, or you will be searching for the parts you left on the hulk when you sent it to the crusher. Plan on using the transmission that comes with the engine. Choose something with easy to find replacement parts.

In your previous post it was suggested that you use a B6304F engine from a 960, with the 4 speed AT and locking torque converter. Thats your best choice for a good trade-off between power and economy.

Let us know what you decide to do.
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Lee 75 244 (80k original miles) 79 242 65 220 project

Did you bother to read the responses in the other thread you started?
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Dale

Could it be the original poster read the "165e" pages closely and decided it was just too much work? It appears you don't just drop a 960 engine in a 164 without a tremendous amount of sheet metal modification. According to the builder, a 960 engine is impossible to fit between the stock 164 front suspension a-arms, resulting in his use of a 240 series front subframe and struts. The car actually ended up being what amounts to a 245 with 164 front fenders and hood.

Gary L
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1971 142E ITB racer, 1973 1800ES, 2002 S60 T5

That's entirely possible. Why not just respond in the original thread? Starting a whole new thread asking the same question again certainly makes it look like he didn't bother reading the responses in the other thread...
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Dale