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Here’s weekly dose of your catastrophic engine forensics! Every week you can find a new teardown of some abused, misused and/or poorly designed engine. I’ve got over 150 videos of failed engine teardowns on this channel.
This week’s teardown is a Mercedes Benz M278. A 4.7L DOHC Bi-Turbo DI V8. These engines make 400-450hp and come in midsized and larger cars and SUV’s with the 550 designation starting around 2011. This particular engine is from a 2013 ML550 and is a core return from a local salvage yard. As such, I don’t have information like mileage or suspected failure.
In this video I tear this engine down complete and try to figure out what went wrong and why, as well as what parts I can salvage to resell. These engines have a LOT of pricey parts so they are quite lucrative for the shop but those parts have to be good.
Why am I doing this? I own and run a full service auto salvage business called Importapart, and part of our model includes dismantling blown and bad engines to reclaim the good, sellable parts from them and recycle the rest. We do not rebuild engines, merely supply parts to those that do.
I really hope you enjoyed this video. As always, I love all of the comments, feedback and even the criticism. Catch you on the next one!
-Eric
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Think the vacuum pump is actually a scavenger pump "oil" for the turbos.
sooo…., who reuses used chain guides??? you keep saying.. here we go: https://youtu.be/NfuXp8QnWoU?t=3553 Man is does top great job, got a great chuckle while watching M539Restorations video after yours
I know everyone loves the Mercedes engine. But its a perfect example of something that is needlessly complicated for the sake of over engineered complication. Take the GM LT4 engine (650HP) or the HC engine (700 – 800 -1050HP) which make twice (or more) the HP with HALF the moving parts.
Personally? I would never buy a Mercedes.
m273 next please
Every direct injection engine should come with an oil catch can to minimize the intake valve fouling issue. I have no idea why it's not standard in every car.
Too many adverts now spoling continuity.
High horsepower engine can be pushed really hard…but only for a little while.
Just because you can doesn't mean you should.
Know why the M276 lives longer than the M278?
BTW, the extra piece on the oil pump, is the oil pressure reduction valve to reduce oil pressure to increase fuel economy. Unplug it to get full oil pressure like normal engines.
And there I was thinking you would leave us hanging on the future of that water pump!
I just don't understand the thinking in designing an engine that costs this much as if it were a 50-year-old Briggs and Stratton lawnmower. Even today's small engines use cast/steel liners for durability. Have engineers forgotten the Vega debacle from the 1970's?
I now officially hate this channel. I own that engine (2018 GLS 550), and TWO M157 (E63S)….as I am not ignorant of the engines…now I may have nightmares.
Long time viewer, watched all your videos and love them! One of the two car channel i watch. This might be pretty hard to get (and probably way out of your usual customer needs), but it would be interesting to disassemble a blown RS3 engine. It's some spicy 5 cyl, 2.5T with a great sound.
man I thought having the water pump on the timing belt was a bad design but engine out for a water pump takes the cake
man,such a waste with these BMW motors.all that work to build a motor with built in faults
I'd just like to say and i know this will always be a fight between Euro car guys and domestic, but if we compare "like to like" which is hard to do and all that.
This engine in the ML550 2013 makes 402hp, 443 torks using about 18-20psi of boost, and moves a 4984 lb car in 5.3 seconds and gets 14mpg city 20 highway 7 speed automatic.
The LSA (basically LS3 with supercharger) on a Cadillac CTS-V makes 556hp, 551tork using 9 psi, and moves a 4220lb car in 3.9 seconds, and gets, 14 mpg city and 19 mpg highway with a 6 speed manual (t56 i think).
I don't really see why the euros are so fond of complicated engines when an old pushrod design dating basically back to basically 1997 (really before that probably around 80s since the LS was designed by various gm engineers using the available GM architectures to make a single global v8) is just as if not more capable. And more reliable.
A lot of modern engines have bore scoring issues and the problem stems from the aluminum silicon sprayed liners. These liners reduce friction and let manufactures run very thin rings for the same compression, unfortunately by 100k and often less these liners are worn and while I don't think it's "planned obsolescence" it definitely basically is a disposable design. The cost of getting these liners resprayed is way too much to be justifiable. Generally on an inline these liners are OK probably because of how the forces work or maybe just because inline engines are generally economy engines, but anything with a V wears out pretty fast. The kicker is that the blocks are too thin for cast replacement liners.
It's really sad that we just push our problems down the line. But we all do it so no single person to blame.
can you find a cummins r2.8 to teardown?
$11.00? Dang, that's a bargain!
These vids are the best part of my week
Wow, what a difference between Mercedes and BMW. Although the Mercedes engine is quite complex, the quality appears to be worlds ahead their rival. BMW seems built to impress, but the Mercedes seems built to last (even with its flawed DI and carbon’ed up valves). As always, change the oil regularly and frequently.
Little over 400hp with twins that's pretty sad
Bore Score and several years ago, Mercedes once made great engines.
I have replaced so many 278 exhaust guides it's ridiculous.
Great forensic analysis as always. I’ve seen a lot of piston skirt wear on your breakdowns.
Curious to know what your thoughts on some of the causes?
1: bad design, materials.
2: engine harmonics, vibrations.
3: poor maintenance, oil change intervals, cheap oil, gas, driving style.
Just like X
TY,,,,,,WOW incredible very interesting great information super kool,
AAAAAAAAAAA++++++++++++ ,keep up the great work