Mercedes-Benz is one of the best car manufacturers on the planet, building premium luxury cars for customers around the world. Over the years, the company produced excellent vehicles that became the standard for the automotive industry. Unfortunately, with the larger number of vehicles in the back catalogue, there are bound to be a few engines that don’t make it.
Mercedes-Benz is officially credited as the dawn of the motor vehicle, and Karl Benz takes credit for the invention of the Patent Wagon. Benz built the company with the help of Gottlieb Daimler and together the industry grew to its current empire. Mercedes-Benz consistently built some of the best cars on the market, with many of its models regularly winning Car of the Year awards. Mercedes-Benz were the cars reserved for the rich, captains of industry and heads of state. Although they made mostly brilliant engines, there are some of the more ‘normal’ engines reserved for lower end cars that had some issues.
Mercedes-Benz has a pretty stellar track record with its engines, marred only by a few unfortunate engineering issues. Here are five Mercedes-Benz engines that would fit better in a junkyard than on the front of a car, with five more engines that still pose a threat to modern sports and supercars.
10 Belong In A Junkyard – M271 I4
The M271 is the small 4-cylinder addition to the M2xx engine family, which means it unfortunately shares the problems of the larger engines. The M271 has a displacement of 1.8 liters and is only found in entry-level Mercedes-Benz models from the early 2000s.
The M271 produces a maximum of 200 hp and comes with a ton of potential problems, including plastic timing chain guides, failures, and less-than-ideal engineering. The M271 is found in the C-Class, SLK-Class and CLK-Class, among others.
9 Will annihilate anything – M113K V8
The M113K is one of the best engines the German brand has ever produced. While the regular M113 was designed by Mercedes-Benz, the M113K is a modified version tuned by AMG and was the last Mercedes engine that AMG used before switching to their in-house engines.
The M133K was the engine of choice for all supercharged AMG models from the E55 to the S55. The M113K is also the basis of the M155 AMG engine found in the Mercedes-McLaren SLR supercar. With a little tuning, the M113K is capable of supercar power levels.
8 Belongs to a scrap yard – M272 V6
The M272 V6 is a pretty terrible gas V6 as it had multiple unrelated issues that easily lead to a trip to the mechanic. The M272 is available in three displacement sizes, namely 2.5, 3.0 and 3.5 litres.
The first of the problems involves the timing chain stretching and causing the cams to go off, ruining smoothness and fuel economy. The intake manifold has a plastic case that breaks easily, so the entire piece must be replaced. Finally, the engine likes to develop oil leaks, most of which seep into the cabin, leaving a burning smell.
7 Will annihilate anything – M159 V8
The M156 was AMG’s first foray into engine design, and they hit it out of the park. Of course, the head bolts had a tendency to break and cause massive damage, but AMG was sued and they finally fixed it.
The M159 was a more powerful version of this engine exclusively for use in the SLS AMG and SLS Black series. The most modified version of the Black Series even held the record as the most powerful naturally aspirated production V8, until the Chevrolet Corvette C8 Z06.
6 Belong In A Junkyard – M273 V8
The M273 is the V8 version of the M271 and M272. The M273 displaced 4.7 or 5.5 liters, depending on the application, and had the same problems as its smaller siblings. The M273 was the entry-level V8 in the Mercedes-Benz lineup for the late 2000s and early 2010s.
The biggest problems included that the particulate filters had to be replaced often (it cost a bit of money) and that the intake manifold dampers tended to collapse on high-mileage units, causing bits to enter into the combustion chamber and ruin the cylinder. .
5 Will annihilate anything – M139 I4
The M139 is the first AMG engine not to have eight cylinders, humiliating other hot hatches with just four. The M139 has a displacement of 2.0 liters and features a single turbocharger, with the most powerful version currently on sale making 470 hp in the C63 AMG.
The M139 emerged with the previous generation A-Class when Mercedes-Benz decided to venture into the world of hot hatches. With this engine, they didn’t just enter the fray, they completely obliterated it, and it’s currently still at the top of the hot hatch food chain.
4 Belong In A Junkyard – OM651 I4 Diesel
The OM651 is a 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine with a displacement of 1.8 or 2.2 liters. The single turbo model is generally pretty good, but the twin turbo model has some issues that can lead to expensive repair bills.
The OM651 is a more compact motor than necessary, which means it is difficult to maintain and work on. The spark plugs also require service every 50,000 miles, and earlier models had faulty fuel injectors, causing a loss of power. It’s a pretty terrible engine that causes a lot of problems.
3 Will annihilate anything – M157 V8
The M157 was another AMG-designed engine that was produced alongside the M156, but with a displacement of 5.5 liters and twin turbochargers. While the M156 was reserved for less powerful AMGs, the M157 opened the floodgates to high-powered AMGs and tuners.
The M157 appeared as the engine of choice in the E63 and CLS 63 AMG, resulting in a glorious exhaust note and tire-shredding violence when driven around a race track. The M157 is as bright as AMG’s force-induced V8s.
2 Belongs to a scrapyard – OM642 V6 Diesel
The Mercedes-Benz OM642 V6 was featured in many models outside the Silver Arrow’s engine bay. With the collaboration between Daimler and Chrysler in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the V6 turbodiesel came to many Chrysler products, including the Jeep Commander and Chrysler 300C.
The engine was not the best choice for the models as many have been scrapped over the years. Crankshaft bearings wear quickly, and while the Garrett GT2056 turbocharger is fairly reliable, it can fail due to the large amount of soot that builds up on the turbo vanes.
1 Will annihilate anything – M275 V12
The Mercedes-Benz M275 is a twin-turbocharged V12 found in the flagships of certain Mercedes-Benz models. The M275 is also the engine of choice for the Pagani Huayra and the new Utopia supercars.
The M275 is a brilliant engine that even today has performance figures that rival supercars, with the 65 AMG version producing an incredible 603 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque. The M275 is currently available with these R230 SL65 performance figures, which is a steal on the used market.
Sources: Motorcrux.com
