Driver RUINED This 30K Mile Mercedes C43 AMG M276 Bi-Turbo V6. Lets Tear It Down And See How Bad!

Boy O Boy do we have the evidence of a mistake on our hands!
This M276 DE 30 LA is a 3.0L Bi-Turbo V6 from a 2017 Mercedes C43 AMG. This engine comes compliments of Matt out of Lubbock TX, Totally appreciate it Matt! This is an engine I would otherwise never get!
The M276 is a V6 family of engines that comes in a TON of 2014 and newer Mercedes vehicles, including but not limited to the C43, E43, GLE450, E400, C400, ML400, S350 and many more. The DE 30 LA is just one variant of this engine.
This poor engine died with just 30k miles on it, a premature failure completely unrelated to design, something that ruins nearly any engine.
its a real shame too, because these are extremely expensive and I'm sure this lesson was an expensive one the driver won't soon forget.
Why am I doing this? I own and run a full service auto salvage business in the Saint Louis Missouri area called Importapart. Part of our model includes dismantling blown engines and salvaging the good parts to resell. We do not rebuild engines, merely supply parts to those who do!
To buy parts you can visit www.Importapart.com or email us at [e-mail].
I really hope you enjoyed this teardown. As always, I love all of the comments, feedback and even the criticism.
Catch you on the next one!
-Eric

[@colingreer853]

So nobody repairs engines nowadays, a low mileage engine scrapped because of 2 bent con rods. And they call that progress.

[@peponderat92]

This only happens in the "developed" countires. In the other parts of the world, they will repair the sh!t out if it. :)

[@joannaatkins822]

Thank you Matt! Your loss and donation is extremely generous, we appreciate it very much

[@HellaNorCal916]

Matt your a legend! Thank you!!!

[@iovakki]

Agree. Rare to see performance european engine.

[@jovaniduarte649]

Lol. Thanks, Matt! I hope your vehicle is back and running.

[@noone-ft9lw]

@@HellaNorCal916 *you're

[@jst_TV]

@@noone-ft9lw but did you thank Matt for the core donation?

[@nevinmorgan7112]

Mercedes tech here super cool to see a full engine tear down these never need as much engine work as the 4 cylinders which often need cylinder head replacement

[@madmattthehatter]

What do you think of the new 400hp 4-cylinder that has replaced the twin turbo V6? I'd be a bit nervous picking one up. Much more expensive too👎

[@rsxboss302]

Did 2 Cylinder heads this week , gravy .

[@calumhamilton9770]

A tip for disassembling Merc engines, parts like the oil pan, timing cover and sometimes the cam covers (parts that have a large gasket surface) have threaded holes in them where you put a bolt in, tighten it down and it breaks the seal and pops the part off. You can see one on the oil pan @37:20 right next to the bolt you take out

[@rsz90182]

Oh, I see that !!!! That is very nice for the engineers to design that in so you don't warp that aluminum pulling it like an ape with a crowbar as he did.

[@michaelkinsella8904]

Jacking holes.

[@sophiegrisom]

Good tip. I've done that to push out the oil pump in an automatic transmission. Just screw a bolt into the two larger threaded "pulling holes" and it pushes the pump out, which is just stuck by the circumferential O-ring, at least on the 2 Chrysler transmissions I rebuilt.

[@patrickmorrissey2271]

High school Chemistry Teacher: Oil & water don't mix. Eric: Let's pull the drain plug.....

[@kiiiisu]

haha true 😁

[@roger5449]

What - you don't know about mayonnaise?

[@mitsuturbo]

​@@roger5449 apparently i don't know much, other than i don't care for it. I always thought it was just egg whites and oil.

[@gyrgrls]

@@mitsuturbo nope. Egg yolks, oil, vinegar.

[@dennisgoans701]

Oh, I can't stop laughing on that one. Lol

[@blue.5058]

We just had a bunch of rain out here in CA and the number of stupid drivers pushing through standing water at (practically submerged) intersections is just staggering. It’s almost like you can hear them yell, “LEEEEERRRRRRROOYYYY JJJJJEEEENNNKKIIINNNNSSS!!!” as they dunk their car in.

[@aland7236]

If you can hear it over the sound of their engine drowning in water you might be able to hear a cash register ding at the wrecker shop.

[@graydonjones6912]

Well people are stupid

[@thomasfletcher760]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@lutomson3496]

They want a new car period insurance claims are real

[@mybigfartsreallystin]

I *100 percent* approve of this "you need to Google this, youngins" reference... XD

[@callmegeorge]

I almost felt bad for laughing when the breaker came down on you 😂 I think anyone that’s worked with cars has had similar happen to them, just part of the fun!

[@pokor5791]

Not in the industry and still remember all the skinned knuckles of my youth. I also remember the rust falling down onto my face and into my mouth (my parents had such crappy old cars).

[@paulmarsh5856]

OR, just a dumb, sloppy practice that could resuly in a broken nose and/or a couple of broken teeth ???

[@Absaalookemensch]

Rule of thumb, if you can see the top of the curb, the water is only a few inches deep, so drive slowly and carefully. If you cannot see the curb, do not drive into it as it may be much deeper than you can safely go through.

[@johnbower]

If you drive in the countryside you rarely see any curbs, does that mean it is not safe to drive in the countryside ?

[@Absaalookemensch]

@@johnbower I drove to work once and water was completely covering the road in a few inches of water. I took a chance that it wouldn't be too deep, but water depth can be deceiving if you don't have a point of reference to judge the depth.

[@Renville80]

Doesn't apply when you're driving in the country... if the water is over the road and it's NOT blacktop, turn around and find another way. Ask me how I know. On the other hand, there was the time I headed down one country road in the springtime... there had to be a legion of angels pushing me along, because I simply cannot understand why I did NOT become stuck. I think the main thing was maintaining a constant low RPM while edging my way down that quarter mile long bog. Still makes me nervous thinking about it nearly 2 decades later!

[@cctsteam]

It's always a bummer when your tools let you down - or fight back lol

[@MattWestwick]

I literally yelled "Nooooo!" at the screen when the breaker bar attacked him

[@nofider1]

@@MattWestwick I spat tea all over my monitor lol

[@azopene]

Swearing profusely at them helps I'm thoroughly convinced.

[@TheDennys21]

@@azopene yeah that always works 4 me.

[@smadge1]

I drove my brand new car with only 2000km on it through some water and did the engine in. Insurance company ended up replacing the whole car as there weren’t any spare engines. I felt super bad about it for months, it was an expensive life lesson.

[@scottj273]

What was the car..?

[@trentryan27]

That's the problem with life lessons, you learn them when its too late

[@mrwhips3623]

Hopefully it wasn't an amg

[@nowiecoche]

@@scottj273 Yes, would like to know what car and if it went through such shallow water.

[@jmqwert]

Like youtuber Autovlog…rhe swede, he was unfurtunent with his merc c63Amg..

[@maxwedge5683]

I don't think I've ever seen a 1/2" socket extension break in half like that. At least not while using it correctly. And about that incident with the breaker bar, as my dear departed father used to say, "It's a good thing it hit out on the head or it might have hurt you".... Thanks Dad. Another great video, keep it up.

[@nirfz]

About Mercedes having an oil dipstick: that's due to feedback from the owners in the early 2000's if you ask me. The W203 and W211 for example (c and e class of the early 2000's) had engines without dip stick. And to check the oil level you would park the car on a level surface and go into a menu with the buttons on the steering wheel and it would either say something like "oil level ok" or tell you how much oil you should add at the next fuel stop. But to check the oil, you needed to turn the key into position 1 at least. Many owners copmlained that they wanted to have a simple dipstick again. And the W204 and W212 (the C and e-class generations of the late 00's and early 2010's) already came with dipsticks again. (i owned a W211, 2x W212 and a X204, and my father had a W203 and now a W205)

[@JessieAMorris]

So glad I got an early M113 W211 with a dipstick. I was half surprised when I saw it on it!

[@nirfz]

@@JessieAMorris I think that had to do with the M113 having been used in the W210 before. Engines that were updated significantly or new with the 211 had no dipsticks. (At least until the mid production update. New engines that came after that had them again, but the ones in production without had to wait for the next model)

[@riccardostefani1966]

a car with no dipstick is not a car. it's a disposable thing . IMO.

[@rsxboss302]

They’re back to not having a dipstick Now . Anything after 2020 has no Dipstick

[@nirfz]

@@rsxboss302 Interesting! History repeats itself again it seems... Just that nowadays fewer people will give negative feedback i guess.

[@mikebaldwin4220]

After 55 years in the industry,its good to see someone do what you’re doing so intensely.All my experience is with American companies and prior to the 90s so this is interesting and educational.KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. SIR !!!!!!!

[@jeffryblackmon4846]

DITTO!!

[@johnt.848]

I'd be tempted to replace the rods and sump and rebuild that engine.

[@garypeatling7927]

I regularly put second had conrods into deisel transit no problem , after floods

[@Fractal_blip]

​@@garypeatling7927 us but what about petrol engines m8

[@joebriggs8422]

plus oversize pistons/rings after boring the damaged cylinders.

[@stefanp4258]

JB Weld for.that little Hole in the bottom?

[@jeffryblackmon4846]

@@stefanp4258 Tap the metal back into place first. Brazing would also work.

[@michaelrunde4262]

Bro you’re so patient! You run into issues and think through them. Amazing to watch and so educational!

[@babaganoosh555]

Thanks Matt! And congratulations on the 200k 🎉

[@mercedes-amgforlife3237]

Thank you, Matt, for donating the engine so we viewer's could all enjoy!

[@rustymotor]

My favourite videos of the week, always an interesting teardown and mystery behind the carnage, big thumbs up to Matt for kindly donating this core!

[@magnusgustavsson2230]

Great job! Wonderful to see someone who cares about broken engines! You will be able to export your parts!

[@ianpeterson1541]

Your videos help me grow my knowledge and confidence working on cars thank you !!

[@americansmark]

As a Mercedes owner: my condolences to the owner.

[@staffy73]

Harrumph!!

[@mann_idonotreadreplies]

As a non mercedes owner: my condolences to you.

[@bobbyrayofthefamilysmith24]

@@mann_idonotreadreplies what is Mercedes? Is it a knock off of Mercury Benito? I just bought a Mercury Benito from China

[@jp3630]

@@bobbyrayofthefamilysmith24 "From the Chinese". 🤣🤣🤣

[@karolmalinowski9097]

As someone who owned and worked on several Mercedes and BMW cars, I feel you man. Never again. Fuck this overpriced german crap. You pay over 4k euro for new crankshaft from BMW, it comes bent and totally out of spec, and they'll still try their hardest to weasel their way out of validating your refund.

[@OtherWorldExplorers]

Thanks Matt!! He's only got the two turbos off so I'm really hoping he has a lot of problems with the dipstick!!

[@happydays8171]

I don't watch many videos this long, but once I start watching you tear down an engine, can't turn away! Good job.

[@GeoffreyGodshall]

Eric, great to see your channel's success. Whatever direction IDC goes, keep going. You've got that spark.

[@robertrossborough7206]

Thanks for the great tear down on the glc43 engine. Had one myself, new, after first oil change driving at speed started knocking, stopped dead. Dealer tore it down to find 2 pistons smashed. Nothing but 2 rods with a bit of piston clumped to them. This failure I was told was do to coolant getting into intake resulting in hydro lock smashing the pistons. Dealer bought back the car with just 8000 miles on clock. No more Mercedes for me… I went across the street and bought a new BMW X3 M40i. Yes I know another german car. Hopefully the B58 engines are better than that Mercedes’s AMG was???? Lastly please keep up your great work….. Robert

[@fixingitrightish]

I absolutely love your videos and look forward to them every week! Keep up the amazing work and the funny banter!

[@jimmyeliason2309]

Thank you Matt, we appreciate everything you do and you can learn a lot by watching your videos..

[@budlanctot3060]

Cool teardown. For a German car, it seemed like a relatively straightforward disassembly. I think that engine stand is really going to work out well for you, especially after you get the hang of using it.

[@pubbiehive]

People have this conception that german cars are super complicated when in reality, most of them are not.

[@ZeDestructor00]

@@pubbiehive It's just that there's about 14 billion other things preventing you from opening the engine up in a car. Pesky little subframe and turbos I tells ya! :P

[@shakenfake]

@@pubbiehive They are not complicated per se but they are tedious. Example, 2008 Audi A4 catalytic converter removal, requires you to drop the transmission if you have the wrong automatic variant. There is no other way around it. I love German cars but they do make things pretty damn irritating.

[@pubbiehive]

@@shakenfake Audi is definitely notorious for building things like that lol. See: Timing chain job on 4.2 V8.

[@senco981]

@@shakenfake Well, at least you are not gonna worry about converter thieves, lol

[@thomaszdanowicz1643]

Thank you guys! It is nice to get a real rare engine on this channel! You can sell rare engine parts that most junkyards don’t want to sell! You do pretty well tearing engines and selling those good parts! Keep up the good work and Congrats on 200k subscribers!

[@robertsewell536]

I wish I had the time to go back and watch all your teardowns. I'm fascinated by what you are doing and I try to comprehend the insanity of the engineers who build some of these engines. How does one come up with this stuff. Thank you so much for showing us how these things are put together with your teardowns. Best wishes from North Canton Ohio to you sir.

[@Cheepchipsable]

It's modifications to earlier designs. Not like someone woke up and started by desiging a complicated engine.

[@senco981]

Insanely good engineers.

[@bilaltariq7819]

what Cheepchipsable said and theres likely hundreds of people working on these things too

[@darthkarl99]

@@Cheepchipsable Yep, also worth noting that a number of the complicated items are done the way they are not because it's the easiest way, but because it helps make the engine more compact or lighter, or both. There's still a few things that have me wondering why you'd do it that way, but as a rule there's usually a reason why some part of the maintenance is super complicated.

[@johno9163]

Fascinating video and congratulations on reaching 200K!

[@dehypnotizerz]

Thank you! I have an AMG and seeing an engine torn down was very educational. Great job, thank you!

[@kostaskritsilas2681]

Eric, thanks for your videos. Thanks also to Matt for the donation; if not for his generosity, we would probably never see an engine like this being torn down. The castings that Mercedes created for this engine are truly works of art. They are just beautiful, whether it is the cylinder heads or the timing cover, wonderful examples of aluminum castings, and the machining just adds some icing on a very nice cake. I'll never be in a position to own one of these, and I realize that the beauty of the castings and machining probably has very little to do with making an engine that will be reliable and have a long life, but I can still admire the beauty of the castings.

[@ZeDestructor00]

The excellence of the castings, machining and minor things like injector retention all indicate a certain level of pride and car in engineering and building the things IMO (and you can be damned sure that Mercedes-Benz and AMG are very proud of their engines), and down here where I live it shows - there's a noticeably higher survival rate of Mercs of all eras compared to BMWs.

[@robertcochran7103]

I too am very impressed with the engine. Wow!

[@kevin9c1]

You can get this exact engine in a 2016 C450 which can be had for upper $20k's.

[@POVwithRC]

C43, the one you sell to a realtor lady who will never use more than ten percent throttle and isn't sure what AMG actually stands for--but she knows it's as good as what the other partners drive.

[@G42X86]

Thats oddly specific. 😂

[@megarafjogos]

the c43, the c400 with a remap and upgraded suspension...

[@skuula]

What does AMG stand for really? In Switzerland we joke it means Albaner mit Geld - Albanian with money.

[@POVwithRC]

@@skuula Albaner Mit Geld 😄 It's the Initial for the three founding engineers. I like yours better though.

[@sonnylatchstring]

Aufrecht, Melcher, Grossaspach

[@martinmaurer5060]

Thank you for this presentation. Very interesting and awesome. 👍

[@CrazyHungarian69]

Congrats on hitting 200k subscribers Eric!🎉

[@heathwoodlee520]

Fine, high quality, H2O! We see what you did there, Adam!

[@Skeeter69420]

Thank you for bringing us these awesome videos every Saturday evening!

[@rsxboss302]

Mercedes tech here . We have a dead C43 at the shop with the same problem , been here for 6 months trying to find an engine . Makes sense now .

[@michaelwmoora7191]

It is my opinion that this is the finiest and most technologically advanved posting on the subject of tearing down modern engines, and making it clear what caused such failure(s). If I were able, I would post positive reviews on Matt's postings. I cannot say more about such an incredicably well developed presenations, and of course the superior narrative from Matt. I sincerely hope that you can keep-a-going. Thanks, Mike M

[@magnusgustavsson2230]

Second that!

[@Yes_This_Is_Dog]

That poor rod made of bendium… Thanks for the great videos every Saturday, definitely my favorite part of my Saturday

[@jeffhiner]

Mercedes Bendium. That's like 3x as expensive.

[@kwakas4ever]

200K of us can't be wrong - love ya work! Great teardown - thanks to Matt also.

[@earnestbunbury2103]

75 million were wrong last election, luckily 80 million weren't...

[@fram1111]

Did you learn your mechanical skills from the trusty Chilton handbook? I’m surprised at how much I learned from those books. Being stupid and having a total lack of knowledge allowed me to do things that would have cost me tens of thousands of dollars by shopping at the junkyard and finding someone to loan me their tools and give me a little advice now and then. I don’t think I would call myself a mechanic, but I’m amazed at what I accomplished with no skills or knowledge. Just a Chilton handbook. The only reason I say something is because your work brings back memories. Ps. It's putting things back together and getting them running that is difficult. Great video and well edited. you also make it look easy.

[@nickma71]

Skipping the content which we all love....your video editing and presentation is good. The sound is also really good. Keep up the great work.

[@jacobcashen1301]

I work at a Mercedes Benz dealership, so its also neat to see engines that I see every day be torn down, as well as how some people murder them 😅 Thanks for the video, Eric!

[@SvdSinner]

Several years ago, we had lots of floods, and many people, including myself, went to see the carnage first hand. Most used their 4x4s, and several died in the water by either hydro locking or submerging their ECU and destroying it. I was smart enough to use my horse instead of a truck because if the water was deeper than expected, my horse got his bellybutton wet, which does not involve large repair bills. 🙂

[@martinfidel7086]

but horses can fall down holes that are hidden by the eater and then you get wet and lots of dog get a boost in their food....

[@rodent]

@@martinfidel7086 get a wider track horse 🤣

[@Amdfan900]

Congrats on 200k Subs!

[@CrispyWIDit]

🎉🎉CONGRATS ON 200K🎉🎉

[@grilobite]

patiently awaiting a compilation video of nothing but the breaking head bolts loose sound. It's like ASMR for mechanics.

[@miketdavies]

Actually cracking them is super satisfying too. Just gives you nice arm willies when they "pop" :)

[@robertwest3093]

LOVE that idea!

[@simontist]

It goes well with Sreten at @M539Restorations torque wrench sounds.kzbin.info/www/bejne/hamcaahnmdGYm68

[@bradhaines3142]

more like ptsd for me, im a turbine mechanic and i tend to be in awful spots getting bolts out with that kind of noise using a 3ft bar

[@grilobite]

@@bradhaines3142 heh.. the forbidden xylophone...

[@johntaylor1947]

That engine stand is soo much better. After seeing your new stand, I bought the same stand without the gear drive, and it was worth the extra 100 bucks.No worries about a engine tipping over and a pan lays under it well.

[@ttnyny]

Good content, great approach. Thanks!

[@aussietaipan8700]

Just subscribed from Australia mate, as an ex mechanic myself this channel is awesome with the tear downs.

[@quantumleap359]

Hi Matt, congratulations on surpassing 200K subs! I really enjoyed this video, you make engine teardown fun and entertaining. It's a real shame the driver did something so stupid - and avoidable. That engine could have a second life if someone would spend some bucks on it. Keep up the great work.

[@mosquitofleetfishing6599]

I bet those turbos are worth a fortune alone!

[@TheCRTman]

You rock, the humor and the presentation was excellent. The tools breaking and hitting you killed me XDDD

[@innerbeams8551]

Thanks Matt! You rock for the donation and IDC, thanks for the know-how lesson!

[@Adamadam-pz3cz]

This engine makes me miss the days of simple engines without all the crap.

[@AndrewShingange]

Had none of the crap and none of the power, either...

[@Adamadam-pz3cz]

@andrewshingange4631 face it anything factory doesn't have alot of power, and it's still the same today even with all the emissions and computers/sensor wiring and today's cars still gotta change things like cam and then play with programming to get things right

[@glennshumaker2019]

Love the teardowns, even though there are 2 bent rods, the rest of the engine was in great shape, and Mercedes have the prettiest machined cranks. The rest of it was clean, some cylinder honing or oversized about 10 thousands might do it but it looked totally rebuildable, good money there also, say hi to the squirrels, cheers Glenn.

[@Xander-dx6mw]

Congrats on 200k subscribers!😮

[@o0Guns0o]

Awesome video, great teardown for all M276 DE 30 LA owners to help with diagnosing. Much thanks to the donor as well for the block!

[@JohnnyAFG81]

Keep up the great videos! Hope to see a 1.4T Fiat Multiair!

[@bonose12]

Great job Eric! This is my wife’s engine. Pretty potent for 3L. Could you finish by telling us what parts you would sell, or as you disassemble it! Thx man! 200k man! Well done!

[@bobkonradi1027]

Looking at the blob on the engine stand at the start of the video, I mentally compare what today's engines look like vs the engines I grew up with in the mid-1960s. Today, we cannot literally see the engine at all due to all the add-ons and emission equipment. Back in the mid-1960s, we could pop the hood, and there'd be the engine. Just an engine, usually (but not always) the power steering pump, maybe, just maybe an air conditioning compressor, and a generator. Now Eric is starting out with .... we think there's an engine down there somewhere, but it takes a lot of digging just to get to it.

[@neotex5613]

Thanks mat for your donation, this was actually a great lesson, thanks again.

[@kevincurry4735]

Hello Eric. Another great engine to break down. Try to use car as a U-Boat. It will be awesome to do a live Broadcast. Maybe all of us can help 😀

[@gazzafloss]

Yes indeed, as one mechanic said to me after he'd rescued a number of "drowned" cars from a flooded crossing, "roads for cars...water for boats". Ain't that just so right?

[@mattderynioski1434]

I usually hate to laugh at others’ pain and mishaps (seeing as the same thing often happens to myself) but I lost it when the breaker bar came down upon the back of your head.

[@rickcollins2814]

Nice video. I enjoyed every bit of it. As to going live, I think that would stretch the project out to an excessive time, unless it is a *much* smaller project. The editing on this one is about perfect!

[@olddavid4]

The direct simplicity is a breath fresh air. Thank you. My highest compliment is my Father, RIP, would have subscribed.

[@gregoryweber7408]

hey eric, excellent tear down yet again! you continue to give us fantastic insight into how exactly NOT to treat a complex machine! oh and the going live idea i’m on it like surface rust on the inside of a mercedes engine dunked in water lol 😂

[@jonmarler]

This one was both delicious and horrifying to watch. Thanks for another great video! If you ever get the chance to tear down an M272 E35 variant ... that would be absolute nirvana! ;)

[@pfsantos007]

Just want to say a heartfelt thank you for this video. Very helpful in finding my way around my NA M276.

[@SonnyCrisini]

From oz here, find this really educating, and fun to watch. love it. thank you. have a c43 and being a techie (computer this time) always fascinated with mechs too .

[@ischmidt]

My understanding is that insurance doesn't normally cover it if you deliberately drive into water. So this was likely an expensive lesson for someone.

[@volvo09]

A co worker of mine blew up his Mercedes c300 engine by driving through water. Unless he lied to me, he got a replacement engine through insurance (used). I was surprised. I also ripped him apart because he knew better, but he didn't want to go the long way.

[@Jamk14]

Buddy of mine drive his Honda fit into water. Told insurance a truck csme by and threw water over the hoof. They totalled the car and gave him a check for 10k 😂😂

[@Troy_Built]

I've known four people that did it. All four were covered by their insurance.

[@MrWolfSnack]

if you own a mercedes life is never expensive for you. also you already know how to lie.

[@MikkoRantalainen]

I would say it depends on your insurance contract. I would guess most Mercedes owners do not cheap on the insurance so there the insurance probably covers even user mistakes like this. I'd hate to be customer of such a company because I'd be financing idiot drivers with my insurance payments.

[@CaptainSpadaro]

12:47 Benz went away from dipsticks in the early 00s (I think, might've been earlier than that), depending on the car, but they started putting them back in near the end of the 00s. 27:33 Ouchies!

[@CaptainSpadaro]

@Retired Bore BMW actually DID put the dipstick back on the newer 4.4L TT V8. Seen it with me own eyes, I has.

[@herrjanssen8531]

Wow! 200k subs! Congrats!

[@edwardsr70]

Congrats on 200k subscribers

[@joannaatkins822]

Thank you for another wonderful upload filled with euphemisms and dad jokes ❤

[@robertoruiz7069]

I like all your tear-downs.This was great,seeing what happened to the rods when hydro-locked.I think the engine must have been turning at a low RPM for only 1 bent rod.I would>if i had this motor and skills buy the 1 rod then clean every thing up reassemble and run it.Who knows it may run for 200,000 miles more.Of course the rest of the car may run into electrical issues ALL THE TIME as soon as corrosion starts penetrating the connections.But the sooty black mold will most likely take your lungs first.haha

[@LorenzoDuda]

thanks to Matt. Great channel, one of the best on the internet

[@MATTCLARKE007]

Many thanks to Matt from a fellow Texan. As the proud owner of vehicles with the M176 and M278, it is very interesting to see these engines broken down. Thanks!!Matt Clarke

[@akripper6248]

I could feel that... Good to know I'm not the only one that puts myself in that kind of position unwittingly. Another great video. Makes me want to record the autopsy I'm going to do on a Suzuki V Strom motor filled with forbidden glitter. Not for the youtubes but my own enjoyment.

[@jimksa67]

carb flooded engine ?

[@akripper6248]

@@jimksa67 It's fuel injected. Clutch wasn't adjusted properly and was dragging with the lever pulled all the way in sending metal into the engine.

[@NickWeissMusic]

Fun water story: Atlanta has a banked freeway that circles the city, kinda like a race track, and the drivers generally use it as such. Around 1995 there was a monster cloud burst, I’m from Chicago so understood the concept of weather, I was driving with hazards on in the right lane while Atlanteans drove full speed through driving rain that rendered wipers nearly useless. The banked freeway filled with water on the low side, the fast lane, which plenty of drivers continued to use. The next morning, I was somehow still alive despite several drivers trying to kill me before I could get off the freeway, and the road was completely lined with destroyed, water damaged cars, so many that the left lane was closed and tow crews couldn’t clear them for hours. All from about 1/2 hour of heavy rain and a deluge of idiots.

[@minitune7285]

For the best compilation of idiots driving through water search for Tom Sunderland, plenty of videos of drivers navigating Rufford Ford in England with dire consequences. So many It’s now a local spectator sport.

[@diesel_engineer]

I'm curious - what is the machined bore we are seeing at the bottom of the cylinder? For example at the 47:10 mark. Perhaps just openings to allow crankcase air to move betweeen bulkheads?

[@kevin9c1]

These engines are great. I test drove a C43 recently and it is strong with probably one of the best V6 exhaust notes I've ever heard. Plus they get decent fuel economy and are considered pretty solid. They were generally available under the 400/450/43 designation across a lot of MB offerings.

[@bizmyurt8582]

And e53

[@S.Madman]

@@bizmyurt8582 Incorrect, the E53 uses an inline 6.

[@perrylocke6037]

But then there is Lexus.

[@mattmatt115]

​@@bizmyurt8582The E53 is a different engine however... there was a very limited run of E43s in 2018 i believe.

[@mattmatt115]

I too own a C43 and it truly is a very powerful and strong feeling car. With an exhaust note that has no equal

[@charleswilliams999]

So how did the hole get in the oil pan?

[@the_first_resort940]

Judging how the lower oil pan was smushed inward the engine was dropped or improperly supported, those cast pans crack like nothing if you suddenly shock it. Could even be the first shop wanted to make sure it was done to get the customer to buy a new engine.

[@josephbidon4333]

Great teardown, awesome channel, keep going.

[@michaelvonharten7633]

You're the reason for the nearly 200k subscribers, great work🤑

[@michelleshaw337]

Just for comparison sometime, I'd love to see a teardown of a 70s era engine (if you can find one - they're getting pretty scarce). Candidates that come to mind would be: Chrysler Slant 6, Toyota 20R, Toyota 18R-G (damned scarce in NA). Considering the complexity of today's engines, one of these antiques would provide an interesting counterpoint in terms of understanding where some of today's complexity comes from.

[@christiansanfilippo7255]

This looks like lots of fun to work on , especially in the engine bay.

[@wilhelmschimko9]

thank you eric and matt, excellent video and donation !!!!!!

[@nigelalderman9178]

Thanks Matt that's very generous. Went through 30" in my pickup, only the starter motor died soon after. Feel lucky.

[@woolyant9417]

gotta say i love watching these teardowns, so satisfying to watch while laying in bed. all i ask for is more EJ's

[@edfrawley4356]

While feeling bad about the fate of that engine I was genuinely impressed with the meaty cylinder walls. Looks like that engine can be bored out quite a bit without risking cracking between the cylinders. However the premature bearing wear is concerning. I have heard of BMW engines requiring new bearings by 80k but it looks like the Merc will not even last that long. Thats too bad because otherwise it appears to be a well engineered engine.

[@FairladyS130]

Yes, and some of the valve rockers had some wear too.

[@bradhaines3142]

​@Retired Bore but its also german, so maybe it needed new bearings at 30k

[@kevin9c1]

These are known for being solid engines so not sure what the bearing wear was about.

[@robertcochran7103]

It was really interesting to watch this. I think the build quality of a Mercedes engine is truly stunning.

[@billl7551]

To fans - -don't add the rod bolt back to knock out the piston - it will ding the crank and ruin it. And always take out the bent rod first. The key principle of physics = water is not compressible.

[@BigLisaFan]

200,000! So close. I remember when you got to 100,000. Congrats in advance. You're right, no PITA music, long intros, just what folks want in a video.

[@dereksmith1803]

Yep, never drive through deep water. TURN AROUND, DON'T DROWN. We have several roads around me that flood when we get a lot of rain and that is what they always say on the news.

[@nickbea3443]

It looked like a double whammy for that engine as it was rode over an underwater obstacle that couldn't be seen and punctured the sump.

[@jamescohen5200]

My wife drove her 07 BMW X3 into standing water. Insurance helped on payment. We drove it an other 9 years with replacement engine.

[@PeterDavidLauwers]

I love it... "Looks like it's in pretty good shape," and then throws it across the shop!