Can our cars ignition systems be switched to the Coil over Plug system that is on the M119.980 engine in my 96' SL500. I have an complete ignition system that I removed from a junk 96 SL500 just because it was there. Now that it's sitting on my bench I was wondering could it be retrofitted into my E500 to eliminate the Distributor caps, wires, rotors and those annoying insulators
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E500 Ignition system conversion ??
- Thread starter markobro2
- Start date
No, at least not easily / realistically.
You would have to change the entire computer system setup, associated wiring, and other elements. Essentially, strip out the entire injection and ignition system and electronics, and likely the engine (at minimum cylinder heads) too.
You would have to change the entire computer system setup, associated wiring, and other elements. Essentially, strip out the entire injection and ignition system and electronics, and likely the engine (at minimum cylinder heads) too.
My goal would be to convert to a distributor-less ignition system. I converted my boat to DI using the 2 ignition module outputs to control 2 4 pole ignition coils I'm wondering out loud if a waste spark could work on the M119 engine. I am considering that there would be two firing events on opposite cylinder banks and two exhaust strokes simultaneously.
I have a project car 1994 E420 that I will do some experimenting on and I'll let you know.
I have a project car 1994 E420 that I will do some experimenting on and I'll let you know.
You can't convert to the COP ignition without using the complete factory ME 1.0 injection/ignition system, which offers no significant advantage, and several disadvantages. If you were going that far you might as well also swap in the 722.6 trans + TCU. You could convert to full standalone ECU (Megasquirt, etc) but you'll also probably lose factory ASR and cruise control.
It is simply NOT WORTH the conversion if you just want to eliminate the distributors. Replace all the ignition parts with quality items one time and you should never have to do it again. Remember, the EZL distributor ignition system may look antique, but it is extremely sophisticated. It can sense detonation on individual cylinders, and pull timing on individual cylinders!! You're not going to get that with anything you retrofit.
Bottom line... pretty much any COP system you'd install would be a downgrade. Sure, you'd lose those pesky distributor caps & wires, but you'd lose the sophisticated spark control.
It is simply NOT WORTH the conversion if you just want to eliminate the distributors. Replace all the ignition parts with quality items one time and you should never have to do it again. Remember, the EZL distributor ignition system may look antique, but it is extremely sophisticated. It can sense detonation on individual cylinders, and pull timing on individual cylinders!! You're not going to get that with anything you retrofit.
Bottom line... pretty much any COP system you'd install would be a downgrade. Sure, you'd lose those pesky distributor caps & wires, but you'd lose the sophisticated spark control.
+1 what Dave said. I have looked at most of the documentation available on the LH 4.1. It is a complex system even compared to newer ME systems. Unless someone screws it up (very common), its a fail safe system with excellent compensation for driving conditions, mileage and service condition.
The two main problems being:
1 - Wiring harness : Not the LH fault, but a bad choice of wiring supplier by M-B. Replace with higher quality aftermarket wiring.
2 - Distributors Misfire: Not the LH fault, but a quality downgrade by M-B. Problem did not occur when cars were newer, just a recently +2010.
You can use a 5-speed electronic retrofit kit if you want 5-speed auto, rather than tearing up the whole car and replacing just about all electronics.
The two main problems being:
1 - Wiring harness : Not the LH fault, but a bad choice of wiring supplier by M-B. Replace with higher quality aftermarket wiring.
2 - Distributors Misfire: Not the LH fault, but a quality downgrade by M-B. Problem did not occur when cars were newer, just a recently +2010.
You can use a 5-speed electronic retrofit kit if you want 5-speed auto, rather than tearing up the whole car and replacing just about all electronics.
