Mercedes-Benz M271 E18 ML/AL 1.8 engine

The Stuttgart-Untertürkheim plant presents a series of engines under the M271 brand, produced from 2002 to 2015. These engines are inline four-cylinder units with an aluminum cylinder block and an injection power system.

The cylinder block is made of aluminum and each cylinder has four valves. Piston stroke is 85 mm and cylinder diameter is 82 mm. The compression ratio can vary from 9 to 10.5, depending on the modification. The M271 engine has a displacement of 1,796 cubic centimeters.

Characteristics of the M271 engine

Engine output ranges from 122 to 192 horsepower at 5,200 to 5,800 rpm, and torque ranges from 190 to 260 Nm at 1,500 to 3,500 rpm.

These engines run on 95 octane fuel and meet Euro 5 environmental standards. The weight of the engine is approximately 167 kilograms.

Average fuel consumption for the C200 Kompressor W204 is 9.5 liters per 100 kilometers in the city, 5.5 liters per 100 kilometers on the highway and 6.9 liters per 100 kilometers in the mixed cycle. Oil consumption can reach up to 1000 grams per 1000 km.

Various types of oil including 0W-30, 0W-40, 5W-30 and 5W-40 are used to ensure engine performance, with a volume of 5.5 liters. It is recommended to fill approximately 5.0 liters when changing the oil.

The recommended interval for oil change is 7000-10000 kilometers. The operating temperature of the engine is approximately 90 degrees Celsius.

M271 engine resource is more than 300 thousand kilometers in practice, and the tuning potential can reach more than 250 horsepower without loss of resource.

These engines were installed in such car models as Mercedes-Benz C 180 Kompressor W203, Mercedes-Benz C 180 Kompressor W204, Mercedes-Benz C 200 Kompressor W203, Mercedes-Benz C 200 Kompressor W204, Mercedes-Benz C 230 Kompressor W203, Mercedes-Benz C 250 W204, Mercedes-Benz CLK 200 Kompressor C209, Mercedes-Benz E 200 Kompressor W211, Mercedes-Benz E 200 W212, Mercedes-Benz E 250 W212, Mercedes-Benz E 200 Coupe C207, Mercedes-Benz E 250 Coupe C207, Mercedes-Benz SLK 200 Kompressor R171, Mercedes-Benz SLK 200 R172, Mercedes-Benz SLK 250 R172, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter W906, Mercedes-Benz CLC 180 Kompressor CL203 and Mercedes-Benz CLC 200 Kompressor CL203.

Reliability, problems and repair of Mercedes M271 E18 1.8L engine

The next generation of inline fours was introduced in 2002 under the name M271 E18. Thanks to various modifications of the main representative of this series, it was able to replace all previous versions from the 111 family (M111 E18, M111 E20, M111 E22 and M111 E23). The new generation of engines uses an aluminum cylinder block with cast iron liners and a balancing mechanism of two shafts. The cylinder head is also cast aluminum, equipped with two camshafts, four valves per cylinder, hydrocompensators and a variable valve timing system on both shafts. Two types of cylinder heads with different intake ports, combustion chambers and camshafts were used for the M271: for the KE (distributed injection) and DE (direct injection) versions. The intake valves have a diameter of 30.5 mm and the exhaust valves 27 mm. The pistons are also different between KE and DE, and the connecting rods are from the M111 EVO.

An Eaton M65 compressor is used for supercharging. The timing drive uses a chain, which on the first versions of the engines could stretch until the onset of one hundred thousand kilometers, but later the problem was eliminated. Engine management system is Siemens SIM4 KE/DE (for M271.942).

In 2009 the engine was upgraded, and the main change was the replacement of the compressor with IHI Al 0065/0066 turbocharger, which develops pressure of 1.2 bar on models with 204 hp and 0.5 bar on 156 hp cars. There have also been some changes to the cylinder head and the engine management system has been changed to Siemens SIM4 LDE. The updated versions of the engines received the EVO prefix to their name.

Along with this engine, a smaller 1.6-liter version called M271 E16 was also produced.

The next generation of inline four-cylinder engines M274/M270 was introduced in 2011 and actively displaced the 271 series. Weaker versions of the M271 E18 gave way to the M274 DE16/M270 DE16, while the more powerful variants were replaced by the M274 DE20/M270 DE20.

Modifications of the M271 E18 engines

1. M271.940 (2002 – 2008) – the first version with an output of 163 hp at 5500 rpm and torque of 240 Nm at 3000 rpm, with a compression ratio of 9.5. It was installed in Mercedes-Benz C 200 Kompressor W203, CLK 200 Kompressor C209.
2. M271.941 (2002 – 2006) – analog of M271.940 for Mercedes-Benz E 200 Kompressor W211, E 200 NGT.
3. M271.942 (2003 – 2005) – direct injection version M271 DE 18 ML, 170 hp at 5500 rpm and 250 Nm of torque at 3500 rpm, with a compression ratio of 10.5. It was installed on Mercedes-Benz C 200 CGI W203, CLK 200 CGI C209.
4. M271.944 (2004 – 2008) – analog M271.940 for Mercedes-Benz SLK 200 Kompressor R171.
5. M271.946 (2002 – 2011) – with a compression ratio of 10.2, 143 hp at 5200 rpm and 220 Nm of torque at 2500 rpm. It was installed in Mercedes-Benz C 180 Kompressor W203, CLC 180 Kompressor CL203.
6. M271.948 (2002 – 2005) – with a different compressor pulley, compression ratio 9, 192 hp at 5,800 rpm and 260 Nm of torque at 3,500 rpm. It was installed on Mercedes-Benz C 230 Kompressor W203.
7. M271.950 (2007 – 2010) – with a compression ratio of 9.3, 184 hp at 5,500 rpm and 250 Nm of torque at 2,800 rpm. It was installed in Mercedes-Benz C 200 Kompressor W204.
8. M271.951 (2008 – present) – version for Mercedes-Benz Sprinter W906, with a compression ratio of 9.3, 156 hp at 5000 rpm and 240 Nm of torque at 3000 rpm.
9. M271.952 (2007 – 2008) – version for Mercedes-Benz C 180 Kompressor W204, with compression ratio 9.3, 156 hp at 5,200 rpm and 230 Nm of torque at 2,600 rpm
10. M271.954 (2008 – 2011) – analog M271.950 for Mercedes-Benz SLK 200 Kompressor R171.
11. M271.955 (2007 – 2011) – analog M271.950 for Mercedes-Benz SLK 200 Kompressor C209, CLC 200 Kompressor CL203.
12. M271.956 (2006 – 2009) – analog M271.950 for Mercedes-Benz E 200 Kompressor W211.
13. M271.820 (2009 – 2015) – modified EVO, with a compression ratio of 9.3, output of 184 hp at 5250 rpm and torque of 270 Nm at 1800 rpm. The engine is designed for Mercedes-Benz C 200 BlueEFFICIENCY W204, SLK 200 BlueEFFICIENCY R172, E 200 BlueEFFICIENCY W212, E 200 Coupe BlueEFFICIENCY C207. For the Mercedes-Benz C 180 BlueEFFICIENCY W204, a version is available with software power limitation to 156 hp at 5,000 rpm and 250 Nm of torque at 1,600 rpm.
14. M271.860 (2009 – 2015) – modified EVO, with a compression ratio of 9.3, 204 hp at 5,500 rpm and 310 Nm of torque at 2,000 rpm. The engine is designed for Mercedes-Benz C 250 BlueEFFICIENCY W204, SLK 250 BlueEFFICIENCY R172, E 250 BlueEFFICIENCY W212, E 250 Coupe BlueEFFICIENCY C207.

Problems and disadvantages of Mercedes M271 E18 engines

1. The engine stalls, the operation is unstable

Often these faults are caused by a ruptured crankcase ventilation hose, which is manifested by a hissing sound under the air filter housing. Replacing the hoses and check valve will help get rid of the problem.

2. Loss of power, tripping at idle

One of the most common malfunctions in the M271 engine, caused by fixed soot on the valves. The problem is solved by replacing the exhaust valves along with the springs with new ones of similar design.

3. Engine Starting Noise

Model M271 was equipped with an unreliable single-row timing chain, which, as a rule, wears out by 60-70 thousand kilometers, which is often the cause of extraneous sounds when the engine is running.
In addition, restyled versions of EVO have a problem of rising oil level due to penetration of gasoline into it, which can lead to serious problems. Otherwise, the engine runs great, especially when using quality gasoline and oil.

Mercedes M271 engine tuning

Chip tuning

The M271 series, thanks to the use of supercharging, has an excellent groundwork for increasing engine power. One of the easiest methods in this direction, is to change the compressor pulley, install a reduced resistance filter and sporty firmware. All of this combined will increase power to ~210hp. Together with the sports exhaust system, the output will increase by another 10-15 hp.

EVO versions are finalized by replacing the intercooler with an enlarged one, the exhaust with a sport exhaust, and a Stage 2 firmware. The output is 200-210 hp, for M271.860 it is 230-250 hp.

It is not profitable to change standard turbines to modified or any other, it is much easier to buy another Mercedes-Benz, C350 for example, with M272 DE35/M276 DE35 engine.

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