OM616 Swap

[irish dan]

hi which turbo did u use , as i have the same engine in my 1985 mercedes 207d marco polo camper van ,,,,want to add turbo ,any help please ,,

 

thanks 

daniel

[Raven]

UPdates?

[Raven]

Supposedly the Ford T-18 is a direct bolt on for the OM616 and the OM617 with the 4speed bell housing/throwout bearing/ flywheel/ pressureplate/ with a new clutch disc. 

[dzlmnche]

I was just thinking the other day how it had been a long time since I updated this. Was not expecting to see it on the first page in this subforum!

 

38k miles and coming up on 3 years of daily driving. There have been some bumps in the road, a few things have changed, but I think the current iteration will be the final one. I am really happy with it right now.

 

I'll put together an update tomorrow...

[dzlmnche]

Back for an overdue update.

 

Around 18k miles after the swap, the motor developed a bad rod knock. I do not know the exact cause, but know a few things that I believe might have compounded together to make a bad situation: broken wastegate wired shut, 0W40 oil to aid in cold temp starting, 3.55 gears putting cruising RPM too low, and no oil cooler. The knock developed after a long hard 3hr drive on a hilly section of interstate.

 

I was able to find a FREE replacement motor. Guy I had met years ago getting out of MB diesel stuff, was happy to see it go to a good home. I did a dingleball re-ring and regasket and had the crank and flywheel balanced together. I also changed the turbo to a TD04 from early 2000s WRX - extremely common and easy to find replacement parts for.

 

Result: very smooth running motor.

 

As far as longevity goes:

Functioning wastegate

5W40 in the winter, 15W40 summer, no more 0W40

3.55s changed out to 4.10s

Turbo motor oil filter housing with oil cooler ports and large -10 oil cooler added

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oil pressure stays noticeably higher at operating temp, boost will peak at 10psi and settle to 8 (was running 15psi at time of failure), cruising rpm is now 2500rpm at 60mph  rather than 2200.

 

After reading this thread:

 

https://comancheclub.com/topic/65867-16-gallon-vs-23-gallon/

 

I modified the factory tank by closing off the factory 16gal vent and adding own as high up as possible to fit the maximum amount of fuel. I welded closed the tank vents as they are not needed with diesel fuel. It netted me a solid 8-10 gallons more at each fillup which took my range from ~350 miles to ~600. I extended the sending unit arm and it took a few tries to get the angle right but this was a cheap mod that was well worth the time invested.

 

 

 

Drove like this for a long time. Many squeaks, rattles, and other annoyances developed. It was also just generally loud and after 30k+ miles, it was wearing on me a little. In August, the proportioning valve failed during an emergency stop and I parked it while I finished my buggy. In October I pulled it into my shop and tore the interior out and sound insulated everything as best I could. I reassembled everything with added supports, isolating washers, etc to reduce vibration and rattling. I also added hydraulic motor mounts. The result was a huge improvement in in-cab noise, however the intake was still loud and idle vibration was a bit extreme, especially when cold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few weeks later, we had a streak of cold weather where temps during the day didn't rise above 15°. It left me stranded at work and my wife had to come get me. I replaced all the glowplugs and that helped - but cold starting even at 25° was still difficult - and this had always been a reliable cold starter without a block heater even down into the teens. I adjusted the valves and replaced the timing chain, this resulted in a much smoother idle but starting still lacked. I ended up replacing the starter and that finally did it - it now cranks quickly and fires right up.

 

I also built a new air intake using a Fleetguard equipment type filter. It required moving the battery, but well worth it. It fits nicely, is a high quality filter, significantly cut down on noise, and was able to be plumbed to pull cool air from the grill.

 

 

 

 

Around 38k miles on it now and May of this year will be 3 years since getting this thing on the road and I believe this is as good as it's going to get. It starts right up, idles smooth, is easy to drive, easily maintains speed with traffic, carries 8ft lumber and many other things with ease, and goes 2 weeks between fillups. I couldn't be happier with it and have no further changes or upgrades planned.

 

I were doing it again, I would probably look closer an an ALH TDI. It wouldn't have the same bare bones all mechanical charm as the Mercedes, but would probably move it down the road a little easier, consume even less fuel, and generally provide a little more comfortable driving experience. No regrets, though.

 

As it sits today:

 

 

[Pete M]

[A-man930]

Love the update.  Thank you for sharing!

 

One thought though: I find it hard to believe that the 0w40 contributed to any failures... by design, there's no reason you shouldn't run 0w40 year-round actually.  In the end, all those oils you've listed are 40-weight oils - the 0w just doesn't become as thick with lower temperatures... 

[Pete M]

I realize it's a different diesel, but I run 0-w40 in my KJ year round.  220k so far with no issues.

[dzlmnche]

If you look at the specs, 0W40 does thin out a little more at temp than 5W or 15W. It definitely didn’t help, but I don’t think 5W or 15W would have necessarily prevented the failure. I think the main things factors were the wastegate and lack of oil cooler.