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Originally Posted by gvanhouten
I was talking to Mike at Metric in California an picked his brain concerning longevity of the 603 engine. The car that I need to replace the head has 188,000 on it and asked Mike how long should the bottom end last? To my surprise he stated he would rebuild the whole engine. Not much longer he stated. I was shocked anticipating atleast another 100,000-150,000 with no problem. Am I delusional? All comments and experiences appreciated.
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I don't know Mike but I know the machine shop that Metric uses and can attest to the excellent quality of workmanship on diesel heads, its absolutely tops!
However he doesn't seem to follow the experience of myself and mechanics I know regarding the bottom end. We know from experience that the bottom end on the 603 and 617 is quite good and can last to near 500K miles if you are speaking of the crank and rod bearings. Usually before an engine reaches that mileage it needs a complete rebuild. 100K - 150K is nothing for one of these engines.
If you want to discuss piston rings that is another story. While replacing a #14 head that failed due to a crack caused by overheating (original radiator!), I decided to replace the rings. Presently WIP. I cleaned the pistons and miked the lands they were fine and I found my cylinder walls are in good shape at 265+K. One had a light score from a worn ring but it sin't anything serious. The crank is fine and to install new cylinder liners was not justified.
A crank normally doesn't go bad unless the engine lost oil or water got into the crankcase and was allowed to remain there for a period of time.
Was there something other than a cracked head that led to him thinking the "bottom end" is bad?