For my daily drivers, its always been either a 617 300D or 300TD wagon. I have loved this engine, but I wonder if I could do better. Is the inline 6 603 turbo diesel a step ahead of the older 617's???? I have never driven onr, or even heard one run. I guess I'm looking for more power too, but that isn't a big problem. I like the look of the w124 wagons, and the 300D's, and the 300SDL's. I just wanted some opinons to see if it is worth selling the old, and getting something a little newer. From what I heard, the 350's aren't any good, like to bend rods. I did drive an 88 300TE last December, I enjoyed the pep of the 3 liter gas, eventhough it needed a tune-up. I was afraid it would be poor on gas, so I walked away. The handleing of the newer wagon was a little better than my 83..... just let me know what you guys think.

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-Randy Wakefield

1969 220D 4 speed (parts car)
1976 280C
1976 280S
1981 240D 4 speed (parts car)
1982 300D
1983 300TD (Ivory)
1983 300TD (gold)
1985 300TD (gray)
1987 190D 2.5
1970 280SEL (sold)
1977 240D 4 speed (sold)
1974 280 (rusted to death)
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1927 Chevy 4 door sedan
1938 Chevy 2 door sedan
1950 Willys Jeepster
1955 Studebaker President 4 door
1977 Ford F250
1979 Glastron 17'
1948 John Deere A
1960 John Deere 2010
1979 Satoh S650G
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2000 Bichon (Doby)

Since I have both engines, I could go on and on about how the 603 is smoother and quieter and burns less fuel than the 617......................

But, I'll let Hattie do that.

Very simply, do you want a simple, durable, and bulletproof engine that will go the distance without too much effort, or do you want somewhat of a primadonna that may or may not have issues with lifter noise, cracked cylinder heads, broken timing chain covers, more difficulty in changing glow plugs, issues with the serpentine belt tensioner, no fuel primer pump, etc.?

None of these will stop the show, but, taken as a group, the 603 requires more attention than the 617. And, not every 603 will develop any or all of the aforementioned issues.

The engine is available in the W126 in 1986-1987. It's a very large vehicle that I would not recommend for city driving to and from the stores.

Your alternative is the 1987 W124 which Dave and others have. It's fast as hell, quite a bit smaller, and gets very good fuel economy to boot.

And I will Brian.

The 603 is a better engine, it is smoother, gets better mileage, and has more power. The 603 is also IMHO simpler to work on. Also the 603 is first in a line of more modern MB diesels ending in my favorite engine the 606.

Yeah you do have to change the lifters if they make noise, but no valve adjustments.
The vac pumps need to be of the new design or you risk destroying the engine.
Don't overheat one
The trap ox thing is great if you can find a car with one, nothing like free new parts.

But the 603 is just as long lived as the 617 and once the 603 issues are worked out just as trouble free.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I have both 617 and 603 also (well, a 616 too ) ...the 603 definitely impresses me. My last tank of fuel was counsumed at a miserly 28something MPG in mixed city/hwy driving and that's 3.0 L yanking 3800lbs of full-sized sedan around. Once the engine is off idle, it goes like a gasser...haven't had to work on mine all that much yet but, it looks like it's no worse than most cars and lots easier than a few I've been intimate with.

My complaint is that my 603 is festooned with sensors and other nonsense that warn you of the crap you really should be checking if you're a halfway responsible driver. But I guess that's part of what made that SDL a 60k-buck car waaay back then.

Oh, and there's nothing like that 603 howl at 4500RPM.

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

From my experience with similar mileage, etc. The 603 starts better in the cold. However, once the 617 is started it doesn't smoke, etc.

Yes, I am speaking about a well-taken care of 617 with proper valve lash. my brother's 190D (with a 601, which is a 603 minus 2 cylinders) starts like a gasser at 10F and it has 375k miles or somewhere in the ballpark.

I made the jump and haven't looked back. Of course the 617 is easier to work on, until you have to do a rear crank seal on both!

Thanks
David

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2000 Honda Accord V6 137k miles

1972 300SEL 4.5 98k miles

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I heard 124s have some expensive deferred maintenance things to deal with. Like something within the climate control system that costs 1800 bucks(I want to say evaporator, but not sure). Weak oil pump chain, or am I thinking about a different engine? I remember a post from Larry lamenting the costs of the 124. I'd love to have one, to be honest. I think they look like a Mercedes, athletic and austere. Nice cars, really, nothing matches the interior layout, except for maybe the old 116s. Like I said I'd love to have one, but I haven't completed my initiation to MB diesels yet with my 9 months of ownership and maybe 3k miles on my 123. I'm still a squier and haven't mastered what I've got.

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'02 BMW 325i
'85 300D 450k
'93 190E 2.6 170k(killed by tree)
'08 Ducati Hypermotard 1100S 6k
'06 Ducati S2R800 14k(sold)

Both are good, both have strengths and weaknesses, both will bloody your knuckles, and both can run as smooth as a sewing machine, but both will still billow thick black smoke, and have you smelling like the oil man every time you spill or splatter diesel while pumping it into your tank!

Thanks a lot for all the replys. I would like to find a 300TD 603, but I think I might have trouble finding a good one. I have always liked the big body 126's. So it looks like I might start a hunt for one of them.

__________________
-Randy Wakefield

1969 220D 4 speed (parts car)
1976 280C
1976 280S
1981 240D 4 speed (parts car)
1982 300D
1983 300TD (Ivory)
1983 300TD (gold)
1985 300TD (gray)
1987 190D 2.5
1970 280SEL (sold)
1977 240D 4 speed (sold)
1974 280 (rusted to death)
---
1927 Chevy 4 door sedan
1938 Chevy 2 door sedan
1950 Willys Jeepster
1955 Studebaker President 4 door
1977 Ford F250
1979 Glastron 17'
1948 John Deere A
1960 John Deere 2010
1979 Satoh S650G
--
2000 Bichon (Doby)

Getting a 603 to smoke is kind of hard. Mine will only blow a decent little cloud if I idle it around town for a week or so and then run it up to 4.8k rpm. I never see any soot on my bumper or on the driveway where I park.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Well, there's no true negative to state about owning a 617, which is why I won't ever leave it. No issues with over heating, you can actually overheat this sucka and get away with it within reason. No vacuum pump crap. No serpentine belt tensioner issues, no valve lifter noises, etc. The 617 requires valve adjustments, though I'm past due for a valve adjustment yet I still average 24mpg between city and highway driving, there's no reduction in power and no increase in the amount of smoke from the exhaust.

If I have the chance to purchase and own an SDL I will, but never at the expense of giving up my 300SD.

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1999 Mercedes-Benz S600, 103K miles - garage queen
1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL, 89K miles - daily driver
2007 Hyundai Sonata Limited, 31K - daily driver