Cost of used 617 engine?
 

I'm looking for a good used 617 (preferably non-diesel) to put into a non-MB vehicle. I'm in Ontario.

Have been asking locally for such an engine (want to avoid the hassles and costs of shipping if I can) from a couple of places that deal with refurbishing/selling older MB's etc. The price they tell me is between $1500-2000 Canadian (about $1200-1600 US I suppose) for a "good diesel engine". One seller said that at $1500 Canadian, it might "benefit from new rings". New rings??? Doesn't sound like a "good diesel engine" to me!

Anyway, I've seen what are described as reasonably low mileage, good running 616/617's on EBay for around $500 US. So I assume the prices I am given locally are inflated, if not laughable.

What's the going rate for a good 617 in your parts?

"Non-diesel", or do you mean "non-turbo" as I suspect?

Got my 617 with trans for $130. Had to pull it myself though...

Oops, I meant non-turbo, freudian slip... :-) I love diesel! A non-turbo would be a more straightforward installation in the vehicle I'm putting it in.
Cheers.

$300 for the engine here in some yards with tranny. C'mon down- it seems like half your country is here for the winter anyways.... :o

$90 here for motors... get it on half price day $45 USD :D 617 turbo.

I think a trans is about $50 USD normally.

TX and FL have more used MB's than anywhere, and tend to be the cheapest source for parts (or wholes!)

What type of vehicle do you want to put it in? A friend wants me to convert his 1/2 ton. I told him I thought a turbo model would be better for his application. Thats if I think it will fit in oil pan area. Also better check your rear end ratio and tire size before commiting. As for finding a used unit one has to be really careful in my opinion. No happiness in installing junk. Unfortunatly there is a lot of that around. I would even go so far as not suggesting buying a unit removed from the car already as a compression and run check are the least one should do before deciding to buy the engine. These as usual are just my opinions. :) The description of an engine being good is hard to quantify. Sometimes the vendor means a good boat anchor. :D

It's potentially going in my Land Rover. I have the adapter kit for it, and a couple of people I know have successfully carried it out. The LR diesel in my truck is a little underpowered for our roads here, and not as long-lived as the MB diesel. Hence the intent to swap the 617 in there.

I think you're right about boat anchors passing for "good engines". Indeed, if I'm going to go through the trouble of replacing the engine, I want to make sure I get a good one in there, one that hasn't been overheated (kiss of death for MB diesels) or otherwise abused or neglected. As you suggest, that may mean taking it out of a car where the basic health can be assessed (compression, noises, etc.).

Good luck with the pickup conversion. I'm sure it's doable, if you get the right adapter for the transmission, and are able to fit it in (oil filter, oil pan) and connect everything.

Found a parts car with a very good 617 engine for 600$ cdn north of Montreal 2 years ago. A couple years before that, found one for 300$. Once found a decent driveable 240D for 100$ (owner thought engine was shot as it would'nt start but it was just an unplugged glow plug harness). They're around. Around here, there are many parts cars with good engines but bad bodies due to rust. Just keep your eyes open

The 603 can be easily damaged by overheating if it has a #14 head, but the 617 is pretty tough (cast iron head) - IMHO, the most important thing to check is compression.

For $1500 I'd look for a complete running car. Drive the thing for a couple of months to make sure it runs well.

Which yards do you go to? How do you know when it is half priced day in advance? Inquiring local minds need to know.... :D

Thanks for the thoughts, all.
SOunds like the best approach is to find a good local "parts car" with a good running engine that can be checked while in the vehicle, and driven around etc. Means more work (ie. having to pull the engine out), but probably helps to guarantee a good engine as opposed to buying something on a pallet on blind faith...
I'm in no rush, so can afford to wait for a good deal. Cheers.

p.s. other than making sure it starts well, doesn't have un-healthy smoke, doesn't make strange sounds, and doesn't have excessive blowby, are there any quick tests of the health of a diesel engine? I know that one can do a compression test, check chain stretch, etc., but that may not always be feasible to do when looking over a parts car. Thanks.

The other advantage to a "pats car"

is that in addition to an engine, you get "all" the associated wiring, connectors, spare hose clamps, brackets, factory placed junk, cruise control(if you want it), radiator and all kinds of goodies that you might not get (or forget to grab) if you pulled the engine from a yard (or bought a rebuilt engine).
These parts may make a non-native engine swap go a LOT easier...

-John