Thrust bearing for a 617/manual tranny swap
 

I'm in the middle of a project that has a NP435 tranny bolting to the back of a 617 turbo. I was bolting the upper oil pan on this afternoon and got to thinking about a thrust bearing on the crank to take the pressure of the clutch being depressed. I didn't bother pulling main caps to see if there's one there, but I'm assuming it is.

Can anyone confirm this? I know a manual tranny swap is getting common so I'd imagine this question has come up in the past.

Thanks for an reassurance!

Jim

Mine has been running for nearly two years with no problems related to the swap or transmission. I also know of a few others in the Denver/Boulder area that have been running for even longer and Randy has run his for over 3 years.

Anyways, to answer your first question, the OM617A has thrust bearings.
http://catalog.worldpac.com/mercedesshop/sophio/wizard.jsp?partner=mercedesshop&clientid=catalog.mercedesshop&baseurl=http://catalog.peachparts.com/&cookieid=26A15STWC26A15STOG&year=1983&make=MB&model=300-DT-001&category=All&part=Thrust+Bearing+Set
http://img.eautopartscatalog.com/live/A213021301KS.JPG