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

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http://www.seriestrek.com

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