Just curious if the non turbo 606 is as clanky as the 602 in say a 92 300D. Lookin to buy one and am just wondering what kind of sound I should expect to hear when I fire it up. My 300D clanks like there is no tomorrow. I hope the 606 is a bit smoother sounding.

__________________
1996 E300 D
1992 300D
1990 Ford E-350 7.3 Diesel AKA "the Deep Fryer"

That 606 should be the quietest Diesel you've ever heard. I was walking in a parking garage a month or so ago and along came a '95. Man, I gotta tell you, that thing was silent. Just nice and smooth - quiet. Of course, the car looked as though it just rolled off the showroom floor, too.

My '96 is missing the belly pan, and is thus a bit louder than it should be. But still the engine is very smooth. You can hear it at idle from outside the car, but there is no clanking of any kind.

From inside the car, I hear a bit of noise in the half-second before the oil pressure builds up, but it's not very loud. Once driving, you can hear the engine if you floor it and get the RPMs up, but not otherwise. And then, it's just a roar.