A Metrics Motors short block is $5200 and has a 12 month unlimited mileage warranty. Maybe Phil can get you a discount.

Sixto
87 300D

have you considered blocking off your vacuum pump and using an electric vac pump from an F350? They're like $65 and don't complicate the engine....

__________________
$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges
$110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges
No merc at the moment

No, haven't given that any thought. One project at a time!

__________________
Chief

1991 350SD

I'm considering trying that on one of my E300's eventually.

__________________
Jim

What year F350? The little pump on my friend's 03 6.0 is only for the climate control, it uses the power steering pump to assist the brakes.

You might look into the booster pump from a 1.8T Passat.

-Jason

__________________
1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

Chains and rails with only 35 k have possibly quite some life left in them. Certainly if the oil was changed at decent intervals. When you said chains I assume you mean the oil pump chain as well.

The oil pumps chains usually do not wear anywhere near as fast as the timing chain. The chain tensioner item for it should be critically looked at though.

From your description of the past owners experience I might not trust that all that was billed for was actually done. So the chains true milage might or might not be suspect. If your going as far as you indicate critical inspection of the chain sprockets should be done and the best ones used if there is a noticeable difference. I am assuming they are the same part numbers but that is easily checked.

I actually have receipts for the chains and tensioners, and I'll be inspecting everything. I just don't want to be penny-wise and pound foolish. Which brings me to my piston ring quest.

Apparently, supplying rings for OM603's isn't exactly a land office business. Very few mfg's have them, and places that do have them, aren't cheap. I did actually talk to one manufacturer today that will make them for me, and at a reasonable price. The rub is that he has a note on the drawings- one needs to determine the top ring width, whether it is 2 or 2,5mm.

Is that a running change? Does anyone have any OM603.96 pistons they can measure top ring groove width?

__________________
Chief

1991 350SD

How many miles on the block? If the cross hatch is good, just button it up and go.

Sixto
87 300D

Supposedly 140k miles. Running, it puts out a steady, thin blue-grey smoke, and used 1.5 qts of oil over 4k miles. I don't know if that's valve seals or rings. I know my #22 head from my 3.5 litre is fine, so I figure with a new set of rings everything will be covered. I don't want to regret not doing it!

__________________
Chief

1991 350SD

Are you going to install the 3.5 liter head on the 3.0 liter engine? Will it work?

__________________
Jim

Yes, the head from the 3.5 will work just fine. Even better, it's a new #22 with only 35k miles.

__________________
Chief

1991 350SD

Okay, no response here yet so I thought I'd float it again. The FSM seems to show that early 602 engines used a top ring that was 2,0 mm wide, but all 603.96 engines used a top ring that was 2,5 mm wide. Anyone?

__________________
Chief

1991 350SD

My friend's '89 F250 has a belt driven vac pump that's pretty big

IIRC, his '99 F350 with the 7.3L has a vac pump to run the CC and brakes

__________________
$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges
$110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges
No merc at the moment

Back to my 603 engine swap.

I have the 603.96 block on the stand, down to short block status. 5 of the cylinders are coded "X" and one is coded "B". A short conversation w/ Roy confirmed for me that I have one oversize piston, and 5 standard. Cylinders all look clean, no scoring or anything I wouldn't want to see, but maybe not as much crosshatch as I would like to see. Since oversize rings don't seem to be available, and I don't think the engine warrants any new sleeves, I guess I'll be leaving the bottom end buttoned up. When I listened to it run, it sounded fine- definately no lower end noises. I'm hoping the PO's reported oil consumption of 1.5 quarts over 4k miles is due to valve seals/guides.

I was very surprised at how clean this engine is internally- no deposits or discoloration anywhere. Oil pan was clean as a whistle. Piston crowns lightly carboned, and water jacket perfectly clean.

__________________
Chief

1991 350SD

I might have said this before but just in case, I'd Plastigage the mains and rods to be sure and feel around the oil pump pickup screen for debris.

If the 3.0 came with a #14 head, use the longer bolts that hold the head to the front cover. #17 and later heads us 80mm bolts vs 50mm bolts with the #14 head. The bolts that hold the fuel filter head are the same.

Sixto
87 300D