I wasn't suggesting he junk it. I suggested he think twice before paying an Indy who doesn't seem to know what he is doing $1500 just to take the oil pan off. Get it to someone who could fix it once the diagnosis is done. Probably a dealer. And get MBUSA involved.

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Looking at it would be all you could do since it would be too slow to safely drive it. :D:D

A GL weighs 5,550lbs+ :eek:

I am glad I went with the OM651 as my modern diesel ownership experiment. Engine has been flawless, a few emission system issues (exhaust) but overall good experience so far 2 years/21k miles into it. And double the MPG my 420SEL used to get, can't compain!

When you think of how many OM642s are out there roaring around all day these failures amount to a fraction of a percent of total engines in operation....you never hear about all the ones running just fine.

Let's see:D

240D: 3250lb / 68hp = ~48 pounds per horsepower

617 turbo swapped GL350:D: 5467lb / 125hp = ~44 pounds per horsepower

It should accelerate slightly faster than a 240D which in my opinion is fast enough:)

Although because of a 3.27 axle ratio and taller tires in the GL you would have to stay in 3rd gear to get any acceleration on the highway

The OM616 was installed in a number of vans, delivery vehicles and motorhomes, some of them up to 8,000 pounds or so and they could all slowly reach 55mph. I don't see why the OM617 would be a problem.

My last motorhome was powered by a 4-cylinder Isuzu turbodiesel which is only slightly more power than a OM617 at 12,000+ pounds (140hp and 240 ft-pounds of torque). I had no problem keeping up with street traffic or freeway traffic. It may have even been able to beat a 240D in a race.

Dkr.

on a more serious note: If the engine is really damaged then your best bet is to find the same engine in a good used condition and have someone put it in or do it yourself.

or

If MBUSA steps up and helps with the cost of a new one then go that route

Yep I own 4 of them all doing fine, one of them up to 210k

Every day the FedEx and Amazon vans come through my neighborhood, a good many of them are Mercedes Sprinters and guess what's under the hood. Yep an OM642.

You might get lucky and get some love from MBUSA but I would not bet on it. Unfortunately they are now of the mindset that their products are disposable, and anything with a combustion engine in it is only a placeholder, until they go 100% electric in the next 10-15 years.

However there is the Copart or LKQ route to find another OM642.

Note that it is not plug and play however as you will have to use your existing ECU (or DAS will never let you get anything going) but you'll have to either swap over your injectors (don't mix up the cylinder assignments!) or code the new engine's injectors into the old ECU with Xentry.

And there were different variants of the 642 based on the platform so best to find the same year range and type vehicle as yours. For example on the SUVs the oil pan is split to allow the left front drive shaft for the 4matic to pass by. On the RWD sedans the oil pan is flat.

Best bet is to go by the 3 digits after the 642 in the engine type number.

So I'm confused. Mercedes doesn't have a drivetrain warranty to 55k miles????

I believe the powertrain warranty on a '13 GL350 is 4yrs/50k miles whichever comes first

They used OM 616, 602 and 617 in these:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._2.3_Front.jpg

About same weight as a GL350?

With the 87 bhp OM617 non-turbo, it could do 79mph and 0-100kph in 27sec! The most recent G400 provided 326 BHP out of same displacement engine and could do 0-100kph in 6.4 sec! Some of them had Bluetec engines, which I think was a big mistake for a vehicle that needed to be 100% reliable.

I have to agree with Dubyagee that this sounds suspiciously like a mechanical failure that may have caused a physical blockage.


I'd remove the oil pan and attempt to visually inspect as many items as possible to determine where the blockage could be.


Crank, cam, timing chain, oil pump, injection pump, alternator, starter, AC compressor, water pump.


Remove the belts and check the operational conditions of everything belt-driven.


And don't forget the tension rollers.


Put the vehicle in neutral and go to town...slowly.


This will be tedious but you can check.


I'm interested in the answer.

I very much appreciate all of the advice on here. Having it towed to another indy that I've had a decent experience with in the past and will see what they say. If they say the same thing, then maybe I just keep it, get my wife a Camry and mess with it on my own. I would like to keep it, but $15k for something that has proven unreliable is difficult to stomach at this point. I didn't buy it new, so I don't have $65k into it (less than half of that actually).

MBUSA will advise to bring the vehicle to an MB dealer. The extent of their advice will be to recommend one if you aren't familiar with any in your area. They won't help diagnose anything, in fact whomever you speak with will have nearly ZERO technical knowledge.

The dealer will recommend a course of action based on their preliminary findings. Removing cylinder heads, oil pan, etc, will get costly very quickly...….

The oil level disparity is odd. Let us know what it looks like when you next pull the stick

Don't jump from one engine problem to another:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgdZSXOslDM