i've been noticing many mechanics out there that are doing a complete frankenstien operation on there 300D's from non-turbos to turbos. I ran into this guy who emailed me his lab book on converting a non-turboed 300D to a turbo...it was very interesting to see pictures from his before and after conversion...However, i'm curious if its possible to put 2 turbos in this 619 engine??? just a thought. and if i can work....does this make the 300D less smokey at idle and at full load?

allen

Most dieselheads on this board would tell you to pop that thought right back into your head. The turbo 617's have other modifications besides just having a turbo. The main one is an oil spray on the pistons to keep them cool. That being said, there are companies in the UK that specialize in adding turbo's to non-turbo MB's. There's a demand for this because trucks and motorhomes in the UK had non-turbo's for years, even after the cars had turbos. I don't know what the reliability record is for these retrofitted engines.

Here's a link to their site:
http://www.tb-turbo.co.uk/vans.htm

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

kerry is offering some wise advice. The non turbo 617's are not as long lived as they should be as it is. Adding a turbo to this engine that was never, ever designed with a turbo in mind would bring engine life down to something below a Yugo.

If you want a turbo 617, find a later 300D, or find a good '82 to '85 617 engine.

Good luck,

You just have to figure that the millions of dollars done on Research and Development caused the changes which were made from the non turbo to the turbo engines . The lower end bearings , the oil cooling squirters, the lowering of the compression ratio.... add up to much longer life...

I would have to agree with Larry, but really, bring engine life down to something shorter than a Yugo? Didn't think that was possible.

Just kidding..... One of my ex's in college had one. I beat that thing mercilessly. I used to floor it and hold it there until it wouldn't wind up anymore and then shift. Two gear downshifts to try and blow the motor. I continued this for almost two years and I couldn't get it to blow. It died up in Providence once, had a screwy starter that sometimes worked sometimes not, anyway I had a buddy with me and that little POS hit an indicated 100mph downhill (south) on RT4, likely with a tailwind. My buddy was white as a ghost after that one. My conclusion was the design was not all that bad it was the build quality that was awful! Finally sold it 'cause I gave up trying to kill it. RT

__________________
When all else fails, vote from the rooftops!
84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K
03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K
93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K

In performed extensive research before I purchased my car. One of the most interesting things about the turbocharged models is that MB's goal was that the driver should not "know" that they were driving a diesel: EVERY part of the drive train was engineered from the beginning to work together seamlessly for smooth, powerful, fuel efficiency.

This, too, seems to suggest it's not a great idea to simply bolt on a turbo to a non-turbo engine.