Does anyone know if the head off of a 602 or a 605 will work on a 617? The 605 is 4 valv per cyl, crossflow. It looks like you'd either need to take the pistons from the 605 or have custom 617's made to keep the combustion chamber and valves happy. I was just poking around online when I came across these images so it made me think "wonder if anyone has tried this yet?" Thoughts? Experience? Wish we could get MB to release the info on the aluminum head on the 617 in the C111.

http://www.rectiduerosoria.com/mercedes%20om602.JPG
http://www.rectiduerosoria.com/mercedes%20om605.JPG

the one with the 4 valves looks bigger to me, I dont think it'd work

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hum.....
1987 300TD 311,000M Stolen. Presumed destroyed

That's what I was trying to figure out. Multi-valve heads are usually bigger than their two valve counterparts at the top. Here's a picture of someone's OM605 block surface.
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/248826-om605-6-piston-advice-post2318488.html
It looks very similar to the 617. Of course since my eyes aren't tape measures and the picture scale is hard to judge who knows

I don't know the answer for sure, but I have to believe that if it could be done it would already have been done by one of the performance freaks around here and there'd be loads of info posted about it...

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1984 300 Coupe TurboDiesel
Silver blue paint over navy blue interior
2nd owner & 2nd engine in an otherwise
99% original unmolested car
~210k miles on the clock

1986 Ford F250 4x4 Supercab
Charcoal & blue two tone paint over burgundy interior
Banks turbo, DRW, ZF-5 & SMF conversion
152k on the clock - actual mileage unknown

This is true. One thing I have noticed amongst the MB group is that people tend to be of the mindset that what MB provided from the factory is the best that can be achieved (or something like that) and so no one really plays with things like head swaps, headers, diff valves, etc etc. I'm not saying everyone is like that but it seems that most are. So maybe this is something that's just simply been overlooked? I wish the two engines I posted on there had been available over here (as far as I know they weren't, feel free to correct me) I'm not by any means trying to start a war or a thread with insulting banter, just trying to get some thoughts going on here. In the Volvo world mods are commonplace. For example Volvo's B230 4 cyl engine was in almost every car they made in the 80's and 90's. They also produced a B234---a 4 cyl non turbo engine with 16 valves (stainless steel). This was never coupled with a turbo in the states, however, people have found that it is a direct bolt on to the B230 engine (8 valve originally) and with a custom header a 16V turbo is ready to go. It's a relatively inexpensive mod since 16V DOHC heads can be had at the junkyards for cheap. So anyway, I'm sure with the collective smarts of everyone who reads this forum it should be possible to theorize some great improvements for items MB should have paid a little more attention to. The very basis on which an engine operates is that it is quite simply an air pump. The more air you can get in and out and the faster you can do so the more fuel and therefore power can be had. I had also started a related thread about header's for this engine since this would allow the engine to breath easier and allow for the turbo to spool quicker. So that's my long winded thought and I hope to have some great contributions by other members with their experience and knowledge.

Nick

The pistons on the 4v engines are relieved in the center of the piston, which is where the prechamber is located. The 2v engines have that relief area offset to accommodate the prechamber which enters the combustion chamber from the side. So no, without swapping pistons, you're not able to exchange the two heads. I think the deck area (the mating surface) between the head and block are the same.

Some of us do spend quite a bit of time modifying MB engines. I got my start tweaking VWs

No, the OM60x series engines are totally different from the OM61x. Besides the smaller displacement, the 60x engines are physically shorter than a 61x of the same cylinder count, the cylinder bores and bolt holes won't come close to lining up.

IF you swapped out the pistons, I'd bet you could put a 604/5/6 head on a 601/2/3. With the cost and labor though, it would be cheaper and easier to buy an entire used 604/5/6.