I searched the forum and expected to find someone who is using a 617 engine as a generator. But no hits...

A spare engine and parts can be had easily and cheaply. Mounting it can't be too difficult.

So... is this such a bad idea?

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JWJ
1983 MB 300D - > 430,000 miles - Deep Blue - Bilstein Comforts - 0-60 in 24 seconds - 27MPG
1985 MB 300TD (wagon) - > 275,000 miles - Manila Beige - Thule rack - 0-60 in 18 seconds - 22 - 25MPG
Biodiesel, Mobil Delvac 1, and Viton fuel lines!

I have a spare NA motor that I want to do just that to. Generator heads can be found relatively easily. The expense comes with the speed control. I thought about modifying the cruise control for this purpose... Just haven't had the time or ambition at this point.

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For Sale: 1982 MB 300TD
1995 Chevrolet Suburban 6.5TD

Sold: 1980 IH Scout Traveler- Nissan SD33T Diesel

There was a fellow converting a 616 to a generator a few months back.

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1979 240D- 316K miles - VGT Turbo, Intercooler, Stick Shift, Many Other Mods - Daily Driver

1982 300SD - 232K miles - Wife's Daily Driver

1986 560SL - Wife's red speed machine

let us know how all this is going. would be really neat to have a WVO setup on that generator. question: why do you need a speed controller? is that b/c more load on the generator requires the engine have more throttle?

harbor freight has a 10kW gen motor for 300usd.......wonder if that's doable?

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alimony

Yes. Think about it, when you come up to a hill in your 300D, you give it more fuel so you go up the hill at the same speed. When more load is presented to the alternator (the correct term for an AC generator), it gets harder to turn, and the engine has to put out more horsepower to keep the alternator turning at a constant speed to keep the voltage and AC frequency constant. My 5kW Costco special generator does just that when the load is increased. When my power goes out and I turn on something large, the engine bogs down for a little bit until the mechanism catches up and opens the throttle on the carb. I haven't looked at it, but I assume it's some sort of centrifugal system that works on the spinning crank.

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Dale

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g1...MG_2277sig.jpg

1990 300D 2.5 Turbo -155k
2000 E430 - 103k
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ecodiesel 4x4 - 11k
2014 VW Passat TDI SE - 7k Bro's Diesel
2006 E320 CDI - 128k Pop's Benz

Pre-glow - A moment of silence in honor of Rudolph Diesel

Modern lawnmowers have a mechanical system like that, its called "steady speed" or something, when you go through thick stuff with the mower and it bogs down, it opens the carb more and churns out more power to attempt to keep up the engine speed, if its a big enough engine it works pretty good, but on the little 3.5-4hp mowers its kinda a lost cause, they don't have much "reserve power"


I've wanted to make a 616 generator for a while too, that'd be sweet. I bet as was mentioned earlier a cruise system could be used (modified) to work for that. Maybe even a computer + software + electronic throttle acutator or something for even more precise control, thats what the big generators have.

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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

The examples I've seen described on the Internet all used 240D engines. And there's still more engine power with the OM616 than you need to run a generator for a single house. So you start to get into a fuel consumption issue.

But you can turn on every light in the house, all the TVs, the Air Conditioning, etc. if your generator head has the capacity.

Ken300D

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1982 300D at 351K miles
1984 300SD at 217K miles
1987 300D at 370K miles

Yeah, its called a governor, and no, its not only on modern lawnmowers. I think probably most engines like that have some sort of governor. But you were joking right?

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-Randy Wakefield

1969 220D 4 speed (parts car)
1976 280C
1976 280S
1981 240D 4 speed (parts car)
1982 300D
1983 300TD (Ivory)
1983 300TD (gold)
1985 300TD (gray)
1987 190D 2.5
1970 280SEL (sold)
1977 240D 4 speed (sold)
1974 280 (rusted to death)
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1927 Chevy 4 door sedan
1938 Chevy 2 door sedan
1950 Willys Jeepster
1955 Studebaker President 4 door
1977 Ford F250
1979 Glastron 17'
1948 John Deere A
1960 John Deere 2010
1979 Satoh S650G
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2000 Bichon (Doby)

Actually I've thought of doing this with a 617 turbo motor as I'd want a 25kw gen head so it could run my whole house and my grandma's house too since the well is wired up at her house (we live in the country and share one giant 4" diameter 90 foot deep well.....)

I've pretty much decided I'd go to the nearby tractor and farm implement junkyard and get the governor off of an old Bobcat skid loader. Those loaders used little Ford 4cyl gas engines and the governor was actually a bolt on belt driven do-hickey...... Would be easy as pie to hook one to the 617 right where the power steering pump would go and then hook the linkage up where the cruise actuator would have....... Very simple, dependable and purpose built that way........

As for a 616 or 617 N/A being enough, that's probably true, but there's nothing quite like hearing the turbo on your straight-piped generator spool up when the 240volt well pump kicks in at the same time you turn on the microwave!!!!!

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-Matt

EPA Section 609 Certified MVAC Technician
-----------------
Oil Burner Kartel Member #10

Ahh the smell of Diesel Fuel, it's like coffee in the morning!

My Car:

1982 300SD Turbo Diesel (231,500 miles!) RIP

1984 300SD Turbo Diesel Custom (235,500 mi on driveline.) - On Road!!

www.icsrepair.com

IIRC, a generator head must be kept at a specific rpm to maintain the correct AC cycle? Some gensets spin at 3600rpm and others 1800rpm depending on how the generator head was designed. The neat thing about running an oversized engine like a 616 or a 617 is that you could keep to 1800rpm and use very little fuel and wear.

A plain-bearing engine like a 616, etc. are not designed to have a high side load from a belt drive so the generator head would have to be directly driven off the crankshaft or with belts off a jackshaft driven from the engine crankshaft.

RT

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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

I would think a 616 would be happy at 3600RPM...since that's near where 240D's cruise on the freeway But yeah, I would assume that 1800RPM would give longer life. I wonder if you would have to do an italian tuneup on your generator every once in a while (obviously with the alternator's load disconnected)?

__________________
Dale

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g1...MG_2277sig.jpg

1990 300D 2.5 Turbo -155k
2000 E430 - 103k
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ecodiesel 4x4 - 11k
2014 VW Passat TDI SE - 7k Bro's Diesel
2006 E320 CDI - 128k Pop's Benz

Pre-glow - A moment of silence in honor of Rudolph Diesel

A 2 pole generator usually runs at 3600rpm to get the 60 cycle. a 4 pole runs at 1800. The thing that you would need to figure is how much horsepower the engine puts out at 1800rpm.
This is the reason alot of the small generators run at 3600rpm... to produce enough HP to run the gen head.
The external governor would be the trick or try to find an injection pump off an old Thermo-king refer compressor. They used MB 4cyl engines on some of them.

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My Truck.. 2007 DODGE, 5.9 Cummins, 6spd stick, 4X4. My car..1977 240D, OTHER WHEELS...1955 VW Oval window bug, European Delivery (Holland) with a 1700cc, 2 barrel, Porsche drum brakes. 1939 WILLYS Pick-up. 1967 Triumph 200cc Tiger Cub. 1976 Honda 550F 4cyl Motor Cycle.

An engine like the Isuzu 4HE1 would probably make a better mid-sized genset.

i have a spare 616 engine that is complete that you can use it will burn oil like a son of a gun but other than that its all intact except for injectors exhaust manafold and intake everything is there.

I guess it depends on what our needs would be. I'd love to see a Mercedes diesel hooked up to a 25kw genset. That may be overkill for most though. I'm in the process of swapping out my 70amp alternator for a 140 amp model. With modern high output alternators and inverters, anyone can turn their MB into an emergency battery charger or power generator.

12V to 120v 3500w/7000w inverter