Anyone converted a W123 to a newer engine, say a OM602 perhaps?

Reason I'm asking is I have a 307D truck with the OM616 and 4-speed stick straight out of a W123 240D, so if it's possible to easily upgrade a W123 with a newer engine it could be done on this 307D also.
I'm looking to add more power to this poor truck that fully loaded barely does 35mph uphills. I could upgrade to a OM617 but finding one in decent shape is quite hard as the engines are very popular here.. the mid-eighties engines are far more available in decent shape/mileage in junk yards..

Thanks

__________________
Tomas, Sweden
1966 Mercedes Benz 230S with OM617.912, automatic. Disk brakes from W108
1983 Mercedes Benz 300TD grey, OM617.912 and 5-speed manual
1983 Mercedes Benz 300TD blue 7-seater, OM617.912 and 5-speed manual

Good luck fitting one into such a tight space as the van. You would likely have to make your own remote oil filter for a 601/2 to fit. I doubt there is enough room for anything turbo.

Yup turbo is out of question.. won't fit. Oil filter relocation isn't a major problem, takes $100 and couple of days of fabrication.
Did you ever see one of those 616's in a van? The whole filter assembly points downwards/backwards which makes changing the oil filter a hell of a mess LOL

Just fishing for options.. that truck desperately needs more power.

__________________
Tomas, Sweden
1966 Mercedes Benz 230S with OM617.912, automatic. Disk brakes from W108
1983 Mercedes Benz 300TD grey, OM617.912 and 5-speed manual
1983 Mercedes Benz 300TD blue 7-seater, OM617.912 and 5-speed manual

Yes, very.

You may be able to upgrade to one of the later (82-83) 72hp 616's.

Attached Thumbnails

 

put a 190d engine in it

__________________
1981 300SD 512k OM603

The 123's came with the best motor MB ever made.
How can any "swap" be an "upgrade"?

__________________
81 Mercedes 300SD 289k.......SOLD
82 Mercedes 300CD 252k......slow ride

82 mercedes 300 SD...mi Unknown
83 Mercedes 300D ????ksniff..gone too
84 Mercedes 300D 148k........SOLD
85 Mercedes 300TD 386k and holding some one elses project

JackG, almost knew this would come
Think of it this way.. swap your 617 to a 616, weld another complete W123 on top of your car and then add some concrete weights on top of that.. then drive the mess up a steep hill and try to keep anywhere near highway speed. You'll know what I mean then... The 616 may be the best engine ever built but it just doesn't cut the mustard with 7700lbs trucks..

turbobenz, is it a drop-in fit? Anyways thanks for the tip, will check it at a junk yard how close the mounts are.

__________________
Tomas, Sweden
1966 Mercedes Benz 230S with OM617.912, automatic. Disk brakes from W108
1983 Mercedes Benz 300TD grey, OM617.912 and 5-speed manual
1983 Mercedes Benz 300TD blue 7-seater, OM617.912 and 5-speed manual

I was going to put a 603 in my car.. but.. Its my only car so I would need a spare since Eva would be on jack stands for a while

the finns did it.. so can you!

I think ANY MB diesel engine will fit, its just a question of how much money and time do you have? I have seen a few remote turbo installs where the turbo in at the back of the vehicle. They work but obviously add complications. Any of the inline NA diesels are good choices and a starting point. If you are confident enough to fabricate/relocate an oil filter housing I would say that you can handle the rest. A remote mount turbo may not be such a bad idea..... Lots of room in a truck at the back. 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

Thats definatley an interesting oil filter housing setup on those trucks.... You get showered in oil every time...fun. You can see how stained the aluminum is around the opening of the canister.

__________________
-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)

bumped....did you ever swap an engine in ?
i'm contemplating buying a 307d