Can cylinder sleeves be installed in a non sleeved OM615 engine
 

I've recently found out here that later 220D engines had factory sleeves.But my 68' 115 series Mercedes came with a non sleeved 220D engine.I have two of these engines which both run great,but burn more oil then I like.I would like to rebuild my spare engine better then origional.And I would love to install cylinder sleeves if possible due to the poor quality of the origional cylinder bores.But I don't know if it can be done or not to these particular engines.I want to keep the car mostly origional because I love the style and simplicity of the old Benzes.And yes I'm an experienced mechanic,so please feel free to get technical.I'm just new to Mercedes cars.
And I plan on converting it to SVO/WVO use after rebuilding.The car came with a factory service manual.But I need more info on what I can and can't do during the rebuild.

didnt you post this earlier?
 

i answered then that i thought you should be able to bore and sleeve back to original spec. dont know if you can step up to the 240 bore though. between the 220 and 240 the bore is the difference. someone will prob know if the blocks are the same. i dont.

good luck

tom w

A good machine shop SHOULD be able to do that job!

HOWEVER boring the engine & using oversize pistons makes more sense, I know that MB DOESN'T SHOW OVERSIZE but Mahle the piston company that makes the OE pistons still shows that oversize pistons ate available.

THE Mahle number FOR 87.50MM is 001 86 02 & for 87.25MM is 001 86 01!!

boring and not
 

sleeving would not offer the increased durability that they are seeking.

tom w

Sleeves again
 

Yes I asked almost the same question before.And thanks T Walgamoth for answering.But you were the only one,and I'm still left with some questions.That's why I'm back again.Sleeving might not help with the dependability?Casting shift?Or would sleeving this engine cause some other kind of problem.

I think that boring oversize generally makes more sense. However, what is it about the structure of the block that makes you think it is of poor quality? Are there occlusions visable to the naked eye? Are there imperfections in the microstructure? Or did the rings just wear big, nasty ridges in the cylinders? If there is a real problem with the microstructure of the block it is possible that sleeving it could make it better, but it definitely goes against the "keep it simple" philosophy.

Just since you mentioned in your orginal post.. That you were not that familiar with MB's.

These engines the cylinder/piston wall clearances on diesels are TIGHT. If the shop bores it like a chevy- you'll have problems with longevity. The key is someone with the right equipment and when you tell them to bore it to 87.50 mm- they can hit that. If they ask for the pistons so they can "hone them to fit" bewary.

Without rings, the piston should take some effort to push through the cylinder..
Maybe you could get a used later model engine cheap? I'm not the 220D expert by any sense of the word. Larrybible has rebuilt several 240d's and can fill you in on the equipement required.

I do seem to remember some engine series had SOFT blocks and were not good rebuild canidates. I was thinking it was early M110 engines...

Michael

i dont
 

think that the blocks are all that bad compared to other brands of engines, but lack the longivity of the later sleeved engines. a steel sleeve will always outwear a non sleeved engine.

tom w

If it was me, I would poke around on the used car sites (autotrader.com, traderonline.com, etc) and find a rusted out 115 chassis 240D. You might find one with a good engine, and even if the engine is worn, it would still be a good rebuild candidate. I seem to recall a rust bucket in northern Indiana that has been for sale for months, and other ones pop up from time to time.

Hey Thanks
 

Thanks all of you for the info.I didn't know the MB diesels are set up tighter then a typical Amarican gas engine is,and would have thought I should be setting it up loose like a typical non MB diesel.You've given me the kind of info I needed to know.I don't have either engine apart.They both run very well but burn alot of oil,the spare engine burns the most.I found out here that the early 220D's are prone to premature wear because of bad,soft castings.Low nickle content in the late 200's and early 220's is probably the reason for the soft castings I'm assuming.My last question about these engines being boared is this.Does anyone know where I can find out the specs on the casting thickness of the cylinders?Some department at MB or something?My searches haven't turned up any info on the castings.Thanks again for all you'r help.