All parts used in these pictorials are available at the diesel parts for sale page

Safety and security tips:

Please remember to recycle all your used fluids at an appropriate recycling center.  Be mindful to not spill or splash fluids on yourself, others or the ground.  Also as a safety tip please remember anytime you are working on, around or under your car, to wear safety glasses and secure the car with wheel stops and approved jack stands! 

 
Worn  Out Mercedes 617 Engine Pics

This engine came out of a 1981 300SD with 330k miles.  The engine was running ok but very smokey and not the greatest amount of power.  Well out it came and not a minute too soon.  As you can see there are 2 pistons that have chips in them and pretty bad cylinder liner scoring.  Heavy ridge on the top of the liner.  The rings are probably shot in most of the cylinders, hence the bad oil burning.  So since I had my camera with me at the time, I wanted to show  what the inside of these fine oil burners are like.  Nothing to fix or repair in this pictorial, only to educate you on the guts of the engine.

Cylinder with damage at the 12 o'clock position.

Up-close pic of the piston damage.  Notice the relief for each  valve cast into the top of the piston.

Ugly chip in the piston.

Scoring on the liner and heavy ridge at the top.  Noticed the heavy carbon build-up above the ridge.

This is how the oil pump is turned, by its own little chain and spring loaded tensioner.

This is the simple chain tensioner for the oil pump chain.

Oil pump sprocket showing very little wear and still has the bevel on the teeth visible.

Close-up of the plastic tensioner for the oil pump chain.  Since these items are usually submerged in oil

very little wear will occur.

Looking down inside the chain valley.

Chain rail I believe is original and shows very little wear even after 330k miles.  The don't normally wear very much.

Only very minor wear marks, still serviceable.

Lower bracket the holds the rear of the Injection Pump.  Notice the missing bolt?

End of the crankshaft.  The lower end of the end of the engine looks just fine.

Viewing the main caps and looking at the connecting rods.

Here is where all that nice oil pressure is generated.

This is the piston cooling nozzle which sprays oil on the underside of the piston to cool it.

Looking at the head.

Top of the head with the camshaft removed.

There is that  pesky valve adjusting nut.  Factory paint from the assembly process still on the springs.

The pre-chamber is extending out of the head.  Notice the main hole in the bottom and there are holes radiating out

around the circumference.

Oh my someone was not doing their diesel purge on a regular basis.  This pre-chamber had some of the holes on the back that was becoming clogged.

More carbon and soot.

Looking into the intake and exhaust ports.  Overall the head just needs a clean up some valve stems seals and its good to go for many more miles.

Camshaft and towers.  The camshaft showed almost no wear on the lobes at all.

Clean oil pan with no sludge.

Here is the donor engine with 138k miles.  A 1984 vintage.  A fine year for diesels.

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