I agree - the OM601 & OM602 (turbo & non-turbo) are great engines.

I asked because a friend of mine has a Vanagon with a bad engine that I'm
considering buying, plus I know a LOT about Mercedes diesel engines. Most of
the OM601 4 cylinder diesels are rated at 72 HP but they have plenty of
torque. Plus in the original car, you can easily get 30+ MPG on the highway.

Thanks, Tom Hargrave
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-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf Of
Zeitgeist
Sent: Tuesday, June 4, 2013 9:01 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Speaking of diesels.... Mercedes?

I've looked into it, and basically narrowed the options down to the OM601 (4
cyl) NA and the OM602 (5 cyl) turbo.  The six cyls are way too long.  The
602 is an excellent option, but it's pretty long and would require a custom
sump.  It should fit a Doka in the upright position.  The adapter plate and
flexplate/flywheel would also need to be custom, as would the engine
mounting arms.  I love VW diesels, but the timing belts are an Achilles
Heel, and MBs use the more robust and long lived timing chains.

In summary, it's a doable install but you're entirely on your own when it
comes to cobbling together the pieces required to shoehorn the lump into
place.

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 3, 2013, at 11:20 PM, Tom Hargrave <thargrav@HIWAAY.NET> wrote:

> Has anyone put a Mercedes diesel in a Vanagon? I've owned a lot of
> Mercedes and I'm familiar with the engines.
>
>
>
> The Mercedes 2.4 liter & 3 liter Mercedes engine is more reliable than
> the VW engine & the 3 liter turbo should produce plenty of power.
>
>
>
> Tom