Know The Legendary Engines OM621 And OM617 From Mercedes-Benz: Recognized For Decades For Their Durability, These Engines Stand Out For Being “Unbreakable.” With An Impressive Capacity To Run Up To 1 Million Kilometers Without Needing Overhaul.
In The Late 1950s, The German Company Mercedes-Benz Launched The OM621 Engine, Which Was A Four-Cylinder Inline Engine With 1.9 Liters That Developed 50 Horsepower And Established Itself As A Family Of Durable Engines In The Market. The Engine Was Used Not Only In The Unimog Utility Vehicle But Also In Passenger Cars, Equipping The W121 And W110 Series. In The 1970s, The OM617 Variant Was Created With One More Cylinder, Increasing The Volume To 3 Liters And The Power To 80 Horsepower. In This Article, We Will Learn Everything About These Engines From Mercedes-Benz That Made History.
Mercedes-Benz Engines Gain A Reputation For Durability
By The End Of The 1970s, The Company Created A Turbo Version, With A Power Of Up To 125 Horsepower That Equipped The Famous 300 TD. The OM621 And OM617 Engine Family Had Indirect Injection And Was Equipped With A Bosch Inline Pump And Injector, And The Valve Timing In The Cylinder Head Was Driven By A Chain.
This Family Of Durable Engines Gained Excellent Reputation, Being Considered Robust, Economical, And Reliable, With Legendary Durability, Having Reports Of Cars That Exceeded 1 Million Kilometers Without Needing Overhaul And Even Some Cases That Managed To Exceed Two Million.
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The First Naturally Aspirated Version Of The Mercedes-Benz Engines Was Offered With The W115 240D 3.0, Which Flanked The 240D Of 4 Cylinders: It Had A Displacement Of 3,005 Cm³ And Delivered A Maximum Power Of 79 Horsepower.
To Improve Combustion Distance And Comply With New Tax Laws In Europe, In August 1978, The Engineers At Mercedes-Benz Updated The OM617 Engine, Equipping It With A New Pre-Combustion Chamber And Slightly Reducing The Diameter To 90.9 Mm For A Displacement Of 2,998 Cm³.
OM621 And OM617 Engine Family Receives Updates
Exactly One Year Later, The Durable OM617 Engines Were Subject To Mechanical Refinement When A New Camshaft Was Introduced That Allowed For Greater Lift Of The Intake And Exhaust Valves.
The Power, Therefore, Increased To 88 Horsepower, While The Torque Remained Unchanged At 17.5 Kgfm. In This Version, The Engine Equipped The W123, Ancestor Of The E-Class, The TN Series Vans, And The Off-Road W460 And 461 Of The G-Class, Which Were Also The Last To Offer It Until 1991.
It Is Worth Mentioning That, In 1976, A Turbocharged Variant Named OM617A, Which Developed An Impressive 187 Hp, Equipped The C111-IID Prototype, Establishing Several Speed And Duration Records At The Nardò Testing Circuit.
It Was Necessary To Wait Until 1978 For The Arrival Of The 5-Cylinder Turbo Engine From Mercedes-Benz To The Market: That Year In The North American Market – The S-Class W116 Was Offered In The 300SD Variant, Making It The First Turbo Diesel Sedan In The World.
The Power Of The OM621 And OM617 Engines Was Initially Reduced To 109 Hp With 23.2 Kgfm Of Torque, Later Increased To 119 Hp And 24.5 Kgfm, And Then Again To 125 Hp And 25.5 Kgfm, Also Used In Various Versions Of The W123.
Why Were Mercedes-Benz Engines More Durable?
Newer Engines, No Matter How Many Tests They Go Through, Still Need Time To Mature. This Means That, Even After All The Tests Conducted By Manufacturers, Problems May Still Arise When The Car Hits The Streets.
That Is Why, When It Comes To Durable Engines, The Experience Of The Older And More Robust Ones Still Holds Great Value. They Have Been Through Years Of Use, Improvements, And Adjustments, Becoming An Extremely Reliable Option For Those Seeking A Car To Last.


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