simpler=better
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2009
- Messages
- 210
- Vehicle Year
- 1982
- Transmission
- Automatic
Old pic:
She's a blast

She's a blast

Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and Register
for our forum. Even if you don't want to post, you can still 'Like' and react to posts.
Simple=better have you ever had to spill time your diesel? I've done mine after I tore her down to seal everything and she runs and all but still seems a little off aka black smoke any tips on that or any diesel guys reading this? Finding a detailed manual for tis motor not a Haynes is next to impossible any info is geeay
Simple=better have you ever had to spill time your diesel? I've done mine after I tore her down to seal everything and she runs and all but still seems a little off aka black smoke any tips on that or any diesel guys reading this? Finding a detailed manual for tis motor not a Haynes is next to impossible any info is geeay
As rangerscout mentioned, if the ALDA is still connected, it will likely need adjusting. Fully open will give you the most power, but will also cause more black smoke in the exhaust. I fiddled with mine a lot on my '84 Mercedes 300SD and before I rebuilt my injectors, fully open caused a lot of black smoke in the exhaust, and I was getting around 23 MPG.
That brings up my next, and most important point (in my opinion): rebuild the injectors. This procedure made a HUGE difference in the way my engine ran. It's likely your injectors still have the factory nozzles in them, which will be worn and all coked up.
I built my own pop tester with a port-a-power hydraulic pump and balanced my injectors to within 2 bars or each other. That is very important. I had to add .10mm shims to each injector to get them at the proper 135 bar rating. Plus, the spray pattern was like a squirt gun rather than an atomized mist.
The key to the injector rebuild is to use Monark brand injector nozzles. They are of superb quality and are the best available. They are the only ones still made in Germany. Even the OEM Bosch nozzles are made in India now.
mercedessource.com has the kit you'll need to do the injectors. It's the best $140 spent. After rebuilding mine, I left the ALDA fully open and I get NO black smoke in my exhaust. Plus, now I'm getting 29 MPGs consistently (31 MPGs on all-freeway trips). Power and acceleration speed have both increased as a result of the injector rebuild.
Here's the link to the nozzles:
https://mercedessource.com/store/5-cylinder-617-monark-diesel-fuel-injector-nozzles-w-heat-shields
You'll also likely need to replace the injector return hoses that go between the injectors and the plug on the last injector.
Here's the link for that kit:
https://mercedessource.com/store/diesel-fuel-injector-return-braided-hose-instructions-60-length
Proper lapping of the injector halves is key to guarantee they re-seal well with no leaks once you're done. Even with proper lapping using 3200 grit micro-mesh, two of my injectors leaked between the two injector halves for 3 days, then suddenly stopped and haven't leaked since.
By the way, the full Mercedes-Benz Factory Service Manual for this engine is available in PDF form, fully indexed and categorized. It has been invaluable for me with my car. PM me your email address and I'll forward the email I received from one of the MB diesel sites as a response to my request for the manual.
Sorry for the long post. I hope this helps.
Whats the specs for this motor? how well does it power a ranger? better or worse than a 4.0L?
Power specs can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_OM617
My car is an '84 MB 300SD, so it has an OM617.951 with 125 horsepower and 180 ft-lbs of torque. Being on the high end of the OM617 engine series, and since it has a turbo, it's pretty quick and has decent power.
I'm not sure how it compares to a 4.0L in a Ranger. My Ranger had a 2.9L with an automatic transmission. From what I remember, the power between the two is comparable, but I'm sure a 4.0L is noticeably quicker and more powerful, especially with a manual transmission.
The om617 is 125 hp but if you eliminate all the emissions end of it and boost up the pump te 4.0l wouldn't seen much better.. You can get 400+ hp out of the Benz but I don't know how well the ranger would handle it