I've got a nice '94 4Runner that's pushing 325,000 miles and have been saving up to buy a new engine and today I came across an old 80's turbo diesel Benz for sale w 125,000 miles for $1200. It starts right away, runs and drives great, it's about 1/2 of what I was going to spend on a new V6 and i'm wondering what is involved in swapping it over to the Benz engine.



This is my DD and I don't have a ton of spare time to take on a lengthy project... my budget is not an issue (within reason) so I can buy the things I need to put it back together quickly but I don't have a ton of time for my rig to be down while i'm trying to work full time and tackle this project.

I've upgraded or replaced just about everything on this one except the engine and drivetrain and it's still in great shape for being 21 yrs. old, so it's worth it to me to dump more a little more money into it and hopefully see it turn 500,000 in my lifetime.

Just a side note... this isn't a housewifes' suburban assault vehicle... not a soccer mom's kid cab... not a pavement pounder... this bitch goes places and bakes cookies... it's been all over the west coast... 4 wheels fairly regularly (grampa wheeled anyway), it's been on it's side... been axle deep in mud... crossed a couple of rivers... etc.. I use this thing and use it well.

 

Even if there was a 100% bolt in kit for the OM61xx engines (which there is not), I would never suggest an engine swap be started on a daily driver unless you have a 2nd vehicle to drive. Engine swaps are best done slowly and efficiently which is hard to do if you're anxious to get the vehicle back on the road. This is not a difficult swap, but there is no plug and play solution.
Maybe find a cheap beater to get around in while you're doing the swap, then sell it after?

For some swaps, they can be very easy if budget isn't an issue. This isn't one of them. You won't find much off-the-shelf parts for the OM617 swap regardless of how much you'd like to spend. You can buy a nice adapter plate and modified flywheel, but that's about it. Plan on doing the rest yourself. I had an open checkbook policy with my swap and ended up doing more fabrication myself than bolt ons.

Plan on at the very least -
1) Fabricating motor mounts
2) Re-working mounts for power steering, alternator, and A/C mounting locations and belt routing (took me several tries moving things around getting everything setup in a good manner)
3) Tearing out fuel system and replacing with larger lines with pickup tube instead of high pressure/low flow Toyota fuel pump.
4) Exhaust will need to be done from scratch.
5) Trans will need to be moved back, or front end re-worked to accommodate the longer engine. This means re-worked drivelines as well.
6) Adapt aftermarket or Toyota sending units to Mercedes block and configure to work with Toyota dash.
7) Cooling system either fabricate mounts for the Mercedes radiator or get creative with radiator hoses to use the Toyota v6 radiator.

In addition to the above, I upgraded torsion bars to deal with extra weight in the front end. I also added a 2" body lift (my truck is stock otherwise) to help the R150 bellhousing and exhaust clear the trans tunnel. I also insulated the engine compartment and hood to help with noise reduction.

If you have any questions, shoot me a PM.