Reviving this dead thread in the hopes that OP will see it. I'm in the process of doing the same swap myself. '97 NA-T OM606.
My biggest question right now is how did you block off the factory cooling ports when you did the oil filter relocation? My factory ports are just held in by O-rings and clamping pressure, and I don't trust them not to leak.
I'm also curious why you had to modify the stock intake manifold. Did it get in the way of the steering (I haven't fitted my engine up with the manifold ye
Yeah, the OM606 is a 6 cylinder. I got it mostly fit up in the engine bay last night. With the head against the firewall, I had about 5 inches from the front of the pulley to the radiator. Like I said, just need to modify the crossmember so the engine sits low enough to clear hood. Luckily my radiator support isn't cut because I need every inch of space available between that and the grille to fit the intercooler.
I've definitely heard of the vacuum pumps being weak spots, even on the OM606. It wasn't until the W210 that they upgraded the pump internals (Diesel Pump UK's Youtube is a valuable resource for these motors). The thing I don't like about the 617 though is that it's not a crossflow engine.
Reviving this dead thread in the hopes that OP will see it. I'm in the process of doing the same swap myself. '97 NA-T OM606.
My biggest question right now is how did you block off the factory cooling ports when you did the oil filter relocation? My factory ports are just held in by O-rings and clamping pressure, and I don't trust them not to leak.
I'm also curious why you had to modify the stock intake manifold. Did it get in the way of the steering (I haven't fitted my engine up with the manifold yet)?
Hey bud I’m still around. Just pm me any questions.