Mercedes Diesel in CJ

Neither Novak nor Advance Adapters make an adapter for that combination (not very surprisingly).

Dave Milne, Scotland '91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ

So use the trans and transfer out of a Gelandewagon, and then you only have to build custom driveshafts. Kind of expensive though.

Oh boy, the peckerwood patrol's out tonight! The five cylinder Benz engine-OM 617-is a really good engine that usually outlasts the chassis it comes in by a wide margin, in states with salt on their roads. Parts are comparable to any popular Japanese diesel or Deutz-high but not freakish. It's fully mechanical and has a Bosch cam style jerk pump. Some have a hydraulic pump drive you'll have to fab a blockoff plate for or find a creative use for. As long as you understand what it's power and torque curves are and don't have unrealistic expectations you will be a happy camper.

The oil sump is in the front, and no, there are no alternate factory pans. You will have to fabricate a suitable pan for Jeep use or go dry sump, which will add cost and vulnerability. You will have to make up a suitable bellhousing and retain the Jeep trans and transfer case, I don't think you want a slushbox, but if you do it would probably be possible to adapt a 700R4. The Benz manual may not be suitable at all for the Jeep and the tailshaft area would need rework.Ditto the Benz auto, plus, while reliable in the car, it's heinously high to rebuild. Some cars are scrapped with good engines for that alone.

While diesel horsepower is always more powerful in real life than the equivalent gas horsepower, the difference with the Benz or other high revving auto engines is going to be less than if you went with the Cummins or other commercial diesel engine. The Benz is redlined at

4500 and the B series Cumminses at, what, 2200? 2300? If your driveline will handle a big block, it will handle a four cylinder Cummins, but if it won't it won't. The Benz would probably be viewed as a diesel replacement for the inline six in stock, or close, trim. It would be fine in a TJ or YJ if you get past the sump problem. If you can talk someone into tooling up an oil pan and pickup, it should be a pretty good swap. I would dig up a copy of Paul Dempsey's book which was discussed here a while back. It's a very good book, and that's unusual with McGraw-Hill-TAB-G/L titles which usually suck.

These engines are in excellent supply because the cars die from rot, impacts, or driveline failure more than the engines. Some are exported to South America or the PI-I'll bet someone there has solved the sump and bellhousing issues if you can find them-most go to the scrap iron pile. If you want to learn something, getting a core engine for a hundred bucks or so and going through it would be fun. Major OH-machinework is rarely needed because they're sleeved-can be done for about $2500 plus pump service. But getting a used engine with plenty of life left should cost $1000 if you shop around. There is a naturally aspirated version, but the turbo is much more common, has a lot more power, and better mileage. I don't know but I think the stock turbo plumbing can be left alone unmolested in a Jeep, I'd guess.

The Benz engine also looks cool. The big aluminum cam cover will polish up nicely or can be anodized, even engraved. The long Bosch pump can be tricked out too. I would definitely put an American alternator on, though, because the Bosch units aren't very good, but most Benzes of that era already run the York air conditioning compressor Jeeps turn into air compressors.

A few people will stick their noses up at this, but are they paying your gas bills? No! Strike a patriotic blow for independence from Arab oil and keep your Jeep in the fine DCX family with this swap.

The pump stays where it is. A pickup is put on a tube, which goes into the sump area. If you even knew the POS Smallblock Chevy very well you'd know this, there are forward and aft sumps for it too. The one that's the other way is called the "Chevy II pan". I think Mercruisers might use the other way too.

Detroits all have forward, aft, and center sumps available and most Jap diesels do too-look at a Thermo King reefer unit sometime. TKs used four cylinder Benz engines for 35 years, then switched to Isuzu power some time ago.

You wouldn't want one of those in a Jeep.

God Bless America, ßill O|||||||O

With the mentality I see around Jeeps sometimes, Divine Intervention is the only explanation for the maintenance of the republic.

The SB/BB Chev-and the Corvair-have a fully internal oil pump driven by the distributor gear. This has good (reverse rotation on Chevs is easier than most: Mercruiser and EAA types do it as do some circle trackers) and bad (drop pan, ergo pull engine in many installations,to fix oil pump) parts. The oil pump on the OM Benzes-off the top of my head I don't recall where it's at, but I don't think it's below the pan line. I'll get a manual and look.

AFAIK the Mitses have a gerotor pump on the front accessory section. It's not an issue, they make a cornucopia of pans. The Benz 5 was a car only engine-no industrial use-so there's one factory pan, although it is a beautiful casting.

I get the impression Bill doesn't like diesels. Why did you even bring up a Corvair? It doesn't have an oil pan,

Toyota 22R, All Subarus, All air-cooled porsche and VWs,many others. American? Stearns-Knight, Graham-Paige, early V-8 Cadillacs, Maxwell, Franklin, Stanley, Doble ( last 2 were steam with oil injector pumps), there are more.

-- Paul Calman, Hathaway Pines, California

He's trying to be a solid peckerwood, but his knowledge falls short. I'm by no means omniscent, but I have worked on more and different kinds of engines than he has and so enjoy watching him dig himself in deeper.

All engines do NOT drive oil pumps off the distributor drive. Detroits, Cats, Cumminses don't,Allisons and Lycomings and Continentals don't, and Northstars, Shortstars, and Quad 4s don't. Because they DON"T HAVE distributors! And many old-style car engines, foreign and domestic, don't either. Probably most Big 3 American car engines do, but certainly not all.

Actually it's poor practice, because geared oil pumps always generate torsional resonance and at high speed this can cause spark scatter. But, the distributor is a thing of the past for the most part now, so it's academic.

Main Entry: om·ni·scient Pronunciation: -sh&nt Function: adjective Etymology: New Latin omniscient-, omnisciens, back-formation from Medieval Latin omniscientia 1 : having infinite awareness, understanding, and insight 2 : possessed of universal or complete knowledge - om·ni·scient·ly adverb

Ted, who >

Not me The Allison I was referring to was the V-1710

Lycomings and Contitnentals are air cooled horizontally opposed aircraft engines. Occasionally found in military gensets and lifeboats.

_Car_ engines? Look at any of those coffeetable books of "classic engines" cutaway drawings. Modern Japanese car-not motorcycle-engines may also have interesting accessory sections. A lot of Euro engines have cool arrangements too. I've never worked on old interesting American cars-CCCA classics-and wouldn't waste time on the flathead Ford V8, a worthless turd of cast iron IMHO. Siamesed exhaust ports ,three main bearings, the A/B fours were better engines-ever heard of a Pietenpol Air Camper? Probably not.