mercedes 307 d

[surfy]

I have a merc 307 d LWB 1989 van

Whilst on a trip engine increased in noise - so pulled in and it emptied a load of oil - refillled oil - still very loud engine sound couple of miles on van lost power and refused to start

Now have the van home and am thinking something fatal has happended to the engine

Any basic checks i can do?

What suitable engines will fit into this van? or do i have to use the same engine which i believe is the OM 616.939
Any ideas of good sources of engines?

Help much appreciated

 

[BlackC55]

try www.partsgateway.co.uk

 

[glojo]

As an owner of a Sprinter I cannot sing its praises enough and now that the engine is a bit iffy have you considered upgrading? The Sprinter is a completely different generation vehicle and the old 212 is a flying machine which is well worth looking at if you can consider one.

Many apologies if this is not what you want to hear.

Oh and welcome to an excellent forum.

Regards
John

 

[surfy]

Would love a new van!! but cashflow not there for one at the moment! and i have converted the van into a camper so would love just to sort the engine out!

Im trying to explore what other engines i can easily fit into this van or does it have to be the om 616 - lots of other mercedes diesel engines are availble cheaply but having trouble sourcing the 307d engine cheaply

cheers!

 

[kapo]

307d

HIYA, I HAVE THE 407D MERC BIGGER THAN YOURS BUT SAME ENGINE, the engine replacment from a w123 240 diesel car will do, its almost the same as yours, the whole car can be bought quite cheaply, transplanting is not an issue, but you have to take off the whole front panel off your van, best to take out with the gearbox and put it back with gearbox, alternativly the engine and box [5 speed] from a merc 308d or 208 or 408 will go straight in, but you will need the whole vam as a donor as the accelerater cable is diffrent, rad is diffrent but its just a nuts and bolts job, your 616 engine was built whilst the engineers were in charge and not the bean counters, they have a reputation as being bullet proof.
you can fit a 3 lt lump [5 cylinders] from a w123 300d, except you will need the inlet manifold which is diffrent, other than that it bolts right up, merc did do this and called that range the 309d, the 07 stands for 70hp the 09 stands for 90hp etc.
i hope this info helps, if you need any more just ask.
regards
kapo

 

[surfy]

Thanks for that - good to know ive got a range of options!
and as you say I can get the 240d engine quite easily

My van already had the 5 speed box - so may look at the 300d option - when you say i need the inlet manifold is that from the 300d car or 309d van?

cheers for the advice

 

[daveholland1985]

HIYA, I HAVE THE 407D MERC BIGGER THAN YOURS BUT SAME ENGINE, the engine replacment from a w123 240 diesel car will do, its almost the same as yours, the whole car can be bought quite cheaply, transplanting is not an issue, but you have to take off the whole front panel off your van, best to take out with the gearbox and put it back with gearbox, alternativly the engine and box [5 speed] from a merc 308d or 208 or 408 will go straight in, but you will need the whole vam as a donor as the accelerater cable is diffrent, rad is diffrent but its just a nuts and bolts job, your 616 engine was built whilst the engineers were in charge and not the bean counters, they have a reputation as being bullet proof.
you can fit a 3 lt lump [5 cylinders] from a w123 300d, except you will need the inlet manifold which is diffrent, other than that it bolts right up, merc did do this and called that range the 309d, the 07 stands for 70hp the 09 stands for 90hp etc.
i hope this info helps, if you need any more just ask.
regards
kapo

Hi. I was hoping you might be able to help me. I've recently bought a 1985 mercedes 307d motorhome. Great motor but would like to reduce the revs and fuel consumption. Was thinking if it just had a 6th gear would drop the revs but I haven't a clue if I'd be able to put a 6 speed box in or if I'd have to replace with another engine plus gear box. Any help would be greatly appreciated. thnaks

Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

 

[toolman1954]

Hi,
welcome to the forum. Just a small observation, but this thread is 10 years old, so you are unlikely to get any replies from the original posters.

Your 70 HP engine was at best under powered in panel van form, needing some foot flat down to get it rolling and for keeping up a reasonable speed. So you will never be looking at good fuel economy.
The only saving grace is that Diesel at the moment is still relatively cheap. The 308 with 80 HP was always a better choice to power this van. There was also a 309 which was a petrol engined van, but not so many of those over here in the UK. I had a 409 which is the next size van up and that had a petrol engine out of a 230 car. There were very few of these about.
Just a small tip..... is pedal to the floor fully opening the pump? With age the pedal gets bent and although you foot is flat down the pump is not fully open, that will give you some extra power.
You say your van is in Motorhome livery, is this a home built van or a custom build job. What weight you are trying to make it pull. Generally home builds seem to use heavier components and the engine has to work harder. It might be an idea to get it weighed on a weighbridge, some scrapyards will do this for a few quid...well I dare say might be a fiver these days.
Ultimately, as much as you may love this motor home, you may be better off making it look pretty and selling it and getting a motor home based on a Sprinter chassis, preferably a 312, which will save you a load of work and will solve all the problems you have.
Best of luck.
Steve.