Need your help finding a om616t in the uk!

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Production013

New Member
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Jun 30, 2018
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3
Location
Ca
Car
W115
Dear UK benz folks. I need your help! Yes this is my first post on here and im not a regular contributor but please hear me out.

This is a bit of a strange/unusual situation but i know benz enthusiasts are some of the nicest communities around. I posted this in general because its kind of a general question.

This is not a joke or a scam.

Im a production department manager currently working production on the next sequal of a particular feature film. Luckily for my team there is a gorgeous 60s s-class playing a significant part in it. The writers specifically wanted that car, and looking after the old lady is under my jurisdiction.

For some dumb paperwork reasons or something we suddenly ended up about 6 months behind schedule and now filming in the uk. Its a total logistics mess.

So anyways, now for my problem. The old lady is poweres by a OM616 turbo motor. It suffered a total engine failure because some idiot claimed to know how to fix these did some work on it. Then some other idiot shipped whats left of the engine to the us by slow container shipping to get overhauled. So its going to be weeks before its back.

We need that car operational like yesterday because the uk summer is like 3 days long right? Its all real outdoor work, not in a studio, so we are hemorrhaging usable filming days.

My question to you good benz people: how can i find a complete om616 turbo engine here in the uk?

Iv tried every specialist etc but nobody has any or is aware of any for sale.

I have no idea what to do so i thought id post here. If anyone would know its you guys.

I bet one of you guys knows someone who got one sitting in their back yard, right?

Any help/suggestions/opinions appreciated.

Thank you.
 
Thank you very much for your help but these seem to be the wrong version. We need the turbocharged version. Have been trawling ebay and gumtree for the last week looking for one but so far nothing.

The normal 240d are gettable but the 240d turbo seem to be very rare.

Also apparently unlike most brands they are NOT called a 240td. We found a “240td” engine somewhere in North Scotland, took about 2 days to get there and it turns out in benz language “240td” means “non turbo engine out of a station wagon”. That was...interesting. Never been to Scotland tho so thats something. Looked like Maine.
 
I think you or your bosses have got your car model and engines mixed up. There was never a turbo version of that engine except laterly when they were made under licence in India. S class models never had 4 cylinder diesel engines. Why would a film crew care if the engine was turboed or not- not as if they are going to be filming under the bonnet?
Mercedes-Benz OM616 - Wikipedia
 
Being RHD, the UK never got the turbocharged 616 and 617 engines.
I've only heard of after market turbo kits for the 616, I've never seen one for sale.

Seems an odd engine for a 60s s class equivalent to have?

^^ Crossed post!

I think you're going to have to fit a standard om616 from a 240d or td.
Get a basket case off ebay? Here such an example with a 617 engine:
MERCEDES W123 Series, Auto, 1981 300d. | eBay

Any pictures of the car and engine?
 
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"t" on a Mercedes (or BMW) stands for "türing" = estate car = station wagon.
 
Oh yeah i should have explained.

The car is not standard at all. It had that motor put in by somebody. I think from standard it was like 6 cylinder gas or something. The car itself is made in Germany for the North Europe market (it has extra heating?) but i guess thats irrelevant cause its modified.

The reason why they picked it is because of its characterfull appeal. The noises and the black smoke and stuff. Very recognisable. It sounds like a semi truck when you floor it. They are using its actual sounds, not dubbed. The black smoke is also not going to be added in post. Its real.

I will double check about the turbo/non turbo thing. Maybe that motor is not even a real benz motor, maybe somebody made it turbo, i dunno. Unfortunately at this time the info i have is limited.
 
Black smoke and noise. It sounds like it's been super turboed with a om606 and modded pump.

If so, you want DPUK up North to fix it.
Diesel Pump UK
 
I think you or your bosses have got your car model and engines mixed up. There was never a turbo version of that engine except laterly when they were made under licence in India. S class models never had 4 cylinder diesel engines. Why would a film crew care if the engine was turboed or not- not as if they are going to be filming under the bonnet?
Mercedes-Benz OM616 - Wikipedia
Moreover, putting on a pedantic hat , there was no S Class before the 1970’s as the designation was first applied to the W116 .

The vehicle in question may be either one or other of the Fintail series , or perhaps a W108 , none of which would originally have had the engine in question.

The simplest solution, unless some filming has already been done with the original car and there are unique features which would cause continuity problems, would be to look for a similar vehicle in running order and already here in the UK .

There are numerous companies which specialise in supplying vehicles to the TV and film industry , and I would suggest trying them to source something suitable .
 

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