OM606 Thread/Info/Discussion (1 Viewer)

[fjdiesel]

Ideally, cruise RPM would or you about midway between peak torque, and peak power.
This gives decent fuel economy, gives you some room to lug it up hills without dropping down a gear, and leaves power and torque in reserve for evasive manoeuvres, or to power out of an "Oh Shìt" situation.

My experience with changing gearing on Toyota diesel cruisers is a change in final gearing of 10%, cruising RPM drops below about 2500rpm, you end up down shifting far too often on insignificant hills or for passing on the highway etc
I found you need to change down as revs drop through about 2250rpm. If you wait to 2000rpm to downshift, you're often losing too much steam and shifting down two gears.

The 1hd-t 4.2 litre toyota turbo diesel I had definitely did not suffer as much from taller gearing, but it still was noticeable.

Similar with my TD VW work ute, below 2500RPM, it's not getting out of it's own way when you need to step on it. Not without dropping a couple of gears.
I HATE the way it downshifts but that's a whole other story, and is partly about the transmission!

The 1hd-t, peak torque is at 1650rpm, peak power 3600rpm. ( maybe 3800? memory may be off)
Cruising rpm wants to be around 2600-2700rpm, which is right where the factory gearing and 5 speed puts you.

Thank you for that information. I wondered how the factory came up with where they cruised.

And this explains why when I did my VW TDI swap at cruising it was a slouch. I had the rpm running too low at cruising speed! I was out of the power band....

 

[fjdiesel]

@TheBussman Can you confirm what the cruising RPM are in the factory car you drive? At 55 and 70?

 

[TheBussman]

@TheBussman Can you confirm what the cruising RPM are in the factory car you drive? At 55 and 70?

it's about 3000 at at 70 RPM. i feel like it could be geared quite a bit taller and still be fine.

For all those that are have seen failures with the r150/r151 was it anything other then the thrust washer failure? i have the marlin crawler thrust washer.

 

[Indestructible 47]

it's about 3000 at at 70 RPM. i feel like it could be geared quite a bit taller and still be fine.

For all those that are have seen failures with the r150/r151 was it anything other then the thrust washer failure? i have the marlin crawler thrust washer.

In regards to the R151, I have seen busted 3rd gears, both input and output shafts, stripped splines, stuffed syncros at low kms and more.

360 diffs and gearboxes (melbourne based) has a video on YouTube that explains some of the issues and their fix for the R series box.

Toyota only put the R15* behind the 1hz in the HD landcruiser line. The 1fz got the H15*. I think that is a fair indication of the abilities of the R151.

 

[mudgudgeon]

Toyota only put the R15* behind the 1hz in the HD landcruiser line. The 1fz got the H15*. I think that is a fair indication of the abilities of the R151.

Bean counting exercise!

With the two boxes side by side, there's is no comparison.
H151F is bulkier in total size.
Internally, the gears are 30% wider, and heavier. More tooth contact, and more bearing surface.
From memory, H151F gears are 32mm wide vs 25 for R151

Input and output shafts are thicker. Hzj105 used r151, and had a different input gear in the transfer case to connect to the smaller r151 output shaft

 

[Dougal]

Big old thread here on 4BTswaps.com about fuelling, turbochargers and maximum power/torque: Om605 / 606 mercedes - https://www.4btswaps.com/threads/om605-606-mercedes.79074/#post-788370

 

[AussieHJCruza]

it's about 3000 at at 70 RPM. i feel like it could be geared quite a bit taller and still be fine.

For all those that are have seen failures with the r150/r151 was it anything other then the thrust washer failure? i have the marlin crawler thrust washer.

The failures we have mainly seen are damaged first and or reverse gear, missing teeth etc, but the other problems mentioned earlier aren't uncommon either.

They're able to take 96kw and 280nm produced by a lazy N/A diesel, but not much more.

 

[DirtSniffer]

I have been researching the 8HP70 auto a bit today and think that it could be a very cool option.

It is an 8 speed auto found in a number of jeeps and ram trucks here in the US, benzforce has an adapter that will hopefully be released soon for the OM606. Turbolamik is regarded to be the best controller for this transmission and has successfully been used with this transmission and the OM606. Axis Industries makes an adapter for the split case. Not cheap, but it's an option. 8Speed.au makes a really cool clutch emulator that replaces the clutch master cylinder and varies the clutch pack pressure to emulate a clutch. Very cool idea. They also sell a sequential shifter. (keep in mind prices are AUD... Not exactly cheap)

1st gear is 4.7:1. This will make for a pretty good final crawl ratio even with just a single transfer case. For example, if I were to run 4:1 split case gears and stock 4.10 diff gears in my 80 axles, my crawl ratio would be 77:1. About 86:1 if regeared to 4.56.

 

[Dougal]

I have been researching the 8HP70 auto a bit today and think that it could be a very cool option.

It is an 8 speed auto found in a number of jeeps here in the US, benzforce has an adapter that will hopefully be released soon for the OM606. Turbolamik is regarded to be the best controller for this transmission and has successfully been used with this transmission and the OM606. Axis Industries makes an adapter for the split case. Not cheap, but it's an option. 8Speed.au makes a really cool clutch emulator that replaces the clutch master cylinder and varies the clutch pack pressure to emulate a clutch. Very cool idea. They also sell a sequential shifter. (keep in mind prices are AUD... Not exactly cheap)

1st gear is 4.7:1. This will make for a pretty good final crawl ratio even with just a single transfer case. For example, if I were to run 4:1 split case gears and stock 4.10 diff gears in my 80 axles, my crawl ratio would be 77:1. About 86:1 if regeared to 4.56.

That's the ZF 8 speed auto. Probably the best automatic gearbox on the planet. It's also designed for 700Nm torque.

 

[DirtSniffer]

Even better, the 8HP75 has a 5.0:1 1st gear. Make that 82:1 and 91:1 for my crawl ratios with that option.

 

[fjdiesel]

I have been researching the 8HP70 auto a bit today and think that it could be a very cool option.

It is an 8 speed auto found in a number of jeeps and ram trucks here in the US, benzforce has an adapter that will hopefully be released soon for the OM606. Turbolamik is regarded to be the best controller for this transmission and has successfully been used with this transmission and the OM606. Axis Industries makes an adapter for the split case. Not cheap, but it's an option. 8Speed.au makes a really cool clutch emulator that replaces the clutch master cylinder and varies the clutch pack pressure to emulate a clutch. Very cool idea. They also sell a sequential shifter. (keep in mind prices are AUD... Not exactly cheap)

1st gear is 4.7:1. This will make for a pretty good final crawl ratio even with just a single transfer case. For example, if I were to run 4:1 split case gears and stock 4.10 diff gears in my 80 axles, my crawl ratio would be 77:1. About 86:1 if regeared to 4.56.

DieselpumpUK has an adapter for it as well. He also recommends TurboLamik for the controller. I thought this transmission would be awesome as well. My question is, would a person only run it down the road in 6th gear? Because the rpm with my setup(4.56 rear ends) would put it at 2100 at 70mph. Would that be lugging the motor too much at cruising speed?

 

[DirtSniffer]

DieselpumpUK has an adapter for it as well. He also recommends TurboLamik for the controller. I thought this transmission would be awesome as well. My question is, would a person only run it down the road in 6th gear? Because the rpm with my setup(4.56 rear ends) would put it at 2100 at 70mph. Would that be lugging the motor too much at cruising speed?

His adapter is for the land rover version, different bellhousing pattern. But same transmission. Would be a good question to ask him, 8th gear may be too much overdrive.

 

[fjdiesel]

His adapter is for the land rover version, different bellhousing pattern. But same transmission. Would be a good question to ask him, 8th gear may be too much overdrive.

Yes, I see that now. DieselpumpUK is for the Land Rover and Benzforce will be for the Dodge version....

 

[Dougal]

DieselpumpUK has an adapter for it as well. He also recommends TurboLamik for the controller. I thought this transmission would be awesome as well. My question is, would a person only run it down the road in 6th gear? Because the rpm with my setup(4.56 rear ends) would put it at 2100 at 70mph. Would that be lugging the motor too much at cruising speed?

My 3.0 Isuzu does ~1600rpm at 100km/h cruise. 2100rpm is never going to lug anything.

 

[fjdiesel]

Does anyone know how long the 8hp70 is?

 

[DirtSniffer]

Looks like about 27.25" with the rear extension housing. The axis Industries adapter requires you to replace that housing with their own to adapt to either the split case adapter or jeep case. Bout $2000 for both adapters but it's already figured out.

 

[TheBussman]

We are both still learning about these engines, but here is a quick summary of what we have found.

The OM606 is considered by many to be the “2JZ of the diesels”. It is a 3.0 liter, DOHC, high revving straight 6 turbo diesel that is capable of making quite a lot of power on the stock bottom end with not a whole lot of effort. A simple turbo swap on the stock manifold and upgraded injection pump can yield around 300 or so HP and 400 lbft torque, with the capability to go much higher. These engines came in the Mercedes E300D from 1996-1999 here in the US. However, the desirable turbo variant was only available in 1998-99. The NA version came with weaker connecting rods and a mechanical injection pump. The turbo versions came with electronic pumps, which are largely swapped out for a modified mechanical pump with larger elements from either the mechanical NA OM606 or predecessor OM603 pump. The engines are not the easiest to come by, but they are out there. I thought long and hard about importing a toyota diesel, but have found a very happy compromise in this engine. May even be more satisfied in the long run with the performance this engine is capable of.

The two big names for getting these built IPs are Dieselmeken and DieselPumpUK (DPUK). Both appear to be good options, but for those of us in the US, Benzforce in TX is a partner with Dieselmeken and will build your pump using Dieselmeken parts and specs. Mechanical pump cores can be a bit tough to source here, so you may not have the option to just pay the core charge when ordering from them. DPUK seems to have a steadier supply, and you can choose to just eat the core charge which may be worth it anyways due to shipping likely being pricey.

The OM606 has a front sump oil pan and pump. Fortunately, the later OM648 rear sump oil pan and pump are a bolt on replacement. However, the rear of the oil pan forms part of the bellhousing mount, and the bolt pattern is slightly different.

Most transmission options require the use of a bellhousing adapter. DPUK, Doomsday Diesel, and Speed Gems are a few. The DPUK adapters all seem to have both the 606 and 648 oil pan bolt patterns in the adapter plates for you to choose from. The other options do not appear to, but may be an option if you ask or in the future. Some say the added strength from using the oil pan bolts is not needed as the strength is in the block holes. I will leave that for you to decide.

Cooling. These engines have a tendency to run a bit hot when turned up. The two biggest things you can do to combat this is to keep the mechanical fan, and to add a smaller water pump pulley to turn the pump up. There is also a water pump housing mod where you run a new line to the rear of the block to add a cooling circuit and improve circulation.

regarding cooling: many of the swaps where people have cooling issues they are using a normal on/off heater valve. when this engine is in a mercedes car coolant always flows between the fitting at the rear of the engine to waterpump housing with the heater on or off. old air products sells a cable operated heater valve that still allows coolant to flow when the heater is off. i think this engine may benefit from ceramic coating the combustion chambers of the head also to keep temps down, I'm going to try it.

 

[4Ruster]

well now I want to dump one of these in my squarebody chevy

 

[mudgudgeon]

There's at least one build thread in the 80 series tech section using a OM606 in an 80 series

 

[FJBen]

no real tech info from me, but I used benzforce for some parts and my turbo and
They were great, very helpful.

I’m running a 5.5cm Holset he221w and some other adapters and housings from them. The He221w is great on my 13bt