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Mercedes-Benz 190E / 190D W201
Power hp
Torque Nm
Displacement L
Layout
Swap overview with verified parts, part numbers and sources.
OM606 in Mercedes W201.
Documented from 35 recorded sources: 4 of the ten mandatory blocks are carried by two independent publishers, 4 remain open. Internal confidence 68%.
3.0 l inline-six diesel. benzinjection.com states that the naturally aspirated EDC engine tolerates almost as much as the turbo engines, around 500 hp on stock internals, and that forged rods only become necessary above that figure - these are load limits, not output figures of a standard engine. The documented 190E build is quoted at 500 hp (367 kW) with a large turbocharger, a mechanical high-pressure pump and upgraded injectors.
Status: SUPPORTED · Confidence 60%
Turbocharged in the .962 form; the .912 is naturally aspirated. The one fully documented 190E build runs a BorgWarner AirWerks S200SX-E turbocharger with custom manifold work.
The EDC engines come from the W210 generation: the .912 naturally aspirated E300 and the turbocharged E300 Turbodiesel. The mechanically pumped .910 comes from the W124 300D. A W124 with a naturally aspirated OM603 or OM606 is also the car in which the 717.433 five-speed manual is found, which makes it a donor for gearbox parts as well as for the engine.
Engine from a W210 E300 (EDC) or a W124 300D (mechanical pump). Six-speed manual 716.6xx out of a CDI-era car - benzinjection.com sells such used units at USD 1,150 and notes that their ratios are diesel ratios. Five-speed alternative 717.433 from a W124 with M103 or naturally aspirated OM603/OM606. Rear differential from a large Mercedes saloon, 210 mm housing. If the electronic route is chosen, the control unit and pump must come from the same engine; if the mechanical route is chosen, the pump comes from the aftermarket rather than from a donor car.
Status: SUPPORTED · Confidence 70%
Two independent suppliers offer six-cylinder swap mounts specifically for the W201. store.jota5sport.com sells a W201/W124 six-cylinder mount set at EUR 150 excl. tax (reference 1005201), described as fully adjustable so the engine can be lowered and pushed back for clearance around the fan, supplied with bolts, and recommends BMW E34 rubber mounts, part 11 81 1 133 364 (1Q). thekangaroosteam.com sells a W201 mount set at EUR 225 with two hole patterns: the first reproduces the OEM support arm position of the M103-powered W201 2.6, the second places the engine 15 mm further back, which the vendor says allows a larger cooling fan and improves weight balance. The documented 190E build uses the Kangaroos Team mounts.
No reliable combination-specific information found on oil pan and oil pickup in the W201.
Two documented routes. First, the Mercedes 716.6xx six-speed manual: benzinjection.com states these units bolt straight onto OM601 to OM606 engines with no adapter plate and no modification, and the documented 190E build runs a 716.6 six-speed manual. This is also the route the aftermarket supports for the chassis - rpm-depot.de offers a propshaft, a gearbox mount and a short shifter specifically for 716.6 conversions in the W201. Second, the older Getrag 717.4xx five-speeds; mbturbo.com lists 717.430 to 717.433 for W201, W124 and G-Wagen use and records the 717.433 with dual-mass flywheel as the unit found behind M103 as well as naturally aspirated OM603 and OM606 engines in the W124. Adapters to foreign gearboxes also exist - Kangaroos Team sells a BMW ZF five- and six-speed adapter for Mercedes inline engines including OM605 and OM606 at EUR 1,360, and pmcmotorsport offers an OM605/OM606 to BMW M57N2 six-speed kit - but neither names the W201.
For the 716.6 conversion in the W201, rpm-depot.de offers a powder-coated gearbox crossmember bracket, article ART-001371, at EUR 142.02, described as allowing the newer gearbox to be used with its own original rubber mount (1Q).
Status: SINGLE_SOURCE · Confidence 46%
The shift linkage has to be adapted and the tunnel opening enlarged. rpm-depot.de sells a short shifter kit for the 716.6 conversion in the W201, article ART-001552, EUR 461.34, containing lever, shifter, bracket, coupling rod and fixings; the description states that the opening for the shifter in the tunnel has to be widened during installation, that the necessary template is part of the kit, and that the shifter surround does not have to be cut out. The coupling rod is adjustable between roughly 330 and 360 mm and the reverse lock is retained. Kangaroos Team offers a short shifter listed for W201, W202, W124, W210 and G-Class with BMW ZF or Mercedes 716 six-speed gearboxes at EUR 255.
Status: VERIFIED · Confidence 80%
The documented 190E build runs a 260 mm organic clutch. Kangaroos Team supplies the matching parts for Mercedes 716 gearboxes on inline engines: a 240/260 mm single-mass flywheel at EUR 555, a 260 mm organic clutch kit rated up to 640 Nm at EUR 885, and a 260 mm ceramic kit rated up to 920 Nm at EUR 1,080. mbturbo.com records that the 717.433 five-speed was factory-fitted with a dual-mass flywheel, so the five-speed route and the six-speed route do not share a flywheel solution.
Status: VERIFIED · Confidence 82%
Two routes are documented, neither of them fully for this chassis. mbturbo.com states that the 722.6 five-speed automatic shares its bolt pattern with the 722.3 "which is why it fits most old Mercs" and names the W201 among the chassis, with OM606 installations reported in the page's comments. benzinjection.com adds the load limit from the donor side: the 722.608 as fitted to the W210 E300 cannot take much more than 300 hp. The second route is the ZF 8HP, for which two suppliers sell OM606 adapter kits - but the installations they document are W211, W210 and W124, not the W201, so that route is transferred rather than proven for this chassis.
Status: SUPPORTED · Confidence 64%
For the 722.6 route no adapter is described - the bolt pattern is shared with the 722.3, which is the whole argument for the swap. For the ZF 8HP route, store.jota5sport.com sells a kit at EUR 750 (reference 1006606) with a 30 mm engine plate that uses the engine's standard automatic flywheel and is available with a four-bolt or six-bolt torque converter; pmcmotorsport lists a comparable OM605/OM606 to 8HP kit at around EUR 995 including VAT.
Status: SUPPORTED · Confidence 62%
No reliable combination-specific information found on the gearbox mount for the automatic solution in this vehicle.
Status: OPEN
No reliable combination-specific information found on the driveshaft for the automatic solution in this vehicle.
Status: OPEN
The 722.6 is electronically controlled and needs a control unit when it is used outside its original car. mbturbo.com sells a kit consisting of controller, harness and main display at EUR 650 (EUR 550 net for customers outside the EU) which runs the gearbox in automatic or manual mode and supports paddle shifters, and states that a 722.6-specific gear lever and a throttle position sensor are additionally required, with a seven-segment gear indicator offered for EUR 40 extra. For the 8HP route store.jota5sport.com documents installations controlled by a MaxxECU, sold separately.
Status: SUPPORTED · Confidence 66%
The propshaft has to be changed. rpm-depot.de builds a conversion propshaft for 716.6 six-speed conversions in the W201, article ART-001668, EUR 469.75 to 595.80, in four variants with overall lengths of 1516 mm and 1556 mm - the longer one for shorter gearbox versions - and front flange bolt circles of 100 or 110 mm and rear ones of 90 or 100 mm. The shafts are reconditioned and balanced used parts supplied with a new centre bearing, built to order with about 30 working days' lead time. The documented 190E build used a custom-made driveshaft instead.
The documented build uses a 210 mm large-car differential with a 3.23 final drive together with axles from Kangaroos Team. That the differential is not a fixed quantity in this conversion is confirmed indirectly by the conversion propshaft, which is offered with two different rear flange bolt circles - 90 mm and 100 mm - to suit different differentials.
Status: SUPPORTED · Confidence 60%
The documented 190E build uses a Dieselmeken mechanical high-pressure pump and Ultraflow injectors instead of the factory EDC pump. benzinjection.com describes the general choice: EDC and mechanical pumps are both camshaft-driven, the difference being electronic versus governor control, and the mechanical pump is preferred for swaps because the engine then runs on throttle position alone without a control unit. For high boost the same source names 6 mm pump elements and an injector pop pressure raised to 150 bar.
Status: SUPPORTED · Confidence 70%
No source states which radiator the combination requires. What is documented: the fully described 190E build uses an aluminium radiator from Hoogste Motorsport; both mount suppliers treat cooling as a positioning problem rather than a radiator problem - jota5sport advertises that the engine can be lowered and pushed back for clearance around the fan, and Kangaroos Team says the 15 mm rearward position allows a larger cooling fan; and a W201 forum build notes that cars originally fitted with the 2.6 six-cylinder carry a different radiator support that pushes the front structure further out.
No reliable combination-specific information found on intercooler and charge piping in this combination.
Only engine-side statements are documented. The 190E build uses custom manifold work together with the S200SX-E turbocharger; benzinjection.com states that the standard exhaust manifold becomes the limiting part somewhere around 300-350 hp and should then be replaced.
The EDC engines are controlled by the Bosch MSA25.1 unit; a German-language thread in which the questioner is fitting an OM606 into a W201 identifies exactly this unit as the obstacle. benzinjection.com describes the alternative that most swap builders take: fitting a mechanical injection pump so that the engine needs no control unit at all and runs on throttle position, which is also the route the documented 190E build took with its Dieselmeken pump.
The immobiliser is the documented sticking point of the electronic route. In a German-language thread about fitting an OM606 into a W201, an experienced member answers the question whether the immobiliser can be removed from the MSA25.1 control unit with "kurz gesagt: nein" and adds that if it were possible it would not be a public topic; he then points to a commercial third-party offer instead. The practical alternative documented elsewhere is to avoid the electronics altogether by using a mechanically pumped engine.
Status: SUPPORTED · Confidence 58%
Only one publisher documents this for the combination: the 190E build runs Brembo four-piston calipers with 330 mm discs at the front, KW Suspensions V3 dampers with H&R springs lowering the car 40 mm, and a 28 mm front anti-roll bar (1Q).
Status: SINGLE_SOURCE · Confidence 44%
Engine side, benzinjection.com names the recurring weak points: the standard valve springs are too soft and cause trouble even below 300 hp once boost arrives early; the intake camshaft sprocket is pressed onto the camshaft and the crank pulley is located only by a woodruff key, so both have to be pinned or welded on high-output builds; connecting rods should be replaced above 500 hp; and the standard exhaust manifold becomes the limiting part at 300-350 hp. On the gearbox side the same source limits the 722.608 automatic to roughly 300 hp. Chassis side, a W201 conversion thread warns that there is so little room in the engine bay that the gearbox cannot be changed without lifting the engine out, and the builder concerned said he would not repeat the conversion; a second W201 build names the steering box and steering linkage as the hardest things to work around and the oil pan clearance to subframe and steering box as the main open risk. One vendor warns of a concrete pitfall with the W211/OM648 rear sump: with that pan fitted, the two lower gearbox bolts no longer line up and cannot be tightened.
Status: SUPPORTED · Confidence 74%
No reliable combination-specific information found on the approval prospects for this combination in Germany.
Status: OPEN
Germany, as of July 2026. Changing to a different engine type causes the Betriebserlaubnis to lapse automatically under § 19 (2) StVZO; it is restored through individual approval (Einzelabnahme) under § 21 StVZO. For load-bearing or safety-relevant components - here the self-built or bought-in engine and gearbox mounts - calculations or material certificates may be demanded, and complete documentation of the conversion is regarded as the decisive success factor (source dated 25.05.2026, updated 01.06.2026). For a full inspection a data sheet is maintained covering, among other things, the emissions report, brake report, noise report, lighting report and electromagnetic compatibility; values already present in the data sheet may be carried over. Both sources are general in nature. No statement specific to an OM606 in the W201 was found - in particular on the emissions classification of a late-1990s engine in a 1980s vehicle and the resulting emissions key numbers and environmental sticker.
Status: SUPPORTED · Confidence 56%
https://store.jota5sport.com/en/swap-kits/55-w201-w124-6-cylinder-engine-swap-mounts.html | https://thekangaroosteam.com/shop-1/w201-engine-mounts-for-all-6-cylinder-engines-om606-om603-m103-m104-and-etc | https://rpm-depot.de/produkt/kardanwelle-gelenkwelle-716-6-6-gang-umbau-mercedes-w201-190e/ | https://rpm-depot.de/en/product/transmission-mount-716-6-6-speed-conversion-mercedes-190e-w201/ | https://rpm-depot.de/en/product/short-shifter-kit-716-6-6-speed-transmission-conversion-mercedes-190e-w201/ | https://www.thekangaroosteam.com/shop-1/gearbox-and-clutch-kits | https://www.benzinjection.com/product-page/om60x-manual-6-speed-transmission-716-6 | https://store.jota5sport.com/en/swap-kits/25-mercedes-om606-m104-8hp-jaguar-diesel-gearbox-adapter-kit.html | https://pmcmotorsport-shop.com/eng_m_Swap-Solutions-Adapter-Kits-Clutch-Kits_Full-Adapter-Kits_Mercedes-Benz-OM605-OM606-479.html | https://dieselpumpuk.com/products/om606-om603-om613-om648-rear-sump-kit | https://www.thekangaroosteam.com/shop-1/om606-rear-sump-oil-pump-dipstick-tube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua6JcvKqNUM | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gawuxqEEYac
https://engineswapdepot.com/?p=135462 | https://mbturbo.com/manual-transmissions/ | https://mbturbo.com/new-722-6-gearbox-in-you-old-car/ | https://www.benzinjection.com/om606-engine-faq | https://www.db-forum.de/threads/om606-msa25-1-wegfahrsperre.67643/ | https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/w201-mb-190e-s54b32-manual-swap/185709/page1/ | https://forums.mbclub.co.uk/threads/engine-conversion.71567/ | https://kfz-dietrich.com/blog/motorsport-einzelabnahme-paragraph-21-umbau-eintragung/ | https://abgasdatenbank.com/%C2%A721-stvzo/
35 sources recorded: 24 reachable, 11 unreachable and therefore not used in substance. The 35 findings are spread across 24 domains. Twelve publishers carry content and are cited in fields: store.jota5sport.com, thekangaroosteam.com, rpm-depot.de, benzinjection.com, pmcmotorsport-shop.com, mbturbo.com, engineswapdepot.com, grassrootsmotorsports.com, forums.mbclub.co.uk, db-forum.de, kfz-dietrich.com, abgasdatenbank.com. Not cited are youtube.com (two findings, link field only), dieselpumpuk.com (reachable, but it describes a reverse oil pan for other chassis and therefore carries no statement on this combination - Oil Pan & Pickup consequently remains OPEN) and the ten unreachable domains. Languages: seven findings are German-language, of which four reachable, from four German-language publishers - rpm-depot.de, db-forum.de, kfz-dietrich.com and abgasdatenbank.com; rpm-depot.de also carries the same product page in an English version, which is not counted here as a separate German-language finding. Three further German-language findings were unreachable (w201.com, mercedes-forum.com, w124-board.de); the check line 'sources: 35 (24 publishers, 7 German-language)' counts these three, but only the four reachable ones are used in substance. No OEM source: no Mercedes-Benz manufacturer document was reached in this run, so the engine data fields rest on a supplier knowledge page and a build report. Supplier level: store.jota5sport.com, thekangaroosteam.com, rpm-depot.de, benzinjection.com, pmcmotorsport-shop.com. Technical-text level: mbturbo.com, benzinjection.com. Build report: engineswapdepot.com on the 190E by Wahnsinn Wagens - the only fully described build of this combination that was reachable; chromjuwelen.com mirrors the same text and was not counted as a second source. Forum level: grassrootsmotorsports.com, forums.mbclub.co.uk, db-forum.de. Several findings from the same publisher count once: rpm-depot.de with 4, store.jota5sport.com with 3, thekangaroosteam.com with 3, benzinjection.com with 2 and mbturbo.com with 2 findings. Two forums were expressly used only for chassis-related statements because they deal with other engines: grassrootsmotorsports.com (BMW S54 in the W201) and forums.mbclub.co.uk (M103/M104 in the W201). Unreachable: superturbodiesel.com (robots.txt, two threads), w201.com (302 to the home page), benzworld.org (HTTP 402), peachparts.com (redirect loop), mbworld.org (HTTP 403), mercedesforum.com (HTTP 403), mercedes-forum.com (HTTP 403), w124-board.de (timeout), clubgwagen.com (HTTP 404), theclassicvaluer.com (no content without JavaScript).
Type
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Torque
ECU