Part 2 The Block

Rebuilding my OM352A engine for my Unimog Part 2 - The block. ( See    • Part 1   The Cylinder Head   ) for Part 1 of the engine rebuild.


This shows how I installed the new three ring, ceramic coated pistons, new bearings and the crankshaft in my OM352A motor. I had the whole motor balanced at a race car engine builder, which include the pistons, rods, crank, flywheel, harmonic balanced and the crank pulley. This made a huge difference to how smooth the engine is. I can balance a 50c piece on the top of the engine even when cold, not many petrol engine can do it let alone an industrial strength diesel motor.

The Mercedes Benz OM352 Engine is a 5657 cm2 (5.7 litres, 345 cubic inch) displacement inline 6 cylinder 4 stroke motor. The engine utilizes diesel fuel delivered in a direct injection method from a Bosch PES style inline fuel injection pump to the combustion chamber.

The OM352A diesel engine is one of the most common heavy diesel motors in the world, one of many Mercedes engines licensed in 1979 for manufacture by Atlantis Diesel Engines (ADE) in South Africa. These were known as ADE 352 and are virtually identical to the Mercedes engines. Recently the OM352 was licensed by TATA for use in their 713S Trucks.

The OM352 has many applications, including marine, military, municipal, and agricultural vehicles, as well as stationary settings. The engine has differing trim and power levels, affording designations such as OM 352A a variant fitted with a turbocharger, or the OM352 LA, which is fitted with an intercooler and a turbocharger.