Miniature of a head gasket for Mercedes OM612

Keychain – Head Gasket for Mercedes OM612

The Mercedes OM612 belongs to the first generation of modern Mercedes-Benz CDI diesel engines and is best known as a 2.7-litre inline-five. With 2,685 cc displacement, common-rail direct injection, turbocharging and intercooling, it entered service around the end of the 1990s in passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles. Well-known applications include the W/S210 E 270 CDI, W/S203 C 270 CDI, W163 ML 270 CDI, W463 G 270 CDI and C209 CLK 270 CDI. The same engine family also appeared in the Sprinter 216 CDI, 316 CDI, 416 CDI and 616 CDI, as well as the Jeep Grand Cherokee 2.7 CRD. That gives the OM612 an unusually broad range of applications from passenger cars to heavy vans.

Technically, the OM612 is closely related to the four-cylinder OM611 and six-cylinder OM613. The 2.7-litre version uses five cylinders in line, 2,685 cc displacement, 20 valves and twin overhead camshafts. The camshafts are chain-driven. Fuel is supplied by electronically controlled common-rail injection, combined with exhaust-gas turbocharging and an intercooler. Typical passenger-car versions produce around 163 to 170 PS depending on specification, with torque figures reaching up to 400 Nm. Sprinter and G-Class applications use differently calibrated versions. A special case is the OM612.990: Mercedes-AMG enlarged the engine to 2,950 cc for the C 30 CDI AMG, where it produced 231 PS and 540 Nm.

The individual suffix codes are especially useful for identification. OM612.961 is associated with the W210 E 270 CDI, OM612.962 with the W203 C 270 CDI, OM612.963 with the W163 ML 270 CDI, OM612.965 with the G 270 CDI and OM612.967 with the CLK 270 CDI. OM612.981 and .983 are mainly associated with Sprinter applications. In the Jeep Grand Cherokee 2.7 CRD, the engine also appears under Chrysler’s ENF designation. The later OM647 is closely related in design, but it is a further development and should not be treated as the same engine.

On older OM612 engines today, overall condition and maintenance history matter most. Typical ownership subjects include injector sealing, glow-system components, vacuum and boost plumbing, EGR, turbocharger condition and age-related leaks. The basic design is characteristic of Mercedes CDI engines from this period: relatively generous displacement per cylinder, strong low-end torque and a five-cylinder character that became increasingly unusual in later diesel generations. In the E 270 CDI, C 270 CDI and ML 270 CDI in particular, the engine remains easy to identify by both sound and layout.

Whether it lives on your own keys or as a gift for someone with an E 270 CDI, C 270 CDI, ML 270 CDI, G 270 CDI or Sprinter, this keychain is deliberately tied to the OM612 itself. For drivers, mechanics and Mercedes diesel enthusiasts, codes such as 612.961 or 612.963 often identify the engine more clearly than the general CDI badge.

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