ALL OM603.97 engines have problems. They were the ONLY engines in Mercedes S class diesels imported to th US in the '90s ('90-'95). It doesn't matter whether the desgination was 300 or 350, ALL US delivered "S" class diesls had 3.5 liter OM603.97 engines in the '90s. All te original engines had the same problem with connecting rods. The rebuilds that Mecedes supplied did NOT have the problem.
Marshall -- Marshall Booth Ph.D. Ass't Prof. (ret.) Univ of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Department of Pharmacology 1300 BST Pittsburgh PA 15261 USA [EMAIL PROTECTED]