According to Carl-Heinz-Vogler, a former Daimler-Benz engineer, the OM636 was ready for series production in 1948.

The abbreviation OM means Oelmotor (oil engine), and stands for a Daimler-Benz engine that uses any kind of light fuel oil as fuel (diesel engine).ĭaimler-Benz began developing the OM636 during World War II, and had completed the developing process by 1948. However, after the introduction of the OM621, the OM636 was kept in production for industrial vehicles such as small lorries, boats, and combine harvesters, until 1990. In 1958, it was succeeded by the OM621 passenger car engine.

Throughout the 1950s, the OM636 was widely used in the Mercedes-Benz W120. It saw its first use in the Boehringer Unimog in 1948, prior to its official introduction in the 1949 Mercedes-Benz W136. Being the successor to the OM138, the OM636 has been used both as a passenger car engine and as an industrial engine. The Mercedes-Benz OM636 is a diesel engine that was produced by Daimler-Benz from 1948 until 1990.