sorry was away on a business trip and not able to check your messages here. The car is still in San Diego. Jake, you bring up a good point about the head gasket. The previous owner told me that he had removed the thermostat "because you know how these engines are known for overheating".
I had never heard that before but what do I know.
Here's the post I started the night the engine died.
OM617 Overheated, then wouldn't start. Any ideas?
I have been assuming it was the head gasket but I actually don't know.
The engine I had put in the car had alot of miles well over 200k. It was only $300. I guess you get what you pay for. I had spent $400 to ship the car to an indy in Chula Vista who said he'd swap engines for $700. He was very late in having the car ready. When I picked it up, the brand new battery I had put into the car before I had it shipped to SD was missing and in it's place was an old battery half it
's size and certainly not for a diesel. Grease marks all over the fender walls. When the loss of coolant happened rust was all over the place under the hood and it was shooting out of the reserve coolant tank every time I tried to start it. I'm really very disgusted with the whole thing. I feel like there must have been a problem with the engine before I got to it.
Thanks for your interest.