Don - ignore all the naysayers - if the car indeed has a factory crate engine installed, it'll be just as bullet-proof as any other OM60x engine from the eighties or nineties. My understanding is original issue was a bad head gasket design that allowed oil to leak into the #1 cylinder and cause a hydro-lock, which bent the rod, and it was all downhill from there.

Worse case scenario, you need to replace the engine. Spend a thousand or two and get an OM606 turbo, which is the next generation engine with far more power, from a '98 or '99 E300. Keep your OM603 injection pump, install the OM606 engine with turbocharger and intercooler, and then enjoy life for years and years.

__________________
Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC