Glad to hear that your going to save it!!

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87' 300DT (Grey w/ red leather)
87' 300TDT (silver w/ palamino tex) SOLD

2012 VW JSW TDI (on tdiclub.com all the time "btcost")

Lots of cheeep quality tools on ebay. A few months back I got a 46mm socket for the fuel strainer for $5, a metric allen wrench set 6mm / 19mm for $6.50 and these are the long arm ones.

Deals are there, ya just gotta be patient.

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1985 300D 198K sold
1982 300D 202K
1989 300E 125K
1992 940T

"If you dont have time to do it safely, you dont have time to do it"

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."

Unless a great body TD falls in my lap. I would part out this 300D in a second for the TD.

But honestly, I have to look at it this way....

My 2005 Pathfinder was a 700 monthly payment, and another 110 a month insurance. So, for the cost of 2 of those payments, I could have a new head and a new IP.

3 years ago I started to really look at outgoing, and realized this having a new car and making payments was insane. So I sold my Pathfinder and my Frontier. Both 2005's and bought cars I could afford with cash. The savings is unbelievable. Sure I have to constantly toss new parts on, but it still light years cheaper in the long run. The most I pay to insure a car now is 110 bucks... A YEAR. Just the savings on that insurance paid for both my 87 and my 81. To add icing to the cake, I actually have more fun driving them. Pulling in with that 87 is more enjoyable than my old 2004 Cadillac SLS. (Mind you that that cadillac was a damn nice car, but I had to sell it once I got near the end of it's warranty, cause you you do NOT want to have to repair something on one of them out of warranty).

So yes, I'm going to repair this car. If down the road I come across the correct 87 TD, I'll have a great parts car for it.

got a chance to talk to roy over at peach parts, told him the issues, the test I've done and the results. He says without a doubt it's a blown head gasket. Course if the head isn't cracked I'm risking cracking it removing it, but I'll send it in and get it tested and plained anyways before I reinstall. This will be my first Head Gasket repair, so wish me luck.

I wish you luck.

And if you need a new head or IP, ...

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Yup, Your top of my list.

Don't mill the head unless it needs it. Otherwise you may need to shim the prechambers, and those precision shims (fractions of a mm) are EXPENSIVE. If it checks out flat, leave it alone, just clean it up.

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Dave
Boise, ID
Check out my website photos, documents, and movies!

Isn't there also a thicker head gasket that's dealer only?

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Yep, I think so, although I don't know why you'd want to use it unless the head was seriously shaved....

or the block was decked too much...

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

True. Although I suspect the number of OM603 blocks that have been decked, in the USA, likely is in low single digits....! (Excluding remans from Metric Motors, etc.)

Does the 603 not have a crust washer like the 617?

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http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

No it does not. The OM60x prechambers seat directly against the head casting with no washer / seal / gasket / etc.

Seems silly. The crush washers for the shaved heads on 617 are cheap

__________________
http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

So, I got a price from the local diesel mechanic to replace the head gasket today. I supply the parts, (gasket kit and new bolts) His labor is 325 If I want to send my head in, the guy charges another 125, fully disables it does the test and reassembles it if good... Seems like a fair price. He can start on it tomorrow so I guess I need to order some parts so they get here for him.

I figure as it sits, the car is a parts car...

So the plan right now is simple, get the 87 back running, then sell the 81, and redo the 85. The 87 will become the family hauler for now.