Head gasket '93 603.....
 

Been noticing a little oil in the cooling system on my '93 300SD.I know about the rod bender thing and have been half heartedly looking for a replacement. The car is not running hot or overheating,though it was loosing a little coolant,found a leak at the duovalve and fixed that.I noticed that the hoses are extremely hard after 30-45 min in town driving.I can remove the cap after it sits overnight and there is still pressure in the tank.I'm thinking about changing the head gasket,but I've never done a diesel,plenty of gas though.Is it a royal pain to do,it does look much worse than most other OHC 6cyl.Is there anything that I should look out for besides the normal,(cracked,warped,bad seats,etc),any tricks you can share?
Thanks

GSXR's OM603 Head R+R
 

All Photos courtesy GSXR:

http://www.w124performance.com/images/OM603_head_replacement/

Disclaimer:
You will not enjoy this task (Or Success) WITHOUT the Factory Service Manual for YOUR engine!

It is quite possibly a head gasket, which many theories link to hydrolocking and bent rods ($$thousands) eventually, I suggest repairing it and not driving it until it is repaired.

It has twice as many head bolts as an OHC gasser inline 6, but it's not more difficult than replacing the rear head gasket of a transverse V6 in a minivan.

Sixto
87 300D