no harbor frieght nearby. i checked with several places across a couple of counties and couldn't be sure any of them had the 12mm angle adapter, plus all the diesel testers were $200+, so i decided to abandon this step and get professional help from someone already possessing said tester.

of course, the shops i have called are too busy to take it on, and they mostly seem to think taking the head off is a fool's errand, that i should get another 617 and call it a day. however, at this point i don't have a lot of faith in an anonymous used engine. i thought i bought one in great condition and only got 2000 miles out of it! i'm not sure how i should proceed. frustrating.

__________________
'77 240D, 504H, OM617.952, etc.