Thread: 1987 300TD Wagon - where did all my coolant go????
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Old 06-25-2016, 10:16 PM
Chewable Chewable is offline
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Tacoma, WA
Posts: 147
Quote:
Originally Posted by vstech View Post
The 1987 300 OM603 motor came with the weakest design head... because of this it is unwise to run the motor AT ALL if coolant loss or temp rise is noted... and it is EXTREMELY critical to keep the ENTIRE cooling system in tip top shape.

Your head is ruined. For sure. You got a warning with the temp rise and climbing temp. That was the sign to shut down the motor and get a tow truck to take it somewhere for service... the further driving destroyed it. You now need a new headgasket, AND a new head. Plus whatever caused the coolant loss and temp rise... probably the fan clutch and bugs in the radiator...
I think you are dead on.

I have 2 other heads and a complete OM603 that has just under 200k on it. I will probably just try and swap that one in later this summer/early fall.
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