This is only a suggestion for the newer folks with limited Cummins engine exposure and pertains to doing multiple engine repairs to a running engine and ending up with an engine that will not start.
The first thing you should do is a test run of your engine immediately after your purchase. Test runs should be limited to no more than a 30 second run without coolant. This does not mean run 30 seconds and shut off and immediately restart. The early engines with the 9 mm injectors have enough head failure problems with head cracking in the injector to valve seat area without any additional encouragement. If possible test the engine with a temporary coolant system connected. This will show if there are any problems with a head gasket leaking coolant. I personally would NEVER buy or even consider buying a Cummins B series engine that was demoed on Youtube or anywhere else showing a run time of over one minute without coolant. Of course, you may get lucky or your results could vary. That's your own personal choice.
EDIT: I can't believe I omitted this! BUY, BEG or BORROW a service manual BEFORE you begin any repair. There are a few unique procedures that in implementing are different from the things that you may have learned in repairing other engines. The service manual also shows tolerances of service acceptance on questionable components, ie; cylinder head cracks.
Do a compression check. This procedure can be found in the Tech Topics Index. Use the correct test gauge! These engines are far easier to work on whenever they are out of a vehicle.
Check your crankshaft end play. It should not exceed the approximate thickness of a matchbook cover. If in doubt, buy or borrow a dial indicator and make sure. There is a well know thrust bearing problem found in some of these engines. This procedure can be found in the Tech Topics Index.
On a running engine, if you find that you need to replace a head gasket, reseal the injection pump, replace the lift pump, install a governor spring, replace the injectors, I highly recommend the following to be incorporated. Incorporate only one component repair at a time and restart the engine. Then on to the next item to be replaced. It seems to be a very common recurring situation where a person unfamiliar with one of these engines does multiple repairs and ends up with an engine that will not start. This creates a situation of many variables and turns the usual long distance internet diagnosis into a nightmare kind of crap shoot. IE; replace the injectors and restart, reseal the pump and install the governor spring and restart; replace the head gasket and restart; etc. This narrows the problem down to only one repair and makes troubleshooting focus on only one problem area. Granted you may need to repeat removing the injector lines but that is a lot easier than trying to sort out multiple repairs that have multitude of possibilities.
The first thing you should do is a test run of your engine immediately after your purchase. Test runs should be limited to no more than a 30 second run without coolant. This does not mean run 30 seconds and shut off and immediately restart. The early engines with the 9 mm injectors have enough head failure problems with head cracking in the injector to valve seat area without any additional encouragement. If possible test the engine with a temporary coolant system connected. This will show if there are any problems with a head gasket leaking coolant. I personally would NEVER buy or even consider buying a Cummins B series engine that was demoed on Youtube or anywhere else showing a run time of over one minute without coolant. Of course, you may get lucky or your results could vary. That's your own personal choice.
EDIT: I can't believe I omitted this! BUY, BEG or BORROW a service manual BEFORE you begin any repair. There are a few unique procedures that in implementing are different from the things that you may have learned in repairing other engines. The service manual also shows tolerances of service acceptance on questionable components, ie; cylinder head cracks.
Do a compression check. This procedure can be found in the Tech Topics Index. Use the correct test gauge! These engines are far easier to work on whenever they are out of a vehicle.
Check your crankshaft end play. It should not exceed the approximate thickness of a matchbook cover. If in doubt, buy or borrow a dial indicator and make sure. There is a well know thrust bearing problem found in some of these engines. This procedure can be found in the Tech Topics Index.
On a running engine, if you find that you need to replace a head gasket, reseal the injection pump, replace the lift pump, install a governor spring, replace the injectors, I highly recommend the following to be incorporated. Incorporate only one component repair at a time and restart the engine. Then on to the next item to be replaced. It seems to be a very common recurring situation where a person unfamiliar with one of these engines does multiple repairs and ends up with an engine that will not start. This creates a situation of many variables and turns the usual long distance internet diagnosis into a nightmare kind of crap shoot. IE; replace the injectors and restart, reseal the pump and install the governor spring and restart; replace the head gasket and restart; etc. This narrows the problem down to only one repair and makes troubleshooting focus on only one problem area. Granted you may need to repeat removing the injector lines but that is a lot easier than trying to sort out multiple repairs that have multitude of possibilities.