Thanks Eddie. I'm going to double check that when I put it back together. This morning I noticed the #2 rod looks like it had made slight contact at the bottom of the cylinder wall. I went ahead and pulled the crankshaft and filed that area to give it a little more clearance just to be on the safe side. I'll start reassembly in the morning. I need to order new head gaskets because the overheating caused them to bake to the block, and the separated, so I won't be able to install the pony and make sure the overheating problem is solved until they come in. I appreciate everyone's help with this.

When that motor was reconditioned initially, was the freeze plug in the base removed and every last bit of crud rodded out of the block between the cylinders, because I was amazed how much rubbish builds up in those blocks and heads choking off the passages, it takes hours of prodding and probing and rodding with thick bent wire and high pressure water and air blasting to get them clean.

You think you have them clean, and they then sit for a few days waiting to be reassembled, and you pick up a head and hear something loose rattling and then notice several chunks of small rusty crud wedged in a port, so you start all over again. Eddie showed me how to clean them properly, and it was a good lesson to learn.

Mike - I didn't clean the passages like you mention, but that is a good point. I'll give it more attention before I re-install it. Thanks for the suggestion.

A good tip I was told on here years ago was to use a old car speedo cable about 15" long in a cordless drill to help clean out those cooling passages, but it is critical to punch out that bottom freeze plug and really get into the block cross passage from every angle.

Those heads are quite hollow too, so keep digging away with your thick bent wire and pressure washer till you can spin the wire easily inside the head and not flick out any more crud.

Hi Team,a few pix from one of Mike's ponies we did a few years back.The pic looking into the pony crankcase shows the cast passage across the crankcase floor inside of the pony engine as viewed from above. The passage is restrictive and blocks easily in a dirty system that has been filled from any worksite mud puddle or dam. Cheers,Eddie B

While you have the coolant out take the drain plug out of the diesel block and have a dig around in there. I have D318 (D6 9u) that had solid crap about 1/3 way up the liners and the bottom passage to the pony completly blocked Big job to clean it out properly, needed cylinder liners removed. Ended up with new pistons and liners installed.

due to variations in the castings air pockets can form in some engines. also the slope of ground can make a difference too. the cooling system will hold around 40 litres of coolant.
one good thing is the way the radiators are built they can be disassembled but be careful not to damage the core as the oil cooler is no longer available from cat.