Possible head/valve problem

[tree98]

If I were you I would take it to Mr Hagg in Georgia. You ask why I have the opinion I do of the dealers and shops? There are endless stories on this forum of guys just like yourself paying a LOT of money for what they think is quality work only to find out(usually to late)its the exact opposite. These dealer techs are grossly undertrained and all that matters is that they get you down the road far enough that your the next shops problem, that is after they take there pound of flesh.
I see your new here, do you have the cummins insite program? If not its attainable from ebay for an affordable price. It allows you to read and clear codes, do some diagnostic tests, look at abuse history, it's the same program the dealers use. You also need to register your engine on Cummins quickserve it's free, that gives you access to a TON of information about your exact engine. Parts diagrams/numbers, all service procedures and what speciality tools you'll need(if any) again same info the dealer uses. The red engine is hands down the easiest engine for an O/O to work on solely because we have access to all this information. Your in the right place, consider yourself lucky you found it.