From what I've read, cavitation of coolant (regarding the cylinder liners) happens when the wrong coolant is subjected to the extreme vibration from the diesel igniting in the cylinder as the engine is running. Coolant acidity is a large factor that you might be confusing with cavitation.
Why would piston rings stick from sitting in a diesel, what sticks them? A diesel stops running because the diesel injection is stopped, and the engine spins to a stop with no fuel in the cylinder, only normal oil coating.
Liner o-rings "drying up"....how does running change their "dryness"??
MAYBE the diesel injection pump could suffer from sitting if it's exposed to moisture in the fuel during storage.
I'm not here to pick a fight, but I'm long time mechanic who owns some diesel stuff. I'm new to the (old) dt466 and want good info passed around on this site.
I'm glad your not here to pick a fight...me too...I just want to help and learn.
I solidify the learning by trying to help out...
3 years ago i knew nothing about repairing diesel motors, datalink wiring on a truck, air brakes on a bus...etc...
This is not rocket science but like anything else, apply yourself and you will move forward...
That being said...
The liner O-ring can dry out from sitting too long, they tend to dry out and crack.
How long is too long ??? case by case...
When you restart the motor after a really long sit time, refreshing the o-rings can cause them to just break apart. not saying this happens all the time but it is an issue, a consideration to be aware of.
Cavitation, you got it just about right...cavitation is a long process that eats up the metal not just from vibration but electron flow...long discussion topic... Again, if you got the wrong coolant and it sits, cavitation could just speed itself up. A perfect example of cavitation, aluminum outboards on salt water boats. movement of the boat creates electron flow which eats away at the aluminum.
My 2005 (milkshake bus), engine got Fu barred because of two issues. The primary one was cavitation in the front engine cover ate away the thin wall that separates the oil flow from the coolant flow. They got mixed together and the engine became a milkshake maker. Common cavitation problem on DT466e motors...
Why would piston rings stick in ANY motor...oiled surfaces over time become bare and moisture starts to creep in causing all sort of nightmare issues.
this is nothing new, can happen in any and all fossil fueled engines... On a freshly shut down engine, yes O-rings are coated with oil.
On an engine that has been sitting for a real long period of time, oil drips away leaving components no longer coated with oil...
I hoped I answered your questions well..