You might also check and see if your intake and return lines weren't swapped for some reason. Rotchester, a 1985 300TD I recently sold had the same problem going up hill below half a tank because of this.

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!