Quote:
Originally Posted by Skippy
I have seen diesel engines in good condition not start on ether because the ether wasn't introduced into the intake in such a way as to provide vaporized ether to several cylinders. Spraying a little in a non cranking engine, waiting a bit for it to vaporize and spread around, and then cranking was more likely to get combustion. Not that I am advocating use of ether in an OM617, just saying that an engine that doesn't crank on ether may still be ok.
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Spraying Ether into an indirect injection diesel is one of the surest ways to damage it I can think of. Possible damages may include a blown head gasket, cracked or broken piston, broken rings, cracked or broken pre combustion chamber, broken glow plug, or a bent rod. On occasion one might do several of those things simultaneously. In extreme cases, but generally on larger engines, its even possible to twist the crankshaft right in two.
Lots of people spray it into Two Stroke Detroits to fire them up on a cold day, and it usually works okay, but has been known to do severe damage to them, too. Especially if they take off and run backwards.