People dislike when I bring this up. You can carefully and safely use preferably diesel starting fluid.

My boss's method was:

Also, your glow plugs are on during cranking even if you don't do the preglow. You disconnect the power to the glow plugs by pulling the electrical connector at the glow plug relay. That keeps the glow plugs from preigniting the either.

Remove the intake tubing to the air filter.

This is most important. Someone else sits in the front seat and cranks the engine. When the engine starts cranking you spray in the minimal amount needed.

If nothing happens at all using the starter fluid, you have some more serious issue. Working as a mechanic I have seen that happen twice.

The issue with starting fluid is that people spray in more than they need to do the job and while the person runs around to sit in driver's seat and start cranking all of the starter fluid is evaporated and filling the air filter housing and that whole slug of either goes into the engine at one time.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel