Starting fluid can cause preignition when used with glow plugs but this doesn't hurt the engine. You can blow the head gasket or other parts if you use too much starting fluid. The amount to do this is several seconds worth without the engine turning over and it has a greater chance of doing damage if you take the air filter off and spray it down the intake.

If the glow plugs are working right you probably don't need starting fluid. The need for starting fluid arises when things aren't right. I always keep a can in the car for emergencies. I have used it all my life on every kind of diesel and gas engines and none of them suffered any damage.

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1977 300D Lost coolant while someone else was driving
1983 300D Can't run without oil
1985 300SD (gone but not forgotten)
1990 300TE 4matic Sold
1991 Yamaha Venture
1975 Kawsaki 250 triple
1974 Honda 200CL
1951 8N Ford
2008 Wildfire 650C

wd40 is NOT starting fluid and in fact closely approximates diesel. it is useful if you have air in the lines. the engine will run on it until the air is purged. the engine will not run on it if the valve timing is off or if the engine has no compression or low. if there is a fuel problem beyond a little air in the lines it will simply run as long as you spray the wd 40 into it. if using it you need to remove the air filter top cover.

i would never use more than a very small whiff of either in a diesel and that would be through the air filter.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

NO!

Don’t ever use starting fluid on a diesel engine. This can cause the engine to runaway (blow up).

When a diesel isn’t running you have to fix the problem.

I am sure this is repetitive. I didn’t want to read all of the posts, but I did want to put another vote in for no starting fluid.

"I didn’t want to read all of the posts"

LOL, No Kidding !

What about the ether injection straight from the factory on commercial diesel trucks? Those crazy bastards don't they know anything!

I don't know about trucks, but the tractors I have been around with ether bottles on-board didn't have glow plug systems.

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Keep everything as simple as possible-but no simpler--Albert Einstein

MB Owner,

Don't your first 2 sentences contradict each other?

I agree its not the BTU content of ether, its the preignition. That's like hitting the piston with a sledge hammer to drive the piston down when its trying to go up.

Omegaman is correct about large Diesels have built in ether systems. But these are large industrial direct injection Diesels. My old Case Diesel tractor had manifold heaters (similar to GP but in the intake manifold) and they are no longer manufactured. So the Factory replacement for them was an ether injection system that sprayed ether into the intake manifold.

The less ether used in MB Diesels, the better.

P E H

I expect the problems with ether are caused by morons who spray so much that they nearly hydro-lock the cylinders. Some people's intelligence is just impossible to underestimate.

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'82 300SD - 361K mi - "Blue"

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

listen, look, .........and duck.

it is my understanding that it wont take all that much to cause a blown head gasket or as noted above possible piston damage. i would only use ether as a last resort and then only a whiff through the air filter.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

My $.02
I have two farm tractors that have both glow plugs and factory installed ether bottle systems. Dash buttons for the ether say below them in caps "DO NOT USE WITH GLOW PLUGS". I bought both tractors new in '79 & '83 and both still have the original ether cans resting comfortably in their respective firewall cradles.
I have been using/maintaining diesel equiptment for 40 years and, while I have used ether on occasion, with no ill effects, I have to agree that it is a much better idea to just fix the problem, whether it be to buy a new battery, adjust the valves, or whatever.
JIm