Next time this occurs don't use starting fluid, it isnt designed to be used in Diesel engines, ask me, I know used Starting fluid with upper cylinder lubricant (whatever that is) when trying to start my K3500 GMC flatbed after sitting all winter. The 6.5L GM diesel are indirect injection with 21.5 to 1 compression, so when I used the starting fluid, I ended up cracking #3 piston across the ring lands. The moral of the story, use WD-40 instead of starting fluid, or you'll be screaming when you render your car inoperable...

OK to use starter fluid in diesels without glowplugs. Don't use it in engines with glowplugs.

your lift pumps shot dude ....look up "lift pump" and order one from ******** or ebay after you find out if thats it or not. to test get and electric fuel pump and hook it up to test.

only other thing would be you have bad compression mixed with no glow plugs.

remember boys a girls if you have good compression and no glow plugs the car will still start.

Hi
Using starting fluid can cause a lot of damage to a diesel. If you have to use something - WD40 is a better choice

The easy way to check if you have fuel is to crack the injector line at the injector while it won't start and spin it with the starter.

Sure sounds like a glow plug/circuit problem.
Good Luck,
Joseph

So I have done some more work on the car and still cant get it to start.

I checked the glow plugs, there ok but it had a mix of autolite and champion plugs so I put some bosh plugs in. Still no start. I tried to prime the fuel system by pumping the lift pump and cracking the fuel line on top of the filter. Fuel came out but still no start.

I think that the lift pump is dead but I am not sure. Could the lift pump be dead even if it's not leaking fuel? Should the lift pump ever firm up? When I pump it, it never firms up.

Thanks,

Reed

Have you replaced the primary filter. I had a similar problem with priming mine and it turned out I had a clodded filter and trash in the fuel line. Worth a shot. If it is the case you will notice the pressure on the pump when you prime it.

Did those glow plugs glow red? Did you check voltage at glow plug wire disconnected and was it 12VDC? On EACH plug in turn?

A never firm manual pump sounds like air in the system. First suspect would be a bad manual pump.

Your car doesn't happen to be orange (or close to that colour)? There was a Euro 300D on Seattle craigslist a while back that had a 4-speed & turbo engine retrofitted...I never got around to looking at it. I think the conversion had been done by Benz Friendz.

With a 4-speed, a simple thing to try would be a push start (find a hill, or have another car tow-start it). If it comes to life & stays running, it's probably not a fuel issue. If it starts again while still warm, it's most likely a glow-plug problem (which is what I suspect). Does the glow plug light go on & off normally? GP fuse good? I'm wondering if there's something wrong with the GP relay.

Sounds like the primer pump works if it squirts fuel out the top of the filter as you said - tighten all the fittings & pump the primer till it squeaks. You could also try loosening a metal injector line nut at the injector and crank for a few seconds to see if fuel is making it to the injectors.

Replace the fuel filters and get the newer style primer pump, then crack hard lines and crank until fuel comes out.

Question hasn't been asked yet - how much blowby do you have, or better yet have you done a compression test at all? Who knows if the engine that was put in was a good one. Having a slightly clogged filter or bad gps might just have been the traw that broke the camels back.

I tried cracking the lines at the injector and cranking the engine. I got fuel at all the lines. I have the newer style lift pump and when I pump it I can see air bubbles in the clear fuel line that leads from the lift pump to the IP. The go away after a few pumps but after I try to start the car if I go back and give it another pump I get more air bubbles.

I have not done a compression test. I don't have a compression tester that will work on a diesel engine. I have some blow by but not any more than I have seen coming from other old Benz diesels. It ran great before it died.

I am getting a little worried that the engine just up and died on me but I would think that if I had really low compression, there would be some kind of a sign. There was no bang, lots of smoke, bad noises or loss of power when I was driving it. She fired right up and ran fine but when I tried to restart the car all it would do is crank.

My car is the orange one that was on Craigslist and Benzfriendz put the turbo engine in it.

I don't think compression is the issue here....that is uuuusually a gradual failure, and if something like a ring breaking were to happen, it would only affect one cylinder, and the engine would still run, but rough and smokey.


I bet on a lift pump/fuel supply issue, or maybe a rare possibility that the IP is not making enough pressure to pop the injectors....water damage? Who knows.