I recently got my IP back from being rebuilt and finally had the time and help to get it back on today.

Initially, things were going smoothly. Too smoothly. Even the bottom mounting nut was coorperating.

My mechanic buddy and I got everything back in and started to set the time by the drip method.

When I started to work the hand pump, absolutely nothing was coming out of the drip tube. We full expected it to leak profusely until we dialed in the timing. We worked it for a while thinking it might take longer to refill an empty fuel system.

After 5 minutes, still nothing.

I started to recheck the FSM procedure. 24 BTC... check. Start/stop lever in run...check. Delivery valve and the spring only removed...check. Nothing was amiss, so I started to panic.

Thinking there might be something wrong with the IP, I called the Bosch reman shop. They do too many pumps to remember any specfic one, but they were stumped as to why there was nothing coming out of the drip tube as well.

I was sweating bullets at this point. Not only was it going to have to come back out, but it was going to need to go back to the shop about 100 miles away.

Why wasn't this pump spraying diesel when we worked the pump?

Running out of options, we decided to shift it. Lo and behold, loads of fuel began squirting out.

As it turns out, we were so close to being *spot on* with the timing. Despite it being my first time removing/reinstalling and timing an IP, we were 1mm away from perfection. It was oh so slightly advanced.

After spending a few minutes getting exactly 1 drop per second, we tightened it down and buttoned things up.

I had incorrectly assumed that we'd be off by quite a bit would have to perhaps even reindex the splines once or twice and we prepared ourselves for such. The last thing I expected was for it to be right and proper on the first go around.

Funny how we convince ourselves that things are more difficult than they really are, no?

Anyway, after bleeding the lines, she fired right up. In my brief ownership, it's never sounded or idled so well....like a purring kitten served on a plate of warm butter.

There was some white start up smoke which went away and some black sooty smoke when I blipped the throttle. Before it was all white and diesel smelling stuff that choked up the garage and left a 100yd long vapor trail.

I was going to road test it but it appears as though the thermostat has given up in the last month that she spent in lay up. With the weather wintry for the next few days I won't be able to take it out. Once the t-stat is in and coolant flushed (might as well), I'll take her out and report back. But I'm optimistic that for the first time in a long while, she'll run like the day she came off the assembly line.

New timing chain, fresh injectors, and now an exorcised injector pump. Life. Is. Good.

Thanks for all the help, folks!

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1974 240D "Boldie" 170K.- New timing chain/freshly rebuilt IP/replaced valve seals/injectors/upgraded stereo/new Bilsteins with Yokohamas/fresh paint and rocker panels plus lots of welds.