I also am trying to track down cold start problem. In warmer weather no problem starts immediately today even in a 48 degree garage when I went to start glow plug light on dash did not go on just yesterday it was. When I tried to start it turned over very fast after about 2-3 seconds starter disengaged and that was it I quickly checked for a bad glow plug and there seem to none all working why the starter is disengageing is another matter that has to be addressed but I probably could of got it started with a couple more attempts but just took the quick sure way and shot a little ether in it fired right up. I was starting to get the idea that maybe the engine is starved for fuel on initial startup. I have read that sometimes the valves go bad in the manual pump and you can get the rebuild kit and not even have to take pump off to replace the valves inexpensive $8 kit. When I did try to pump more fuel with the manual pump I saw it seem to be moving fuel in my see thru lines to injectors but the pump seems to buil no resistance no matter how many times you pump it I am wondering if there is some check valve that may not be working that is letting the fuel back off and not be in the chamber when starting? Or if it could be that my valves are so out of adjustment giving me such a loss of compression? I just did a valve adjustment and thought I had them right on. I only have 1 degree of chain stretch. I did not ever pull injectors to check compression is on my to do list. I have an oliver diesel tractor that has same symtoms of hard starting but with a small shot of ether starts very quickly. I am just about at the point of trying to figure a way of giving it some starting fluid w/o opening hood. I did notice that the car seems to have a lower top end and a little less spunk after the valve adjustment in that it struggles to cruise at 85mph. So things that puzzle me are glow plug light on dash, starter disengageing, and hard starting in 48 degree temps. after sitting a day. Any comments on any of the matters are appreciated.