'81 300D throttle linkage

My '81 300D shut down while going about 75 MPH. Just quit. Now the engine will crank just fine, but the car won't start. Have established that fuel is arriving at the injectors by cracking open the line where it connects to the injector on No. 1 injector and observing fuel leaking out when cranking.

I can't think of anything else that could be keeping the engine from starting. Wondering if the timing chain may have jumped on the sprocket, I thought I would remove the cam cover and see if the timing marks line up properly.

In trying to disconnect the throttle linkage so that I can remove the cam shaft cover, I can't get the ball and socket links on the throttle linkage to separate. Before I bend everything out of whack, I wondered if anyone has had this problem and if there is an easy way to separate them. (Manual says to use a screwdriver.)

Also, does anyone have any other ideas why the engine won't start, which is the fundamental problem?