Brian:

You have a defective hand pump. It is also possible that the check valves in the main fuel pump are bad, but I've never heard of this actually happening. New pump should fix the problem.

I'd also loosen the injector lines at the injectors and crank until air-free fuel appears there after you get the hand pump replaced. You will need to completely purge the air out before the car will start.

Unless the newer (722) tranny is radically different that the older ones, you CAN push (or pull) start your car -- run up to about 20 mph in neutral then drop into 2nd -- motor will crank. If it doesn't start, let it cool for 15 min before trying again. MB normally uses a secondary pump driven off the output shaft for governor pressure and control pressures. It is large enough to drive the tranny about 20 mph.

However, if you don't have fuel deliver with the hand pump, you won't get fuel delivery with a pull start, either, as the check valve in the hand pump is allowing fuel to suck back from the filter.

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!