Could very well be just a flaky glow plug relay, or corrosion on the rely terminals, or flaky ign switch. Hey these parts are 30 years old.

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 167,870 July 2025
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked