Quote:
Originally Posted by Maxbumpo
No no no, never ever ever. Starter fluid, AKA ether, will detonate prematurely, and there is a small but not insignificant risk that you will crack a pre-chamber and destroy the engine. This would be a last-resort-the-zombies-are-about-to-get-me move, not necessary in this case.
(1) You need fuel. I agree with your test of cracking a couple injector lines that you've got fuel to the injectors, likely all of them.
(2) You need heat of compression to ignite the fuel. Plugging in the block heater for about thirty minutes will help. Adjusting the valves will help (tight valves can lead to lower compression which means less heat and harder to start).
(3) You need the glow plugs to glow. There should be about 11.5 volts DC at each plug. A proper test would involve measuring the current to each plug, but it is unlikely that any or all of the plugs have failed in two years of rest. However, the glow plug relay is another story, and it may have died.
(4) If you've got fuel and heat, maybe or maybe not glow, and it still won't start, check the air filter to make sure the engine is getting air, and check the exhaust to make sure the engine can exhale. Mouse nest?
(5) Pull start the car. The procedure is in the owners manual, and yes the MB automatic transmissions from that era allow a pull start to work successfully.
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The predestination is mostly caused if you don't disconnect the Glow Plugs. I have seen Starting Fluid used on Mercedes Diesels and all kinds of other Diesels to no ill effect in the 18 Years that I was a Diesel Mechanic.
The danger is the Glow Plug issue already mentioned and the fact that People tend to squirt a huge load into the Air Filter Housing and then run around to attempt to start thereby sucking in that huge glob of Starter Fluid vapor that is in the Air Filter Housing.
The above dose not happened if one person starts while the other administers the Starting Fluid. That way the minimum needed is used.
Other methods are spraying in WD-40 and I have seen one of my Bosses soak a rag in Gasoline and stretch the Rag over the intake opening on the Air Filter and have someone start the Engine.
They in fact used to see starting fluid for diesels and Detroit Diesels used to have a setup with an Either canister that looked like a the typical propane tank that people use on their propane torches for cold or hard starting.
So yes if you are not careful how you use starting fluid you can cause damage. But, as I said on Diesels I have not seen that happen.
Also I only suggested it as a last ditch thing to do. Preferred to spending/suffering hours and hours and hours getting no place.