Ok, I've spent hours looking for the proper answer on the site, and I think I'm more confused then when I started!!

To give you a little info, I just bought a 1980 300sd turbo diesel, 116 body/om617 motor, with 144,00 miles on it. When I bought it the guy said he was driving it, it started to loose power, then there was a loud bang and the engine smoked really bad for a couple of minutes then stopped running, this was around 2001. The guy took it to a mechanic who took off the injection lines and tested, after testing he said it was the injector pump that was bad, then promply offered to buy the car cheap.

I cant seem to get it to start.

I have tested for the following:

-no gas mixed with the diesel (I bypassed the fuel tank and currently running with a 5 foot piece of fuel line hooked up to the fuel pump then into a gerry can, seems to be enough preasure to the injector pump)
-lots of fuel when I crack the lines to the injectors during cranking it over.
-glow plugs seem to be working good(I unplugged the glowplugs and tried starting it with either, no luck)
-unplugged all the vacume lines going to the shut off, also tried them hooked up.

Now, while cranking it over I loosened the oil cap to check for blow-by, then cranked it over, 3 seconds later I crawled under the car to retrieve it, I tried again, same results, so i am getting serious blow-by. There also seems to be the same sound as when you crank a gas engine with the timing off, it cranks good, then gets really tight before cranking easy again.

Now this is what i'm thinking, that loud bang then the rough running points to the chain skipping? Now what part would be out? the IP or the cam? and is there any way to check it easy? I already have the valve cover off and it appears as though all the valves are still moving, but I'm not sure which way to go from here?

Oh, to make matters worse, I have a broken hand, so I have to do all the work with just one hand.

Any ideas on how to test the timming to see if I'm right or not? or which way to go????

Thanks for the help, the site has been wonderful, and has got me this far, lets see if we can fix this thing!!!

I would pull all the injectors and lines, disconnect the linkage and pull the valve cover. crank the motor over to tdc on the crank, and look at the timing mark on the cam. if they are off like 180degrees, rotate more, get the marks on the cam lined up perfect, then look at the timing mark on the crank. read the number. more than 4 degrees off from 0 and you may be looking at a skipped chain. while you have the VC off, look for broken things. crank the motor with a pair of jeans covering the IP, *(that fuel spray will clear the hood!!!) and verify the cam turns, verify you get good pressure spraying from the open injector holes... pick up the injector heat shields if you forgot to remove them before cranking the motor over. ( a dental pick makes a perfect tool for removing the shields) get a compression tester from harbor freight for around 20.00 and get a reading on the cylinders with it.

__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

Ok, sounds like a good start, now just to make sure I understand right, the cam mark is behind the sproket on the left side (drivers side) with the corosponding mark on the front cam hold-down thingy?

The crank marks are like a small block chevy, with a little "bracket" with the timming degrees on it, just to the left of the crank pully?

Do you need a special tool to pull the injectors?

and what should the compression be on these engines?

Oh, and your right, the fuel comes out of the IP and lands on your jacket laying on the grass!!

the timing tab is not like a SBC, but it is similar, and you will have no problem reading it.
a 1-1/16 deep socket or 27 MM deep socket is required to get the injectors out, and you will need a long breaker bar and a good whollop to pop them free. if you just try to pull on the bar, you may loosen the Prechamber rings, and youdon't wanna do that.

__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

Intermittent easy cranking, lots of blow-by and after a loud bang. Sounds like you have yourself a cracked piston or a hole in a piston.

If the timing chain was skipping or broken, you would not be able to turn it at all.

Forcedinduction, thats not what I wanted to hear!!!

The chain isn't broken and everything still rotates while cranking over, just no start. If it was a dead piston, wouldn't the engine still start though?

When I wake up in the morning I'm going to check the timing first, then the valves for clearence, then the compression test, see what happens from there.

oh, I found what the compression levels are supposed to be, thanks though. It should be a 24mmx2mm hole?

ok, spent the whole day working on this thing, this is what I learned:

all the glowplugs are working, I took them all out and tried them, they all "glowed" so I put them back in.

the timing marks on the cam are lined up with the marks on the crank, showing 4 degreese (I honestly dont remember if it was before or after)

All the exhaust valves were out and needed adjusting, but I only had to adjust one intake valve.

A new fuel filter was put in and there is more than enough fuel to the IP (I bypassed the fuel tank and lines and am currently running a 5 foot piece of fuel line to a gerry can.

Now, this is where it gets tricky. I removed all the injector lines at the injectors and cranked it over, the fuel barely comes out, almost like a dribble, I figured that was just because there is so much volume in the fuel line to move? So I removed the other end of the injector line, so they were completly off the car, then cranked it over again. The fuel comes out of the IP and shoots about a foot in the air, for something with 1500psi I would have thought it would have gone further? and the last outlet off the pump (the one closest to the firewall) has a small drible coming out of it. So I would say it was the pump? oh, all the vacume lines have been disconected at the IP as previously advised

I am going to try and find a preasure guage to fit on the injector pump to test the preasure, but while Im waiting for the shops to open tomorrow I thought I would see if you guys had any other thoughts? I am also going to test the compression but have to find A compression testor with a 24mm adaptor imposable to find in this town and i have to wait for it to clear customs if i order one online, but I can't even turn the engine over with a powerbar, so the compression seems to be there.

Oh, after disconecting the glow plugs at the conector on the wheel well i tried starting it with quick start, but it still wouldn't start?

Any more thoughts?

you can go to harbour freight or their website and get a compression tester for a deal. It comes with a fitting to fit in the glow plug hole instead of the injector.

The bang could have been anything from a piston blowing to the fuel tank imploding.

I know about HF, the only problem is waiting 2 weeks for it to clear customs, then get delivered here. Thats the only problem with that, I should be able to find one tomorrow somewhere.

customs you say? where are you located.. just cureous is all

kenora, ontario, canada, yuppers, lots of bush but not much mecedes!!!