I have been playing hell with my 1976 240D. I have posted here several times before. It ran two weeks, then died for six. I finally got it started and found that it would not restart immediately after turned off when hot, so I assumed a bad starter.

I finally got the guts to drive it several miles away from home one day and the condition continue: It wouldn't start hot (cranked slow) but did restart after cooloing down for a few hours.

I got it home that night and the next day it wouldn't start again (I am beginning to think it has something to do with some mysterious Bermuda Triangle-like magnetic flux lines that run through my property).

I checked the IP oil reservoir and it appeared empty again so I refilled it. Figuring that because the IP oil went dry, and assuming that caused the IP to stop pumping, I tried to prime the IP with the hand pump and found that it is now harder than hell to move up and down, not because of fuel pressure resistance, but because it seems to have gotten tight in its bore. It was not like that two weeks ago. Anybody have this happen to them? Can that pump go bad (allow air past) even when there is no sign of a fuel leak?

I followed someone's advise here, that was very helpful in getting the car started the last time, which involved cracking the fuel lines at the injectors and cranking the engine. I am now seeing a lot of tiny air bubbles in the fuel squeezing through the cracked lines but I do not know if that is because the fittings are not the high point in the fuel circuit (the bends in the injector fuel lines are) or if is because the IP is sucking air through, possibly that rock hard priming pump. I am not crazy about throwing good money after bad, but I saw were a new primer pump is a measley 20 bucks. Does anyone think that could be the problem? Also, if the IP is leaking oil is that an easy fix. Thanks.

A new primer pump is about $20, I would just get a new one. If your IP ran for long without oil you could be looking at some major bad news. As to turning over slow, your engine needs to turn at least 100 RPM too start, is your battery in good condition?

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1985 Euro 240D 5 spd 140K
1979 240D 5 spd, 40K on engine rebuild
1994 Dodge/Cummins, 5 spd, 121K
1964 Allice Chalmers D15 tractor
2014 Kubota L3800 tractor
1964 VW bug

"Lifes too short to drive a boring car"

If you can post a video of you trying to start it on YouTube and link it to this thread, people might get a better sense of what to do next. Starters can fail when hot but without seeing and listening to it turn over, it's hard to know if that is the problem.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13