Diesel lines bleeding help

[captmikem]

Before you give up, a couple items to try.

Pull the air filter off and put your palm over the intake, sealing it. Now have someone crank it for a little bit and after a few seconds pull your hand away. If it sticks, (sucked on) then you have compression because you have suction..

When you bleed, (don’t mean to insult your intelligence here) crack all the injector feed lines, make sure it is not the return, (common), when they are all loose crank the engine when you start seeing fuel (not foam ) coming from one, tighten it while still cranking, as the others clear up (one or two and it will probably start running) tighten them up.

A while ago I had a Perkins I changed the filters on, filled up the filter with diesel and cranked it, it would not start. Took a LONG time of bleeding it before it finally started. I was getting dismayed because it took a LONG LONG time, just kept getting foam, put persistence paid off.
Just make sure they are all cracked a good bit. At least a couple of turns, then crank away.

Of note, a few years ago I was laying at Jekyll island. A nice couple was towed in. I went to talk to them the next day and they told me they had been on a sand bar and the engine quit. They were towed in and a mechanic came aboard, examined the engine and told them it was worn out, had no compression. They were figuring what they were going to sell to buy a used engine. I asked them if they minded if I looked at it, they said help yourself. I pulled the air cleaner off and put my palm over the intake and had them crank it, lots of suction! I worked the fuel cut off which happened to be right there, it was an electric solenoid and sticky, I freed it up and asked them to try it. Bang started right off. They left the next day to continue their trip south.

Don’t give up on a diesel easily, they just about run forever if you keep clean fuel and oil in them.

Good luck!

M

[AndyEss]

Instead of spraying WD-40 into the intake, try engine starting fluid (ether). Ether is used even in big truck diesels to help them start in extremely cold weather. It's explosive, so be careful, and don't try to run the engine for any length of time if it does start.
If the engine pops, starts and begins to run with the ether starting fluid, you still have a fuel problem, not a compression problem.
The fact that you got grey smoke from spraying WD-40 into the intake suggests you may still have compression, and the engine is not toast.

[Sandibar]

Thanks for the extra suggestions. I have bled the diesel lines numerous times so don't think that fuel feed is the issue. I'd thought that if the engine compresses properly WD-40 would fire it up. I could feel air moving to the air intake, but did not check how strong the suction is.
I also don't think the grey smoke came from the WD40. Although I had earlier squirted some in to the air intake, I cranked the engine after removing the exhaust and without WD40, when it ejected. It looked more like old carbon build up.
I may still try it with proper starter fluid, but have already asked for a quotation for a new engine as an option.