[Tl;dr at the bottom]
Ok, so I disabled the glow plugs by pulling the electrical caps off and tucking away. Then I tried starting it using a generous spray of ether and reaching in the window to crank it over. Not happening - the truck turns over and spins like it isn’t registering that I’m spraying ether and it doesn’t look like there’s smoke coming out of the manifold pipes.
Then I cracked all of the injector cap to see if there’s fuel getting to the injectors. There wasn’t - I cranked the motor with all 8 lines loosened and not a drop of fuel was spraying out of the injector caps.
Then I checked the Schraeder valve at the fuel filter head, and fuel was spraying out of the valve when I cranked. So we know the fuel pickup/mechanical pump is getting fuel up to the fuel filter inlet side.
So far we’ve isolated the problem to be between the fuel filter/filter head, and the injector lines. It is possible the injector lines are blocked. It’s possible the injector pump needs servicing. It’s possible that the fuel filter is clogged. It’s possible that the fuel filter head is full of gunk and junk.
Its odd that the truck didn’t start on ether. It is possible that the engine has low compression and needs a compression check. My theory on why the truck doesn’t start using ether is because the ether doesn’t carry enough energy by itself to start the combustion, like when it can’t mix with diesel. each motor is particular and maybe this one is pickier than others when it comes to fueling.
I noticed that the intake manifold has a ton of mud and debris on the inside, so I think the intake should come off before that debris gets sucked inside.
It also looks like the glow plug controller at the back of the motor is completely absent
For now I’ve ordered a replacement fuel filter - the Napa one. I’ve also ordered a new Delphi fuel injector return line and refresh kit. Does anyone know if the Delphi comes with the Viton and not rubber O rings?
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Tl;dr:
No fuel at injectors. Glow plug controller unhooked. Won’t start on ether. There is fuel at the shrader valve.