2L pickup won't quite start

[a1gemmel]

Convinced a friend he needed this auction-find diesel pickup, he won it and we picked it up yesterday.



It's reasonably clean, has a fresh naturally aspirated 2L motor in it, new tires, an ARB locker and a warn winch. We couldn't get it to start - neither of us know anything about diesels. Didn't bring any tools, weren't sure if the glow plugs were going. It would cough and fire weakly for maybe a few revolutions and then die. Seller (widow) claimed that it started and ran 2 weeks prior, but she doesn't know anything about the truck.

After doing some reading I was thinking of the following:
- verify that the glow plugs are good and working
- check the fuel pump prime and bleed the injector lines
- check the pump timing (however this is done)
- try to get it running on ether long enough to see if it runs on its own

What do you guys think?

[Gnarly4X]

Diesel fuel is hygroscopic... it will absorb water.

I owned a diesel Mercedes for quite a while in SoCal.

I learned a lot about that little 4 cylinder engine.
I added a quart of ATF about every 4th tank of fuel.
ATF acts like a cylinder and injection cleaner, really reduces diesel pinging.

On a vacation at very low temps, one morning it would not start.
Had to use starting fluid.  Got it to a Mercedes dealer and had the glow plugs replaced.

I'd drain the fuel tank, put in new diesel fuel. 

Try starting fluid if it still doesn't start.

Gnarls.