Hi all! 1981 240DL B21F with the creative past...
Last time i posted it was with starting problems that got traced down to the dielectric grease on the ignition module wiring connector had dried out. Guess i need to watch that close since i live in the desert...
It still is weird to start. It cranks happily, but wont catch until it's damn well ready to. (it IS getting both spark and gas.) I put an ether port on the air intake line (pop bottle top glued in, open the top, hit it with starting fluid, close the cap, starts up) but thats inconvienient. I think the reason it doesn't like to start has to do with an oil or water leak, very very slow, getting into the cylinders, and having to be ejected before the car will start. at the moment i dont have money (or another running vehicle, thats coming up soon) to consider opening it up and doing a ring /head gasket job. the longer the car sits without being started, the longer i have to crank it before it will start. I put hotter spark plugs in and that shortened the crank time a bit, which adds to that theory. The fact that hitting it with starting fluid helps makes me think it burns out the crap faster also...

The shop i occasionally take it to (when i cant cope with it and have money, not often) put a relay in that if the starter cranks for more than 5 seconds and the car hasnt started, it triggers the fifth injector. That worked for a while, but doesnt seem to be working anymore, (the relay slipped out of position just before a heavy rainstorm and filled up with water, oops) and i cant afford a new one.
I used to have an old VW with a manual choke, i loved it, i could control the fuel/air by hand and start it easily. I would like to remove the dysfunctional relay and put in a manual switch to trigger the fifth injector. Would this work? is there a way others have done it? should i make it up? will i damage the ignition module if i do so?
So i guess the questions are:
1. Will i damage the ignition module if i hook up a manual override on the fifth injector? (my guess is no, thats what that relay was doing)
2. Is there a way others have done it, or do i need to figure it out myself? (doesnt look hard, the relay has all the wires for it right there to work with)
3. Is this just a BadIdea (TM) ? (if so, any better ones?)

Thanks for any thoughts on the matter :)
Delphine