well must be getting to thsat age, we've bought our first project a 1983 series 3 thats been off roaded for 5 years and stood for a year after taking a big drink................ well we have clean diesel, it is being pumped and sent to the injectors. we have glow plugs that glow, we have a good battery and excellent starter motor. we have read the threads and counted to 20 with the glowe plug ignition position with no throttle and clutch depressed. it kicks and bucks and sounds like its just about to blast into life but just fails to. we have pulled the kill knob and it is working and the engine kicks back in and whether we jiggle the throttle or not it just won't go that extra bit and breath life back into it! Have we missed anything really obvious or is it time to spend money on a mechanic????? would love to do it ourselves and await the arrival of the Haynes manual. Thanks for looking Stuart & Mary

:welcome2: By the "Big drink", was it drowned in a flood? If it was immersed in water the piston rings will be rusted out, bores scored and little compression. Have you tried a bigger battery or pulling it for a bump start in 2nd gear?

Don't bother with the Haynes - download this:-
pdf Land Rover Manuals | Landroverweb.com

Well worth doing a compression test.

Hello.............:welcome2:

I find a squirt of wd-40 down the intake usually wakes mine up! Failing that, a can of start ya bastard (easy start ) usually works.

If its been under water, as has already been said - compression test it.

thank you all for tips and links, we'll get the compression checked out and then go for the large battery some "easy start" and follow that with a tow in 2nd gear. look forward to contributing to the zone and great to be a part of this mad community

a whiff of easy start direct in the inlet manifod will start most diesels...... you shold only need a very short squirt, whilst its being cranked over is best..... but if yer on yer own squirt and jump in and crank immediatly without usin the heaters...... too much easy start and you can get preignition and allsorts of nastly knocks and rattles till its cleared. i