L245DT Hard Warm Start

[North Idaho Wolfman]

WHOA....! Yes you do have low compression. Have you checked the valve clearances yet? You could have tight valves. Check the clearances first before diving in and pulling the engine down.

You do know the odds of that are about a billion to one right...

 

[motorhead]

I am surprised you didn't mention checking the valve clearances. Found many Mercedes diesels that were hard starting, both cold and warm and they had tight valves. Found this on VW diesels too. Set them to proper clearances and the engines started well. He could well have worn rings too but why not at least check them for clearances.

 

[ranger danger]

Thanks everyone, I do appreciate the help. I've been reading and watching youtube videos. I'm going to do the work myself. My plan is to pull the head and check the bores, valves and head condition. Then I'll make some decisions on how far I need to go. If needed, I'll put in new sleeves, pistons, rings and rod bearings. I'll also reset the valves when I put it back together.
From what I have been reading in the parts catalogs, the sleeves come "Semi Finished"??? Does that mean I still need to hone them before installing the new pistons? For removing the old sleeves, does this video look right?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwrNE9S6e_8&t=19s