Not my engine but gives you an idea of how to crank a small diesel.
I had to get back on child and wife care by 1300 hrs so, with a 3 hour trip back to Cadboro Bay, I wanted to get away from the Spit by no later than 08:00. It's a good thing I tried to start the engine early enough to realize that our battery was almost dead. Not enough power to start the engine! Yikes! Options discussed were as follows:
As Tom and I have been talking about the Yanmar's hand crank for a couple of years now, it was decided we'd try that first. Without decompressing the cylinders (there's a valve you can open) it was bloody impossible to crank. Even when decompressed, the crank would stop dead with compression.
It was Kevin who suggested we try the electric start WHILE cranking. And that was the trick. Although in retrospect, I wonder if the same results would have been achieved with the electric start WHILE decompressing the engine. That's actually what the decompression valve is for (when the battery is low).
Anyhow, it was a miracle but we managed to get underway on time, at 08:00. We pulled the crab trap up (didn't keep any) and motored to Tsehum Harbour to drop off Paul, Tom and Eric. Kevin would join me for the return to Cadboro Bay.