Greetings All:

With warm weather, I'm finally making some strides on the KMD 2.5, thanks to the good advice here. It's most gratifying (and a bit amazing) to start an engine without any form of electrical assistance - I think I'm really going to like this diesel thing!

A progress report: It took a lot of flipping and some outside heat to find the right starting compression setting, but it will now start predictably after an exhaust port prime and 10 flips. So far I've had two, one-minute runs at a slow to medium speed with a bit of sputtering and white exhaust smoke. After slightly reducing compression, it slowed down a bit (very gratified that the contra piston is responsive both ways). Haven't got it to run at peak yet.

So I suspect my next move is to the heat cycling process. In order to peak, I take it that small, alternate steps involving higher compression and richer mixture would be the way to go?

At any rate, the engine is a beauty, and I really like the diesel smell! Here is my break-in setup. Thanks!