Steiner sitrep:
I was really worried so much about the whole thing, because any one of about a dozen things could possibly cause me to part it out.
I had drained the old engine oil out, and re-filled with Delo and a new filter.
Checked the hydraulic fluid level, and it looked really clean. Does the Steiner official tranny oil have any dye or color in it? This was amber clear on the dip stick, and right up to the full mark. I see they recommend a brand from Texas Refinery Corp.
I still had the glow plugs out, because I wanted to try and turn it over for a minute to get oil into the all the right places before putting a strain on the engine. I was worried about the whole electrical system being in a totally bad state, after seeing the relay prongs totally rusted in half....
I put a decent 12v battery in it. Said some prayers, and turned the key to the first click and I could hear the fuel pump running, so I turned it to the next click and she started turning over like she's supposed to. The starter and solenoid are good. Check that off the list. I turned it over for maybe 20 seconds at a time like 3 times with a minute in between.....Turned the key to off and put a couple gallons of fresh diesel in it. Turned it on to the first click and it pumped fuel up to the top really quick, so I closed the bleeder after I made sure it didn't have water in it. Then I cranked the engine some more until I saw diesel "mist" shooting out of the glow plug holes on all 3 cylinders. Ok, I had fuel, now, let's see if it has enough compression to start.....I put the glow plugs back in (one of which I know is bad), and noticed the little blue glow plug light is working. Good. So, you turn on the key and wait for the blue glow plug light to go out to start cranking. I could tell by the sound that the starter was having to work harder now. After about 5-10 seconds, it still hadn't started. I turned the key off and back to the first click to let the glow plugs cycle again. Cranked on it again and first one, then 2, then all 3 cylinders fired up, and she's running smooth. I AM STOKED NOW!!! Tachometer works, but lens is fogged up. Let it run for a minute or so, but it started creeping backward on me so I turned it back off. I wanted to check some other things. I had to get the forward/reverse pedal freed up, it needs some lubrication on the linkage. I decided to take off some more sheet metal, and inspection plates to see what all is going on underneath. Got the foot pedal freed and fired it up again. WE HAVE FORWARD AND REVERSE! SO STOKED NOW, don't know if I can contain myself. OH yea, the power steering is working fine too.
The only thing not working yet, is the PTO. It is electric, and hopefully only has a wiring gremlin I hope. I might mess with it Sunday, after church.