International surely had no way of knowing just how important their new 6.9 liter diesel would become when they introduced it in 1978. While the 6.9 liter's 170 horsepower and 338 foot-pounds of torque aren't particularly impressive by today's standards, the fact is this engine laid the foundation for a partnership between International and Ford that would eventually culminate in the well-known Powerstroke series.
Starting fluid is a mixture of various volatile hydrocarbons, primarily diethyl ether and heptane, butane and propane. Starting fluid has a much lower auto-ignition temperature than gas or diesel, making it an ideal fuel to start engines with ailing ignition or fuel-injection systems. The 6.9 liter diesel is a simple engine, and responds to starting fluid the same way that any other diesel does. A three to five second burst of starting fluid sprayed directly into the intake tube should be all you need if the engine is capable of starting at all.
Some old-timers will tell you that starting fluid is a death sentence for any engine, especially diesels. According to the wisdom of ages, diesel engines get "addicted" to starting fluid and will forever more require it after the first application. This is patently untrue; starting fluid is a fuel just like any other and your engine's physical structure in no way changes just because you start it with ether. More likely, this "addiction" is simply a worsening of whatever condition it was that forced you to use starting fluid in the first place.
