OT: Need some Diesel advise, Oh great collective, bathe me with your knowledge! Options

[Dr Evil]

This weekend has been very productive! All of my vehicles are at least turing fuel into noise. Now it is time to make it useful.

I put the fuel pump back in my Benz (it was out because I thought it was problematic). I adjusted the lever that actuates it and it now starts, but it runs rough.
-White smoke
-Knocks more than a diesel should
-Has no power (less then before (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) )

I made sure to NOT crank the engine with the pump removed and to keep the pump shaft from rotating so as to keep the orientation of the shafts in both correct. I may be off a little in my adjustment, but adjusting it will be a shitty task and I would like some veriffication that it is out of adjustment from someone more knowledgable than I before I go a bleeding all over the engine again.

In summary:
- Do the symptoms scream of any particular problem?
- any advice?

Thanks all!

[Dr Evil]

Oh ya, another tid bit of info that may lean your oppinions one way or the other.

When I had it sitting and was holding constant pedal it was kind of pulsating (not rhythmically, though) for lack of a better term. Rough, quiet, rough, etc. Also, when it is idling it is very mildly oscillating (wwAAwwAAwwAAA, ya know (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) )

Still sounds like out of time? Air? Makes no difference, run it and see what happens?

[messix]

Oh ya, another tid bit of info that may lean your oppinions one way or the other.

When I had it sitting and was holding constant pedal it was kind of pulsating (not rhythmically, though) for lack of a better term. Rough, quiet, rough, etc. Also, when it is idling it is very mildly oscillating (wwAAwwAAwwAAA, ya know (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) )

Still sounds like out of time? Air? Makes no difference, run it and see what happens?

air.
in high school i worked for a rental yard that rented out dozers, loaders and backhoes,. home owners would rent this equipment out and regularly run an diesel powered equipment out of fuel, then put gas in it. long story short i was pretty quick at draining the tank and purging the fuel injector pump and priming the inject lines.
don't run it any more than it takes to bleed the injectors, diesel are under a lot of stress as it is and having irregular ignition pulses can shorten the life of that little rattle can.