Tan (blegh) 244 manufactured 6/85 has a B230 mated to an M46. Has 169k. Lots of new parts, because the PO I guess was fishin' for a fix but couldn't figure it out and got frustrated, and then I stepped in. Good interior, all electricals work (so far), new tires, seemingly good suspension and front end judged by my inspection.

The problem is that it won't start. PO said it ran great then just died one day and could never get it started again. Here's all the stuff he replaced:

-ECU
-wiring harness
-ignition coil
-cap (red) and rotor (white, never seen one of these before)
-plugs and wires (bosch platinum 2x, I feel like i've heard that these don't work so well with volvos)
-main fuel pump
-fuel filter
-O2 sensor
-battery

When I crank, it turns over erraticly, slow at times, and makes an occasional pssssht sound, like a misfire. Engine shakes a lot. I found that the plug wires were installed incorrectly, so I fixed that. I've got 12.4v at the battery before startup. It smells gassy after cranking. The distributor was retarded as far as it would go, so I advanced it about halfway (I didn't have a timing gun handy today) and the misfire seemed to go away, but no closer to starting. Timing belt looks rough, but no missing teeth and tension was good.

I've been working on a lot of diesels these days and kinda forgot how to do this. Troubleshooting is even tougher here because a questionable "mechanic" (the PO) did all of this and who knows what else he f'ed up beyond the plug wires.

I've never heard a Volvo turn over so poorly, where do I start? It seems like a simple fix.
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1980 244 diesel M46 168k, my 4th 240