If you go through the simple, yet methodical steps in the "Bringing a dead engine back to life" Tech Tip, there should be no need for ether. Just follow the Tech Tip -- Look at who helped me put it together -- easily several centuries of experience represented there.
Friday afternoon, we brought a sleeping diesel back to life after at least a decade of dormancy. Of course the steps are a little different for a diesel, its basically the same methodical approach to avoid causing serious damage.
