I am getting 12V into that relay, but cannot get 12V at the individual plug outputs. Also, no click on the relay, no cabin lights dimming.

Once I played around with the relay and the other connector, the one that must energize the relay, I got the glow light on and the car fired up immediately. Then after a few starts, no glow plugs - jiggled around wtih it, then I got a light again, and the car started.

So...it appears that either the relay is bad or the input signal to the relay is intermittent. Are there any other control circuits that would impact that circuit that energizes the relay? Maybe just bad connections at the input. I may just pull the relay apart and clean things up and then put things back together again and see what happens.

I know one thing, there is no way that car will fire without the glow plugs, at least at 60 degrees ambient. Once the glow plugs heat, even for a few seconds, it starts easily.

On a side note, what is different about these W210's that causes them not to smoke? I fired up the car in a closed garage for a couple of minutes, and I almost smell no diesel exhaust or smoke, it burns really clean. If I do that with my 240D or 300SD, that garage is filled with nasty smoke in about 60 seconds. Pretty impressive on the E300D!

__________________
Treiberg's Collection: 1981 240D, 1985 300SD, 1992 300E, 1997 E300D, 2005 C230K