Thread: Smoking 350 Sdl
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Old 10-17-2004, 08:34 PM
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gsxr gsxr is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2001
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All 1990-up MB diesels have afterglow. The time may vary depending on model, but they all have it. The 603 is NOT a 'smoker when cold', nor does it lack significant power when cold. You DO need to let it glow MUCH longer than the idiot light says when it gets colder than, say, 50 or 40F outside or it WILL shake and smoke. (The light is much too optimistic.) Try counting to 10 or 15 after the light goes out before cranking. This is not necessary when warm. I would wonder about the IP timing, btw. If it's never been adjusted, it's probably 2+ degrees retarded. It shouldn't be very noisy below 1300rpm.

BTW - when temps get really cold, like 20F or below, you'll need to allow a good 20-30 seconds of pre-glow before attempting to start the engine. The colder it is, the longer you let it glow, ignoring the optimisic dash glow light...

On a side note, my old 1987 300D had no factory afterglow. I used the 50C temp switch from the tranny circuit (which I bypassed, since it caused a flare when the engine was colder than 50C) to make a 'poor man's afterglow' setup. When the engine temp is below 50C, it leaves the plugs on for the full 60 seconds (minus whatever time I pre-glowed). Above 50C, it turns them off after the engine starts, same as normal. Yeah, this will shorten plug life by probably 20-40%, but I think it's worth it. Next set of plugs I install will be afterglow rated to compensate. :p

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