(My first posting; hello everyone!)

The details: 1985 300TD Turbo
Cool Weather in Michigan (35 degrees F)
Car starts immeditately, BUT:
No power: full throttle barely creates movement
Once 1500 RPM's arrives: ROCKETSHIP acceleration
After 3-5 minutes, problem is gone, drives normally.

This problem is not affected by EGR disabling/reconnecting as tested during the last month. Once the car is warm, it drives it like a gas car. I have never fooled with the ALDA, but perhaps a past owner did--I have only driven one winter in Texas, so cold weather has not been a problem before.

Is this as simple as a vacuum line seal someplace? Where?

I have the same issue... I am thinking that it is a lack of fuel, from the lift pump... or lack of pressure. Not sure yet, but it is a lack of fuel in some respect.
Jason

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46 WDX Power Wagon

84 300TDT daily driver

Your problem is caused by cold precombustion chambers. My SDL is also sluggish until it reaches operating temperature. I'm easy on it until it's warm because the transmission seems a little unhappy when it's cold. I'm not complaining... it's a high mileage powertrain that is still providing faithful service. It drive gently until it reaches 80°C and then I give it a good run through 3rd gear. After that, it's ready for just about anything.

An ALDA tweak will probably help you out a little bit. But keep in mind that the problem is inherent in the design of these engines. Remember, a diesel engine will make more power as it gets hotter.

Why would it produce full power once the thing finally reaches 1500 rpms though? It is still cold but taking off like a rocket.

All MB diesels are sluggish cold -- my 300D grumbles and lags badly for the first half mile or so, and this is normal -- the precambers are stone cold, compression pressure is fairly low becuase you have excess clearances, etc. Once it warms up a bit (a mile or so), it's pretty much normal.

You get much better performance above 1500 rpm because the timing advances and you have some (if not full) boost and more fuel.

A minute or so of idling will help quite a bit, and drive very gently it at all possible while it warms up. Many a Volvo TD has been ruined by hard driving cold -- the timing and fuel delivery are both advanced to give more power cold, with the result that ring and cylinder damage can occur. MB doesn't do that, so you get to live with sluggish cars.

Small price to pay for the reliability and longevity in my opinion.

You should, however, check timing chain stretch and injection timing. Late timing will make this MUCH worse.

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

Perhaps all turbos are sluggish when cold as my 240D was fine in the cold.

When I got my 85 300TD-T about a month and a half ago, it too was VERY sluggish when cold, it would barely move off the line (though I can't honestly say any rocketship ever arrived). After lots of normal maintainence type stuff (valve adjustment, diesel purge, full fluid changes) it's still sluggish when cold, but it can at least get out of its own way.

If you haven't already, do the full maintainence routine. Just my 2 cents.