I've just been given permission to take "an old diesel" mercedes off of someone's hands. The car is covered and the paint is good from what i understand, but it's been sitting for a while and will not run. What should i take with me to atempt to get it running/ diagnosed? I'm getting the car as a gift, and would like to be able to make it run. From what i understand, it's a late 1970's model. I do not know the model number yet, or the actual year. I know it's vague, but any suggestions would help.

I would say the least you will need is a fresh charged battery and the necessary tools to get it installed. It doesn't really pay to try to jump start a car thats been sitting for a long time.
I would try to find out from someone how long it has been sitting. How long have the license been expired. Does it look like it has been sitting for years. Then also, I think a small can of fresh diesel and enough hose to hook into the supply line along with a fresh filter or filters. Try to keep the can of diesel above the height of the pump. If it starts hook to regular tank if fuel is present and looks and smells reasonable. Stop engine to before making fuel changeover.
I think a helper/buddy is invaluable in a situation like that. "Two edds is better then one! Watch out for snakes and vermin!


If it was easy everybody would do it!

junqueyardjim

First put NEW proper oil into it. Put a new oil filter on it. Do not turn the motor until you do that.
Then put the new battery in .....
Take off the screw on fuel filter and fill it with Diesel Purge.
Use the hand pump and bleed the air from the screw on fuel filter.
Syphon all the stuff out of the fuel tank... then put in some fresh diesel fuel .. with a can of Diesel Purge.
Then take the glowplugs out and use the new battery to turn the engine over until you see pressure registered on the guage on the dash....
Put a new clear inline filter on it...
check and fill up your coolant level....
after oil pressure is registered... put glowplugs back in and start it up.

Do a valve setting as soon as practical.

Trailor would be my first choise. But in the event you do not have one in the yard a good battery and good jumper cables to start with. From there a set of glow plugs may be needed, but you will need to see what you have there first. The fuel filters should be changed before turning the engine over, as well as a fresh oil filter and a fresh oil change.
Likely the 50 amp GP fuse is either out or blown. On that vintage it is usuaully mounted on the firewall, behind the engine and if not blown, it should be at least unscrewed and cleaned, if not replaced.
Take a volt- ohmeter and check for 12v at the glow plugs. Won't ever start without that.
Once the GP's are operable and the filters are changed out, locate the fuel hand pump on the injector pump and see if it will pump fuel into the IP. If it will not then that will probably need to be replaced, or possibly cleaned up and made to work again. Pump until fuel pours out of the top of the big fuel filter when loosened.
Then crack open an injector line and turn the engine over until fuel apprears there. Retighten and it may even start then, unless something else is bad. Did I mention that the fuel is likely to have green grass growing inside the tank? yes it will, best to drain the tank and dump in some algea kill, buy at a good parts store. Oh yes, refill with fresh fuel.

"What should i take with me to atempt to get it running/ diagnosed?"

Don't try to start it there. At very least, the brakes will be iffy and the tires may be shot. Have it towed to your house free of charge by the auto club. If you don't belong to the auto club join. But remember you have to wait a week before your first free tow call.

When you get it home clean it up and examine everything you can find in the trunk, glove compartment, and under the seats. Don't throw anything away! Except the McDonald's wrappers and dried up ball point pens. Anything else, especially bolts, screws or weird shaped pieces of metal or plastic are sure to be irreplacable parts for the car. A month after you throw them away you will suddenly find where they go.

Put all the parts you find in a box and put the box in the trunk. You may well find brand new parts and these will tell you what part failed and resulted in the car being out of commission. For example if you find new brake pads and discs in the trunk that tells you the brakes were faulty when it was put away.

You will probably need to test and recharge the battery unless it is completely shot and needs replacement. In that case borrow the battery out of your other car. No need to blow the money for a battery until you find out if the car is any good. Try to get it running and try out the lights, steering etc. Make a list of ALL the repairs the car needs, and only then decide if you want to go ahead. Please don't start with big renditions of grandeur, only to waste hundreds or thousands of $$$$ bucks, only to give up half way through. Figure out what all the car needs before you commit yourself.

If it is more than you want to get involved in, clean the car up, wash it nicely, pump up the tires and put it up for sale as is. Please don't mess around with the car trying to get it going cheap. Be honest, and sell it for a reasonable price to someone who knows what they are doing or if it is really far gone, sell it as a parts car.

Either trailer or a tow truck which picks it up by the wheels... but the trailer to your house is sure the best deal....

Just one more point I think would be real important- whether or not you tow the car home immediately. When you take the glow plugs out as in the procedure above, try to crank the engine over by hand to make sure it is not seized up. If it's a manual tranny, put it in gear and rock the car- if you see the pulleys turning you're OK. If it's automatic, try getting a big socket and breaker bar on the crank pulley and see if it budges. If it doesn't budge, liberally shoot some good penetrating oil into the plug holes and let it sit a few hours, then repeat this procedure. It may come unstuck, then you can try cranking it with the starter.

Dave

1976 300D

I always do that to old engines .... but forgot to mention it... it can keep you from messing up a lot of other things.... like rings....

all of the above posts are fine and very cautious. i have been going and fetching dead cars for 40 years now. i have never done all that and i have never damaged an engine by trying to start it. i would put the cables on it and see if it cranks over without any hesitation. if it wont crank over then i would start looking from there.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

"fine and very cautious."

Thank You... when dealing with OTHER peoples cars I try to be that way.
If dealing with my own then the risk is totally mine... not fair to take chances with other people's things when they may not know they are taking a risk... like with not turning it over by hand first...

i should have said "if it were mine"...

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Get a bloody truck and trailer. Drag the car out of the weeds. Take it home where you can work on it in your own driveway. Don't try to start it in the field. Then do everything that everyone else has recommended.

That sounds easy... but I have seen times with borrowed truck and trailer when I had no way to winch it onto the trailer... starting it was mandatory...

just get a U-Haul tow dolly if you have a vehicle that can tow it it'll cost you 40 bucks

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87 300d Turbo 241K with original #14 head (blue)
87 300d Turbo 198K will run great again someday (silver)
84 300sd sold ( buyer drove it to Paraguay )

are in my experience to be regarded with caution. i have had bad experiences with them and did damage to one car while using a tow dolly in the manner in which it was supposedly designed to be used.

a trailer is a much better idea. in my younger days a great many dead cars came home on the end of a rope or on tow bars.

many options are money driven. if you dont have much you do things so that you have more to spend on repairs.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.