Agreed!

The few times I have needed a jump start I had mixed experiences.

Once was in Eugene and the 300SD didn't like the defroster/heater + high beams + etc. running that 100mile trip down there...
Apparently I was using more than the alternator was putting out..

I shut the car down...came back to it two days later and it was dead...barely even kicked the solenoid. I used my friends Nissan Altima to jump start (eugene isn't a city of big-rigs) and that alternator on that Nissan WHINED hard...it had to be drawing max load...

The second time I needed it, similar situation. Was in Portland getting ready to leave school and I had one working glow plug left. Cranked and cranked but it never quite caught.
Was eventually dead...
Dad's friend from around those parts showed up a few hours later with his VW vanagon...jump started it and away I went.

Upgrading the 300SD's alternator to the 115Amp unit was a VERY good idea.

I carry FAT jumper cables (the good kind) and have seen those thin wire ones...so crappy. I usually keep my eyes open for people needing jump starts as the battery in my mercedes is tip top and the alternator can take the juice.

A interesting comment, a flashlight jammed in the accellerator linkage works great to get the RPM's up around 1200-1400RPM for better alternator output. (I've had to jump a few people )

If a ja-po-nese car's computer doesn't fry when I can hear the alternator working full tilt and I am connected to a tiny battery....I would think the crown vic (with the big leece neville alternator) would be able to handle a little outjuicing.

Around here they would ticket me for "Faulty Equipment" or some sort if I asked for help...I am better off punching myself in the face...

If your car can't run the defroster/heater and high beams, the voltage regulator or alternator diodes are suspect. More places can run a load test on an alternator. Then they will sell you a new one.

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Regards

Warren

Currently 1965 220Sb, 2002 FORD Crown Vic Police Interceptor

Had 1965 220SEb, 1967 230S, 280SE 4.5, 300SE (W126), 420SEL

ENTER > = (HP RPN)

Not part of the in-crowd since 1952.

I worked for a auto electric shop for a summer so I have been in my fair share of alternators.
It had brand new brushes/regulator and the diodes all checked out OK.
I think it was the aftermarket headlights, heavy defroster use, AC clutch, extra brake lights, etc that just all added up.

Anyone who has owned a w126 body with the 65Amp (or is it 55Amp) knows what I am talking about...you turn on the fan and the headlights dim.

Headlight Upgrade

I don't buy a new alternator because I know how much money in parts goes into it (barely anything)...I do whatever rebuilding I can (and in this case, got a 115Amp Bosch unit to rebuild)

i love that i can now turn this long rant into a help thread!

is the merc's alternator internally regulated? im looking, so i might solve it myself, but this was the first thread that came up on a search=)

what needs to be replaced?

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at least most are...I don't know if all are however.

those that are pop out with 2 screws...from under the car.

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Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

I have the jumper cable that my father owned before he passed away. These cables are older than I am, and they could probably jump start a jumbo jet... They are very long and the wire inside the insulation is a very heavy guage wire. these cables dont play games.. lol..

I always carry them in my trunk, just in case I need them... So far I have only used them to jump other peoples cars....

I think that the cop should have jumped you off because its the curteous thing to do... If he did, it might help the public have a better opinion of the cops.

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1983 Mercedes 300D
Atlanta, GA

Brilliant concept, beast!!! How about you being curteous and drive over to Augusta this week-end and mow my lawn. I promise you that I will have a better opinion of you if you do!!!
Of course, you might already be planning a trip to Birmingham to change Neon's voltage regulator. That would be curteous, too. I'll bet he will even treat you to a sundae at McDonalds.

my father doesnt play games with cheap cables either, he made a set for all of us, theyre long enough to park two cars trunk to trunk and still reach, are made of inch thick cable and have these industrial strength clamps.

if i had a complaint about them, it'd be that my hand strength is BARELY enough to open them heh heh

they also like to chew up battery cable thingees.

i do think the cop could have given me a jump, icecream in august or not.

i can think of a dozen fun hypothetical situations that it would be advantageous for him to have jumped the car. there are also lots of negative ones as well.

but my point is really as follows...

a cop full of fattening mcdonalds and even ice cream(i will refrain from mentioning his health and appearance in general) would be of lno use to the public at large fighting REAL crime. he wasnt capable of running, he could sit on a perp and detain him, though.

his appearance really troubles me now that i think about it. a 45 year old with a 42" waist. yeah, he can do a lot to protect people... the general health of our "law enforcement" agents sort-of points to their real purpose...

writing tickets.

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Surely you would not want such a pathetic specimen jumping your Mercedes. And there you were, fully prepared to buy him another sundae if he cooperated.

Speaking of stupid people, do you know the difference between the "Diesel Discussion" forum and the "Open Discussion" forum?
One is for folks trying to solve problems; the other is for folks trying to cause problems. And you are in the wrong one.

tango--

it might be asking a lot from you but...

may i ask that you think beyond the general "x is broken on my diesel and i need to know how to fix it" post?

this IS diesel related. diesels have big batteries, people are afraid of them. let alone mercedes benz diesels, which are far more exotic to most than a chevrolet or chrysler diesel.

this is where the abstraction comes in... SOMETHING was wrong with the car and made it not charge. the car is a diesel... thus i ranted to the people that might help me repair the fault that caused the dead battery.

i wont apologize for posting about the publics low opinion of we "Weird car drivers" because of misinformation and/or misunderstanding.

the point of this post is that everyone(including the policeman) that watched me try to crank my car and fail sat idle and thought(this is a guess...)

"hrmph, look at the poor little rich guy in his mercedes that wont start, even my *insert any other car make here* will start, i guess its just too bad... i bet he has the money for a tow truck."

i *think* i found the problem. the fan shroud had come unclipped and was grinding away on the belts, it has a large chunk missing on the bottom and a 1"x1" square chunk around the top.

would this cause the belts to turn slowly and not recharge the battery?

otherwise i will pull the alternator and have it tested. im about to be out for summer break and will get to all those little car problems(hooking the battery charger overnight used to make it run for a week without going dead in the winter) but i havent had a dead battery since the weather warmed up!

*edit*

may i ask why you looked at a post that so obviously was "off topic?"

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The policy of each police department differs but I doubt that battery jumps, push starts, or road service is considered part of their public duty.

I try to have no dealings with the police at all, it's safer. But I have seen the CHP give jumps, push a car to safety, and even change a flat tire for someone who couldn't do it themselves. ALL of them will call AAA for you.

Do yourself a favor and have your battery load tested and your charging voltage tested. Belts tight enough? Battery terminals clean? Battery cables original and hard as a rock?

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You can get farther with a smile and a gun than you can with just a smile.

1984 300D
1985 300CD
1980 300SD
1993 SL500

I don't see the problem you have a dead battery whats the problem? The cop can't give you a jump for liability reasons. The MB road side assistance number should be on a sticker inside your glove box. Heck I would have bought a battery from them, might as well get it done all in one shot. I am kind of surprised MB wouldn't jump start it though, even the latest models have connectors for that.

AAA is a great thing to have with old cars.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

iNeon,
If this thread is diesel-related, then "Gone With the Wind" is a movie about making curtains.

But I had to laugh when you described the "bubba" that you encountered at a McDonalds in Alabama. Imagine that!!! Go to Denny's next time; I heard that's where all the sophisticated folks in Birmingham hang out.

hey hey hey

i didnt call him stupid, i called him a bubba. theres a difference.

stupid people buy asian cars and slather them in patriotic ribbon stickers.

bubbas buy domestic trucks and vans and have nascar stickers. or that "get er done sticker" what is that for, btw?

you might visit the south before making commentary, we dont even have denny's restarants.

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No, too many stupid people there. I read that they are everywhere!!!!