Not long ago, I purchased a block heater that fits into the hose going from the thermostat to the lower radiator connection. Well, the darn thing stopped working. What a PITA.

Anyways, guess I gotta do some searching on the site on how to install the manufacturer's block heater.

Is it the hole right above the engine coolant drain plug above the starter? Do I simply screw it in? Any suggestions in making it so that it doesn't seize as I've read about (maybe spray with PB blaster or something)? How tight to you screw it in? Can you simply just leave it in there, or should you take it out every now and then so it doesn't sieze?

Thanks,

Pete.

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Okay, I read the threads after searching on installation of block heater....

Man, sounds like it might be worth it to get an indy to install it for me if I can get it done for $150 or less. What a pain that looks like.

Pete.

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You are not having a good week, car-wise. Did you do something to piss off the automotive gods?

FWIW, after reading about installing the block heater, I would have someone else do it too.

Speaking as an indie MB shop owner, block heaters ARE a royal PITA to install! Especially after the car has aged like most of ours have. I got a laugh out of the "simply unscrew" in your post. I wish it were that easy. I generally have to get my "biggest" mechanic on a block heater install, gotta have the a$$ to put the force on the breaker bar and keep fingers crossed that your socket doesn't break, hehe!

And I think my block heater has recently given up the ghost on my 300SD (the factory one). Well, most likely the cord is bad but I might just put an entire new one in to be on the safe side. Although usually I don't even plug my 300SD in at night. Always makes me happy when I go outside in the morning and it's below zero outside and she lights right off with one 40 second glow! Good machine, faithful machine.

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Regards,
Aaron

I was just at Oreilly. My 81 800D still wont start without 30 minutes of cranking in 35 F temps. It has no block heater and was never sold with one. I spent today putting 5 new glowplugs in and adjusting the valves. Still no luck. I have 10.3V at all my glow plugs for like 30-40 seconds when i turn on the key. The ready light goes off before the relay cuts the plugs off. The resistance from the relay plug to all of them is .5 ohms on 5 terminals. The only thing I did not actually do was watch a plug actually heat up.

The half wits at the auto store said I needed an engine block heater and old diesels by nature were hard to start in the cold. Where i am in Nashville, TN it never hardly snows (it used to snow several good times a winter when i was a kid and ponds would freeze over) . It was 40F all day today. I told them i did not think it was true and that you should not need a block heater in this climate and that is why they did not put one on the car in the first place. So at what temp should you need a block heater?

And while you are at it, if you will the last thing I have not adjusted that I know too is "start of delivery". Could that be so out of whack that the car wont start when it is a little cold but start right up after it has been driven? It will start right up with one glow and 2 seconds of cranking several hours after it has been driven when it is about 35.

Thanks for any help.


thanks.

IF: 1.You've replaced the glow plugs.
2.The Glow system (and each individual plug) is getting the required volts.
3.The glow relay (and fusible link) are good.

I'd look at the fuel filters,then look for fuel system leaks (air).

LONG cranking is symptomatic of using the starter to BLEED the fuel system (may be a tiny air leak).

The quick starts after the engine has warmed up,direct us to GLOW system problems.

Thanks,
I thought fuel filters may be poor too and changed them 3 days
ago and changed the oil and filter. I just got the car and this was the first time doing this. I used 15W-40 Rotella but it rarely gets below 15 here. I probably should have gone with something thinner though.

I also thought that since it cranks right up when warm, something in wrong in the glow system. But I cannot find anything. I guess I should watch a plug heat up off a wire. I do notice that the fuse is not a flat metal blade like the 50A in the Jetta. It is a piece of wire (fusable link wire?) with eyelits. Is this a true 80A fuse or a make shift thing some put in there? I guess I should measure the amps coming out of the relay? That is what I forgot to check. The amps. If the relay is burnt it may give voltage and but not enough amps to heat the plugs good? Also, is 10.3 the correct voltage at the plugs ? Since they are 11V plugs I figured this was a safe voltage.

(Hijacked thread anyone ?)

thanks,

Something sounds fishy here. The GP fuse should look like these:

http://catalog.eautopartscatalog.com/mercedesshop/sophio/wizard.jsp?partner=mercedesshop&clientid=catalog.mercedesshop&baseurl=http://catalog.peachparts.com/&cookieid=1CQ0J3JZ41OI0K51GK&year=1981&make=MB&model=300-D-002&category=All&part=Strip+Fuse&appChassis=_any

Also, 10.3V at the GPs sounds low. They are rated for 11V, and as I recall, I was getting right around 11V last time I checked mine.

Biopete,

Actually you need watts to heat a GP. This is the product of amps times volts. If you have high amps and low volts, you will have low watts and the GP will not get hot enough. THe same for high volts and low amps.

If there was higher than normal resistance in the GP relay, the voltage at the GP would be low. 10.3 volts sounds a little low so you might put your voltmeter accross the GP relay and the fuse inside to see where you are dropping the voltage to 10.3.

P E H

Thanks all. I had to go to an MB shop to get the correct fuse. Finally did. He gave me one and I am scared to try it until I make sure it will not blow. Erol also said I should ream out the carbon out of glow plug holes with a drill bit. I am looking now for thread on that for more details.

I am not sure P E Haiges what you mean by measuring Volts across the fuse and relay. i will look that up . I do have 14.4 V coming out (with a running car jumping the battery) out of each of the gp terms on the relay for what it's worth.

Thanks.