1975 240D - My baby's dead...
 

I've had this car for a month, and love driving it. I don't want to have any other car. I found it under a tree in someone's backyard, no rust, a little mildew inside, but otherwise great, and it started right up. I got a deal at $1500, I think and have had no major problems. (it burns more oil than I like, but I'm always on top of it).

I live in Asheville, NC and decided to take my first long distance trip, to Atlanta 3.5hrs away. It cruised all the way there, 70-75mph with no problems. I checked oil, and started to return home. It ran well, to a point.

About and hour away, the car just lost power and died. I managed to get it into a parking lot. I could get it to start, although with more difficulty than before, and if i did get it to idle ( it wouldn't always) as soon as i put it into drive, or reverse or did anything other than let it idle (including pulling the wheel hard to the left or right!) it dies. After letting it idle for a few minutes like that, I did manage to get it to drive around the lot, but i had to rev the engine right before dropping it into drive. I've lost all power, but it will move.

It didn't overheat before dying, and has all fluids....I'm stuck and stumped.

Thanks for any suggestions! Otherwise I've got a Limabean colored paperweight....

Sounds like you may have filled up with some algae ridden fuel somewhere along the way. Have you checked you fuel filters for black sludge (algae)?

ESPECIALLY because it was sitting under a tree, damp before you got it - change your fuel filters.

Good point, I didn't think about the fact that it sat for a whlile also. Need more coffee..........:o

Welcome to the diesel forum! I have a '75 240D and agree that it is the greatest car ever.

FWIW, your fuel filters are most likely clogged and your beast probably has a significant fungus colony growing in the fuel. Driving on your trip sloshed fuel against the tank sides and knocked the fungus accumulations loose where they clogged the filters. There is a good chance that the in-tank screen is plugged as well. You will need to replace the filters and treat the fuel with a biocide.

Do a search in this forum on "fungus, tank strainer, algae, filters..." lots written on how to treat the symptoms.

Be sure to buy 2-3 spin-on filters and a dozen or so of the clear in-line filters as spares because you will be dealing with this diesel fungus problem for a while after the biocide is used until it is cured. The in-tank screen can be cleaned with a toothbrush (you'll need to drain the tank to access it).

To get back on the road, remove the spin-on and replace with the new one. Before installing the new filter, fill it up with fresh diesel (this will save you some cranking to get the engine going). Replace the clear in-line filter too.

This engine does not have a priming pump to help move fuel to the filters after a change out so, you'll have to crank a lot to get it going. IF it doesn't start immedately, don't crank continuously for more than about 20 seconds or you will fry the starter. Let it cool for a minute between cranking sessions.

Once you do get it running, chances are that the engine will run rough until all the air is purged from the injection pump and injectors.

Good luck. Let us know how it all turns out.

Hmm...
 

I hope It could be as something as simple as this...About the algae and clogging though, It seems strange that this problem should happen now, after a month or so of daily driving. I have run biodiesel in this car, and was expecting filter problems from that, so I have the filters on hand already.

But if the filters were clogged, wouldn't it not start at all? The fact that I could get him to idle, but would lose it when dropping into gear is what stumped me. I am going to travel an hour down to where he died today, and change the inline filter along with the screw in....and see what happens....

By the way, I had just filled him up with 10 gallons of petro-diesel shortly before the incident, and have not had biodiesel in him for a week or two.....

Biodiesel will clean everything out. The engine requires very little fuel to start and idle, so if the filter's are say 95% clogged it will start.

Your symptoms are classic fuel starvation, change the filters before going further. After you change the spin on dump its contents into a clear jar, look for lots of black specs and water. A bad load of fuel full of water could cause this as well.

Also just for the heck of it crack the filler cap after the car dies and listen for a loud whoosh. I wonder if maybe the vent clogged?

I bought a nice 300SD in Alabama and it dropped out on me before I could get home in Virginia. Got weaker and weaker and finally stopped. Turned out to be the primer pump. I managed to get going again by tightening down the pump handle with pliars. Once home that was the first thing replaced with the new design primer pump.

Essentially, it was leaking air into the fuel lines more and more to the extent that finally there wasn't enough fuel. Very similar to the algae situation discussed above, but less troublesome to resolve.

I am convinced that's why the previous owner sold the car, because in their maintenance receipts I saw a couple of calls for towing and "car stopped running". Resolution was "primed fuel system and it ran OK". Too bad (for them) their service people didn't replace the old-style primer pump.

Car runs really well and reliable now......

Ken300D

yup, needs fuel, I actually carry around a few spare in line filters for this very reason, bad gas or alge
just make sure you are not sucking air somewhere, large air filter connections can be one location often missed, and as mentioned a bad primer pump

I fear the worst...
 

Wellllll.....
I have just returned from where my fabulous green machine, Oskar, was stranded. I changed the two easy to get to filters, and it seemed to help at first. He started right up, and I prematurely gave a whoop of joy. Once back on the highway towards home, though, I sensed that same loss of power that I had noticed earlier when he first died. Then I also saw that my oil pressure was low, then dropped to nearly zero. Around this point the chatter from the engine became noticeably louder, too. Needless to say, I got him off the road immediately, parked at a rest area. Rest in Peace area, I'm afraid. Oil pump failure? I wouldn't think so, this is a fine piece of German machinery. But I'm stumped. I'll get him towed tommorrow, probably and see what the guys over at Eurospec say.....

Did you check the oil? Any problems with the oil cooler lines? Was the engine getting hot? Was the oil pressure dropping because the rpm's were dropping or was the oil pressure near 0 at high rpm's?

I did check oil before taking off for the second time, and other than a few drips, no leaks. It has been in this car, that when cold the oil pressure is high, all the way to the top, and after it warms up levels off to about 20-25.

This time though, it reached 20-25 immediately, then dropped rapidly, even as I was increasing speed. I didn't get very far or fast though. What I don't know for sure, was if this was the case that night. I don't think it overheated, nor did I notice abnormal oil pressure. And yes the engine started to get too hot right away, I pulled off the highway and let him cool.
I'm afraid that there is already irrepairable damage. But if there was a total oil circulation loss the other night, I don't think he would have started at all this afternoon.

There have been a number of threads on this board from people who lost oil pressure yet the engine survived. Do not give up hope yet. What's the history of the engine? How many miles?

Thanks for the advice...I've been lurking around this forum since I've had the car, and now, we'll see how it works out. I have faith in these automobiles!

Paul