Stranded for the first time! Please help diagnose my '82 240!

[driad_98]

Yea, my '82 240D quit on me the other day... sadly I was 100 miles from home. I got rescued and I'm going to go rent a dolly this afternoon to launch a recovery.

I've been mixing veggie oil with my diesel, and while clipping up I-5 at about 75 it started to feel like a clogged filter. Before she sucked air and died hard, I pulled over under a bridge.

I changed the (filthy) primary, primed and tried to start, fail. Prime prime prime, fail fail fail. Changed secondary filter, prime till blue in face, fail, prime more, talk to mechanical mentor (dad), pray pray... and she started right up. Drove down the road, felt a little sluggishing, pulled into TA Plaza, filled up with diesel, and once again, she wouldn't start.

I worked on her for about 3 hours, to no avail, including spray stuff and a HD battery jump. I've been reading other threads all morning and have some ideas, but... when I crack the injector line at the injector, should there be a gush of fuel? There wasn't when I cracked #1. I didn't crack the others. It seemed so strange for it to be running, shut down to fuel up and not start again. Friends tripped down to get me home. Thanks Bud and Nick.

Any advice? I'm going to go get it tomarrow. Thanks all. I feel like I remember some malady that caused hard starting on hot engines... ring a bell? Anyway, it was cold by the last time I tried. Please help.

Ash

[mbzkid]

Sounds like clogged filters. How is the tank strainer/filter?

Based on what I've read: If it makes a "woosh" sound when you pull off the filler cap, the tank strainer is clogged.

I'm sure someone else can comment on the injectors.

[TheDon]

no mbzkid the "whosh" sound is a vacuum in the tank that has been created from the vent line being clogged and air being sucked in because of the vacuum.. careful the tank might implode a bit if the vacuum gets to strong.. my tank goes whoosh i need to clean the vent lines ..

but check the in tank strainer that requires i think a 43 mm socket.. you should also try a diesel purge.. www.dieselgiant.com has instructions on how to do that..

[coachgeo]

How cold was it compared to the times you have NOT had problems? How long was it that cold? Could be a new air leak also. Check all your clamps. Did you use Pipe dope or Pipe tape on your system. If tape it may all be shot now and you'll have to redo everything. It is said the tape falls apart and you get the bits and pieces fouling things up thru out the whole system.

[Biodiesel300TD]

I would try changing the tank strainer and see if that fixes the problem, then report back if it doesn't work.

[Mister Byrnzoil]

Originally Posted by driad_98

I've been mixing veggie oil with my diesel

whatever precipitated out of your homebrew is currently clogging your tank strainer.

fast fix is to remove the fuel filler cap and blow out the fuel line backwards w/ compressed air, you might make it home.

Longterm fix is to STOP using that fine piece of german engineering as as a test bed.

If you want to **** up a diesel, for gods sake go buy a 1980 oldsmobile.

[t walgamuth]

i agree pretty much but i dont really know anything about home brew.

it also could be fungi, so trying some fungicide might work.

tom w

[mbzkid]

Originally Posted by TheDon

no mbzkid the "whosh" sound is a vacuum in the tank that has been created from the vent line being clogged and air being sucked in because of the vacuum.. careful the tank might implode a bit if the vacuum gets to strong.. my tank goes whoosh i need to clean the vent lines ..

but check the in tank strainer that requires i think a 43 mm socket.. you should also try a diesel purge.. www.dieselgiant.com has instructions on how to do that..

That makes much more sense.

[greasybenz]

Originally Posted by Mister Byrnzoil

whatever precipitated out of your homebrew is currently clogging your tank strainer.

fast fix is to remove the fuel filler cap and blow out the fuel line backwards w/ compressed air, you might make it home.

Longterm fix is to STOP using that fine piece of german engineering as as a test bed.

If you want to **** up a diesel, for gods sake go buy a 1980 oldsmobile.

Hey take it easy. He is doing everyone and himself a favor by saving himself money and doing something better for the enviroment.

Now as for your problem. Sounds like something ive been through already. First off what are the percentages of diesel and veggie oil? Depending on the amount when you mix diesel and veggie they can form a wax that clogs the filters and strainer. Also your veggie oil scrubs all the film that diesel has left on the walls of the tank and sends them right to your filters. The better choice is to mix the veggie with gas 10%-20% with the wvo. Diesel fuel itself is very dirty and leaves lots of film reisue in your tank. Assuming that the po ran the mercedes only on diesel there is alot of gunk in your tank and fuel system that the veggie will clean out.

Solution ive come up with is that i went through 4 fuel filters. But came up with the idea of mounting a water filter inline were the small prefilter goes. Now i have no clogging issues anymore. I put a 1 micron filter in the so all the gunk never gets to see the oem metal filter and clog it. Also i wont loose power ever again as long as i change out that filter. The filter is alot bigger so it can handle more then the small plastic prefilter and the metal filter.

Trust me it works. Here is the one i bought off ebay but you can find them at home depot or lowes.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/WVO-SVO-Biodiesel-Vegetable-Oil-Water-Filter-Canister_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6755QQitemZ4568059930QQrdZ1

here are the filters (1 mircon)
http://cgi.ebay.com/1-micron-water-filters-20-each_W0QQitemZ4406193588QQcategoryZ20684QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Biodiesel300TD]

Originally Posted by Mister Byrnzoil

whatever precipitated out of your homebrew is currently clogging your tank strainer.

fast fix is to remove the fuel filler cap and blow out the fuel line backwards w/ compressed air, you might make it home.

Longterm fix is to STOP using that fine piece of german engineering as as a test bed.

If you want to **** up a diesel, for gods sake go buy a 1980 oldsmobile.

There plenty of people on this forum and out and about that of clocked thousands upon thousands of miles on veggie oil blends and straight veggie, in just about every kind of diesel there is with no problems. Thats was the diesel engine was originally designed to run on.
There are people that have problems too, but usally because they aren't doing it right, bad oil, gelled oil, etc...

It's not your car, Calm down

[angst]

driad_98
My blending experience is that when it seems like it is something else it always actually ends up being the primary filter.
Its plausable that there may have been enough goop suspended in the line from slow flowing to immediatley reclog the filter. I have had primary filters that seemed visually to have 70+% surface area left but my problems went away when I changed it.
With one end of the filter disconnected will fuel drain steadily when you hold it low? If not, like Mister Byrnzoil said open the fuel cap and blow the line with compressed air then reprime. I once had a P.O.S. VW Scoricco that I had to do this with my mouth almost daily to clear big rust chunks. Getting elaborate and dropping the tank shouldnt be necessary.

When you replaced the spin on filter did you fill it with some fluid (diesel or ATF)? If not no amount of hand pumping will clear the air. You may have had one problem licked as another got created.

[driad_98]

Holy smokes, you guys are great! I'm going to go tow it home tomarrow morning. Thank goodness for the truck. I'll be putting you advice to work and updating when I have more news. Thanks again!

[Mister Byrnzoil]

Originally Posted by greasybenz

Now as for your problem. Sounds like something ive been through already. First off what are the percentages of diesel and veggie oil? Depending on the amount when you mix diesel and veggie they can form a wax that clogs the filters and strainer.

Greasy sure got that right!

But it doesn't just happen in the tank... these problems are just the beginning. This little chemistry experiment has also been at work precipitating wax and gunk in the fuel lines, injectors and especially the IP.

I'm all for saving $$ and the environment, I am all for a proper wvo/svo system. I am against killing a great little engine thru well-meaning but misguided actions. (which BTW will end up costing far more in time, effort, aggravation and parts)

Its your car, you can do whatever you please with it, but you can depend on my unvarnished opinion when you post about it in this forum.

[Palangi]

I agree.

The guy asked for a diagnosis.

The diagnosis is that krappy fuel clogged up the filters and strainer. Sorry if the diagnosis doesn't fit the agenda, but, that's life.

[Addicted]

I agree as well,


there is no such thing as overkill. Just made a trip down to Sacremento from Portland in my truck and I'm still paying for a crappy filter job and some bad grease. It has basically taken me 3 spin on filters to remedy the problem. And at 20 bucks a piece....even though it was worth it based on fuel prices.....it wasn't worth it. I should have just waited and filtered. Now it didn't strand me but I did have to put on another fuel filter. They last thousands of miles if you use good oil (no congealing) and filter it at least to 5 micron. I have a bad ass overkill system and bad things still happen sometimes.

Here is my 2 cents. Spend some time and a couple bucks and make a good system. That way you can save your engine and some problems at the same time save money and time and the enviroment on Veggi.

Veggi on man and keep on playing around with it. Learning from your mistakes is the best way.