Pro and cons of rebuilding the baby.... - Page 7 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

mbzr4ever · #91 03-17-2007, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 300SD81

If it runs, then your motor may be good. Crack the injector lines and crank it, is there fuel? A compression test would be nice.

Yes, there is fuel. It spurts out.

mbzr4ever · #92 03-17-2007, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

this "mechanic" sounds like he doesn't know diesel engine from shinola.

better find a mechanic who knows diesels. maybe a farmer/tractor mechanic.

to me, if it ran by pouring diesel down the intake, it has compression and is not getting fuel from the tank.

unless you can get professional help from someone who knows diesels it looks to me as if you need to set the car free and sell it to someone who can work on it themself or has a good indy available.

good luck

tom w

Yeah, I hear you..... I see the writing on the wall with this new "mechanic" that I had hoped could possibly work on the car. Maybe I should have the mercedes dealer look at it just to identify the problem. An estimate should be free or nominal, even if it is $200 or 2 hours, it would be worth it to know exactly what is broken. Maybe it's not as big of a problem as the porsche mechanic says it is. I think I will do this this week.

What is starting to bother me is that I have been taking the 300 to this same (porsche) mechanic...

bgkast · #93 03-17-2007, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbzr4ever

My dad picked it up at the factory, when he was working in Europe, and I have fond memories of driving it there. Same color, and a manual 4 speed, but manual everything, windows/sunroof, no a/c, etc.

Sounds identical to mine. Manual roof, no AC, euro delivery. Good luck to you.

mwoodland · #94 03-19-2007, 02:43 PM

How about starting out with doing what you can on your own:
Leak(s)
If you can clean the engine where it sits, start by getting as much of the oil off as possible with a roll of paper towels / newspaper.. old rags, etc. to keep the oil runoff to a bare minimum.

Then soak the engine with Purple Power (spray, available at Autozone, and any number of likeminded F.L.A.P.S... or 409, or some such grease cutter) I'd avoid the 'other' spray 'engine degreasers' that are mostly petrolium distillates, as they will be more polluting. Wear gloves, as its pretty aggressive stuff.

Scrub with a brush and water and get the gunk off. It will be much easier to identify the source of the leak.
Once its clean and dry, put some newspaper under the engine, and wait for the passive leak.
If it doesn't leak anymore, spin the engine over with the starter a bit, and check for (pressure induced) leaks.
Capillary action will cause the oil to 'wick' out of seams / cracks / gaskets.. and take it from there. Use a flashlight.. lay on the ground.. poke around. Start at the bottom and work your way up.
You should at least be able to track it to one end of the engine (or the other).

Compression
If it starts to fire up when you throw some diesel fuel into the intake manifold (not carburator), you've got enough compression. It may be low, and it may run crappy, but if it fires, its not dead yet.

next Fuel.
If you have fuel when you crank the engine with the injector line fittings cracked loose at the injectors, you have fuel that far at least.
Did you prime the pump with the built-in hand pump?
If the fuel is not making it into the engine, there could be air in the lines (which should come out when you crank the engine with the fittings cracked loose), or the injectors may be clogged.
Your shade-tree contact should be able to pull a few lines and injectors, so that you can take the injectors to a diesel shop to be pop tested and the pattern checked. ( If he/she doesn't have the tools to remove the injectors, or has never done it (ask) stop right there, thank them, and move on).

The test should be free, or really cheap, as its a painless diagnostic that will generate more business for them if the injectors prove to be clogged, have a bad spray pattern, or incorrect breaking pressure.
Ask questions, show an interest, and they will be (usually) happy to work with you.
1. What pressure should these injectors "break" at?
(At what pressure will they start to spray?)
2. What pressure do they actually break at?
3. What pressure should they hold (and for how long) without leaking.
4. Can I watch?

Its a place to start.
You go now girl.
Sistahood be powerful.
Mark

mbzr4ever · #95 03-19-2007, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mwoodland

How about starting out with doing what you can on your own:
Leak(s)
If you can clean the engine where it sits, start by getting as much of the oil off as possible with a roll of paper towels / newspaper.. old rags, etc. to keep the oil runoff to a bare minimum.

Then soak the engine with Purple Power (spray, available at Autozone, and any number of likeminded F.L.A.P.S... or 409, or some such grease cutter) I'd avoid the 'other' spray 'engine degreasers' that are mostly petrolium distillates, as they will be more polluting. Wear gloves, as its pretty aggressive stuff.

Scrub with a brush and water and get the gunk off. It will be much easier to identify the source of the leak.
Once its clean and dry, put some newspaper under the engine, and wait for the passive leak.
If it doesn't leak anymore, spin the engine over with the starter a bit, and check for (pressure induced) leaks.
Capillary action will cause the oil to 'wick' out of seams / cracks / gaskets.. and take it from there. Use a flashlight.. lay on the ground.. poke around. Start at the bottom and work your way up.
You should at least be able to track it to one end of the engine (or the other).

Compression
If it starts to fire up when you throw some diesel fuel into the intake manifold (not carburator), you've got enough compression. It may be low, and it may run crappy, but if it fires, its not dead yet.

next Fuel.
If you have fuel when you crank the engine with the injector line fittings cracked loose at the injectors, you have fuel that far at least.
Did you prime the pump with the built-in hand pump?
If the fuel is not making it into the engine, there could be air in the lines (which should come out when you crank the engine with the fittings cracked loose), or the injectors may be clogged.
Your shade-tree contact should be able to pull a few lines and injectors, so that you can take the injectors to a diesel shop to be pop tested and the pattern checked. ( If he/she doesn't have the tools to remove the injectors, or has never done it (ask) stop right there, thank them, and move on).

The test should be free, or really cheap, as its a painless diagnostic that will generate more business for them if the injectors prove to be clogged, have a bad spray pattern, or incorrect breaking pressure.
Ask questions, show an interest, and they will be (usually) happy to work with you.
1. What pressure should these injectors "break" at?
(At what pressure will they start to spray?)
2. What pressure do they actually break at?
3. What pressure should they hold (and for how long) without leaking.
4. Can I watch?

Its a place to start.
You go now girl.
Sistahood be powerful.
Mark

Yes, I can do this. Besides, it will be another month before I can get the 240D into the mercedes dealership's repair shop.

I went by there today, and they looked me up and said "oh, you want to bring in the 300E? The earliest appointment is April 13." I kid you not, a month from now. I said no, it was for the 79 240D, and put me down for that date. They also mentioned going to the "porsche" mechanic, if I did not want to wait that long, but I replied I didn't think he knew mercedes, since he is porsche certified and I didnt trust what he is doing.

In addition, I was told their most experienced (and only) mercedes technician was not even certified, but was still a trainee. (I say "only" because it is a mercedes/honda dealership, with mostly honda work.) He is being guided by phone calls from the more experienced, certified mechanic on Oahu. At least they are being honest about the experience level - beats a porsche mechanic, or does it? Oh, and the rate is $119 per hour. I should probably ask for a discount, since the trainee is not as efficient as a certified technician.

mwoodland, I appreciate your suggestions and they are certainly worth a try.

Is it ok to use Kleenol 30 (a super concentrate degreaser from Costco), if I can't find the purple power? The label says it can be used with a steam cleaner to degrease and clean engines. I have a pressure washer, but not a steam cleaner, is that ok to use? I should probably post up some photos as I go along.

And also to Bio300TDTdriver, on following up with Pacific biodiesel - great idea, I'm going to check with them.

mbzr4ever · #96 03-25-2007, 02:16 PM

Wednesday, I first used the Kleenol 30, and it did an OK job. The next day, found some Purple Power at NAPA auto parts, and alternated it with the Kleenol for about a dozen times, spraying and rinsing. Used brushes where I could reach, found a toilet brush handy because of the long handle and curved brush.

FOR THE GOOD NEWS: While I was at NAPA, asked about a mechanic, they told me of a place so I went by the shop. They said they worked on a lot of diesel trucks, and could get the car in Monday, at the earliest. Diagonostic charge would be $92 per hour. So I set it up for Wednesday morning, and called the tow company, they are coming Tues afternoon to pickup.

So I still have a few days to run the other checks now that the engine is somewhat cleaner and dry.

Bio300TDdriver, Pacific Biodiesel did respond to my e-mail, but they were not able to help since they are on Oahu and Maui, and no distributors on the Big Island. They do deliver in bulk to here, however, to some customers, and minimum is 250 gallons.

BTW, while I had the Kleenol 30 out, I sprayed in on full strength on the wheels of the 300E. Worked really well in cleaning off the brake dust, used a soft brush. So clean and shiny...then, the rest of the car looked so bad by comparison, I washed, clayed, used scratch remover and polished it all in a day. Going to put the wax on today - the fun never stops

!

mbzr4ever · #97 07-13-2007, 12:17 AM

So, after $3200, my car is running great again. Didn't need a new engine after all, just a new timing chain plus they did some valve work, fuel cleaned up, and other minor stuff (on another thread). Should be good for another 30 years, right?

Thanks, everyone for your input....

t walgamuth · #98 07-13-2007, 05:23 AM

Just a note:

If you want to see if an engine will run when you suspect it is not getting fuel from the car's systems dont dump fuel into it. Spray wd 40 into the intake. It is atomized and the diesel engine will run fine on it as long as you keep spraying it. This is a way to check for compression and valve timing if you have a fuel delivery problem.

Dumpping it directly into the intake seems like a very poor way on a diesel to check.

Thanks for sharing with us. I hope it all works out nicely for you.

Tom W

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