Hi, All,
I've had my 1979 300td (non-turbo) for about a year. When I got it, with appx.325,000 mi. she ran really well, all things considered (slow, but steady, and would cruise happily at 75-80 on the hiway). Starvation problems began around March, found crumbly lines from tank. Replaced them once , twice, now three times, this time with 5/16 FI line, also all lines up front, replaced both filters twice, cleaned tank and screen, STILL won't run over 40, nor up a hill without gasping.
Today I put a 2 gal. can of diesel where the washer bottle was, ran fuel line from it into another new primary filter, and drove several miles, hoping to discover all was well, and the problems were behind me (or at least behind the fuel filters). No such luck--same problems, although it seemed somewhat better when the primary filter was horizontal instead of upright.
So, can my injection pump be shot? Doesn't seem likely, it revs okay in the driveway, and under light load, like around town. Can the lift pump go bad? If so, is it a lot of trouble to replace? Expensive? Dieselgiant, do you have a pictorial? The primer pump (old white style) doesn't seem to be leaking, it's dry, but maybe?
Please guide me O wizards. It hasn't been so long that I've forgotten how well this car used to run, and it seems there must be some way to make it run well again. Thanks everyone, Dave