'99 E300--Not a hint of starting (!!) - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

aklim · #31 12-21-2006, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Parrot of Doom

Probably the Diesel Purge in the filter, and the crap loosened up by removing the intake.

If so, shouldn't it go away after a few miles of driving? I don't know about DP but so far I have found that most of the additives are snake oil. Ran enough of them thru my engines over time to find that the best thing was an injector R&R to fix the engine right.

BioPOWER · #32 12-21-2006, 04:51 PM

Yeah, the DP is 65% diesel fuel and a bunch of other stuff to make it burn hotter....it probably loosened up a bunch of stuff in the cylinders/prechambers that just had to be blown out by a few redline shifts.

At some point I'm going to have to take the injectors out and have a look at them. As for the EGR crap in the intake, I cleaned it out--biodiesel does a great job at it, just soak the manifold in it (I believe it's been mentioned on the forum before).

One thing is for sure, driving only that excursion sure can make you appreciate the swiftness of an E300!

FrodeS · #33 12-21-2006, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BioPOWER

Aklim, every time the E300 breaks down I look at the Excursion and wonder how it's managed 100k without anything but regular maintenance...not one problem at all with that motor, and it's been everywhere.

Maybe noone try running it on air ?

I ran mine out of diesel one time. Took 2x 30 sec before it started after giving it 5 liters of diesel

nhdoc · #34 12-21-2006, 05:00 PM

You will surely have an EGR code stored if you started it with the IM off. If you are also having GP light issues is it possible you knocked off one or more of the GP connectors? If you weren't having a problem with the GP system before your work I would bet that's why the light is not behaving properly...check every plug connection to make sure they are all seated.

Good luck.

I have found the DP does improve things and it is easier than pulling out the injectors (plus I don't have the socket needed to do that). Since the DP I have driven about 100 miles and it's still smoother and quieter at idle than it was before...so well worth the $6.

DP is unlike "additives" in that you burn it directly and undiluted...you don't add it to the fuel but burn it in lieu of standard diesel...it is a concentrated cleaner that I have heard MB even endorses the use of.

BioPOWER · #35 12-21-2006, 05:18 PM

Yes, the engine idles much smoother after DP.

I'll have a look at the code; it's possible I touched the glowplug relay over by the washer bottle...that's near where I put the DP bottle and I could've moved something, but I remember when I had the IM off I didn't touch the GP wires.

BioPOWER · #36 12-21-2006, 06:45 PM

Codes are for:
1. "Misfire or ignition malfunction"
2. "Glow plug heater malfunction"

I know it misfired when I was purging the air (and diesels don't have 'ignition') but I wonder what could've happened to the GPs.....maybe too much current from the battery charger? The max I set it on was 35 amp charge, not 200 amp engine start.
The lady at autozone didn't give me the code numbers that I could've looked up in MB-WIS; she also couldn't erase them because of "federal emissions laws" even though diesels don't have to take a test!

nhdoc · #37 12-21-2006, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BioPOWER

Codes are for:
1. "Misfire or ignition malfunction"
2. "Glow plug heater malfunction"

I know it misfired when I was purging the air (and diesels don't have 'ignition') but I wonder what could've happened to the GPs.....maybe too much current from the battery charger? The max I set it on was 35 amp charge, not 200 amp engine start.
The lady at autozone didn't give me the code numbers that I could've looked up in MB-WIS; she also couldn't erase them because of "federal emissions laws" even though diesels don't have to take a test!

I also got a glow-plug CEL when I primed and killed my battery. It was P0380 I believe. But I did not have any trouble with the GP light. I wonder if maybe you blew a fuse if it isn't wiring related. I don't know if the GP circuit on our cars has a fuse or not, I know the older ones did have an 80 amp fuse though.

You're better off buying your own OBDII scanner and reading the P codes and clearing them yourself...I think they are pretty cheap as stand-alone units for $50 or so. Mine plugs into a laptop and was about $100 but has more functions than just scanning for codes.

Parrot of Doom · #38 12-21-2006, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BioPOWER

Codes are for:
1. "Misfire or ignition malfunction"
2. "Glow plug heater malfunction"

I know it misfired when I was purging the air (and diesels don't have 'ignition') but I wonder what could've happened to the GPs.....maybe too much current from the battery charger? The max I set it on was 35 amp charge, not 200 amp engine start.
The lady at autozone didn't give me the code numbers that I could've looked up in MB-WIS; she also couldn't erase them because of "federal emissions laws" even though diesels don't have to take a test!

Quick lesson:

Chargers do not supply current. They supply voltage.

Devices (that are connected to the charger) draw current. The amount of current drawn depends on the impedance of the device, and the voltage supplied.

Some simple sums:

Voltage = current x resistance (V=IR)

Power = voltage x current (P=VI, (or W for Watts = VI))

The only way your charger could have damaged something is if either the voltage was too high at any stage, or you connected it incorrectly (ie polarity reversed).

The 35A and 200A refer to the ability of the charger to sustain a current draw of that magnitude. It doesn't mean that anything you connect to it will be drawing that amperage. Of course the switch may actually refer to different voltages or charging cycles.

BioPOWER · #39 12-23-2006, 02:39 PM

Ok, car runs well but has an extremely hard time starting in the morning. Today I had to crank it twice for about 15 seconds then it finally came to life amidst clouds of white smoke. When it's warm it starts fine....definately a GP problem.

I tested the GPs at the relay, 3 of the 6 were bad. Readings were (in ohms):

Infinity
Infinity
0.7
0.7
Infinity
4.2

I'm not sure which connections in the harness correspond to which cylinders, anyone have a diagram? I'll be able to check the GPs individually though because I'll definately have the IM off for this.
I just ordered six online, I'll change them when we get back next week, the E300 will be sitting in the garage for a week but I'll warm it up before replacing the GPs. Thankfully the excursion never has any problems.

aklim · #40 12-23-2006, 11:17 PM

You can run the car with the IM off. I'd do that first and check the wires for continuity. If that works, just replace all the plugs and put anti-seize on the plugs/

deltajetfixer · #41 12-24-2006, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BioPOWER

I tested the GPs at the relay, 3 of the 6 were bad. Readings were (in ohms):

Infinity
Infinity
0.7
0.7
Infinity
4.2

Glad you're replacing all of them. Aren't 4 of them bad? The 4.2ohm doesn't seem right.

If you think about it, use a set of jumper cables and test them when out of the car. I had a weak one (dull red) that tested good with a meter. Can't remember what the reading was though...

BioPOWER · #42 12-25-2006, 01:03 PM

Once I have them out I'll hook up the battery charger to see how they glow, but I'm going to be replacing them all anyway. They're originals. Luckily they will all come out, but I'll warm up the engine and not force any of them.

We're gone this week for Christmas so I'll replace them next week. I ordered all the parts including the reamer already.