I initially decided to not post this, but hey, maybe it might be a useful story for someone.

Any case, here it goes…. While driving home from work today, my car started to get sluggish and then it quit on me. “What the heck?” I thought. I coasted over to the side of the road and I tried restarting it. No go. The fuel gauge was at a quarter of a tank, so what in the world could it be? I opened the hood and looked directly at the pre-filter. All I see in there is open space and a little fuel. I pumped the primer pump and saw a little fuel spurting but mostly air bubbles coming thru the filter. “Damn!” I thought. “I must be out of fuel!.. and that means my fuel gauge is wrong!” Luckly I remembered that I didn’t remove the full bottle of Diesel Purge and the plastic Coke bottle rig setup I used for the purging I did in the fall. Also I was glad I had a couple of screw drivers with me.

I hooked to Coke bottle up like I did when I purged her last and filled it up with the Diesel Purge. I wedged the bottle up against the other hoses and the engine compartment so it would be held upright. Then Pump the primer pump and cleared most of the air out of the pre-filter. Cranked her over and she started! I held my breath and drove almost 2 miles to the nearest diesel station. Put in almost $60 worth of diesel and went back under the hood. I had about a half of inch of Diesel Purge left in the bottle. I reconnected all lines back to where it supposed to be. Pumped the primer pump again. This time all fuel came thru. Started her up and drove her home! Needless to say, my fuel gauge still reads a quarter of a tank. Any I ideas where I should start in trouble shooting it? Also I need to get more Diesel Purge to keep in my trunk, who has the best price?

Crazy huh?

__________________
1983 123.133 California
- GreaseCar Veg System

Bet you felt like MacGyver!

My gauge does the same thing...sticks at about 1/3. I ran out of fuel in the middle of nowhere OK on my way home to TX from MN where I bought it.

Unfortunately, I did not have diesel purge and the coke bottle in the trunk.

Pulling the fuel sender and cleaning it is on my list of things still to do. Sounds like it needs to be on your list, too.


Tim

__________________
2009 VW TDI Jetta Sportwagon 172k miles (rear-ended harder than Elton John on 8/4/13. Total loss)

1991 Volvo 240 142k miles (T-boned by a stop sign runner. Total loss)

Put a bottle of cooking oil in your emergency kit.

__________________
1982 240D Euro Stick 4

Or a gallon of diesel...1/3 of the price of veggie oil last time I bought some.

__________________
1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi

Or just about anything from what I have been reading...motor oil,veg oil,transmission fluid,marvel mystery oil, used motor oil,hydraulic fluid....most anything with a little viscosity to it that is ultimately combustible....new or used...as long as it is a little oily....(no antifreeze)
I must say here before I get tromped on......(EMERGENCY ONLY).....The injection pump needs clean fuel if possible.....
personally I keep a 50/50 blend of diesel and biodiesel in a 5 gallon tank in the trunk for my beast....

Anyway...Good Job MacGyver.....!

I am glad you posted this...It gives me hope for the creative human condition....

__________________
1978 Yellow 300D (The Mustard Toad)
1980 Blue 240D (The Iron Toad)
1989 Grey Mitsu.4WD Mighty Max Pickup (Needs a Diesel transplant bad)

(Open the pod bay doors HAL)

Some people have intentionally ran their car on used motor oil?

__________________
"There are a lot of pebbles on the beach, but there's a Little Rock in Arkansas."

Logan

1983 300D Turbodiesel
1976 300D Rustdiesel

Yes there is much info on this topic....all over the internet...just search for anything marine diesel related for some of them....Large ships have routinely pumped the engine oil in a certain mix ratio with the normal fuel after filtering when changing oil underway...All kinds of things like that are available when searching...other members here probably have some good sites to go to......

__________________
1978 Yellow 300D (The Mustard Toad)
1980 Blue 240D (The Iron Toad)
1989 Grey Mitsu.4WD Mighty Max Pickup (Needs a Diesel transplant bad)

(Open the pod bay doors HAL)

Using used motor oil is an aweful idea for many reasons.

You guys know you dont need the coke bottle for diesl purge right? That opening is JUST big enough for 2 hoses .

If your gauge is sticky I highly suggest filling up on lots of b100 this summer .

__________________
http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

had a similar experience last time I did a purge, set up the aux fuel system, then my buddy brett and I hoped in and went to tim hortons for coffee, ran out of purge at tim's, switched back to my tank, and headed for home, purged and cafinated!!!!

Brett and I laughed alot that day about our magyvering, I don't think I even took the wrenches out from under the hood the whole time!

When my son kept running low/out of fuel, I simply told him to reset his trip odometer whenever he filled up and then make sure he didn't try to drive more than 350 miles before refueling again. Works every time!
Regards,

If I had a jug of veg oil in the trunk right now it would be a frozen solid mass. Its 18F out there! I go by my odometer to fill up...as I no longer trust my gauge, occasionally it reads accurately....but it usually sticks at half tank.

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

The diesel purge can is not clear like the coke bottle. I like using a clear container so I can see at a glance how things are progressing. This is why oilers/lubricators and dryers connected to compressors and other equipment are sometimes made with clear globes. This keeps Moe, Shemp, and Larry from having to guess.

Sounds like faulty gauge, the SD, I found out 3am Christmas, has a problem. Replace sending unit, on a 123 $60.00 and maybe ten minutes, otherwise, as suggested eariler, fill up before, I use 400 miles, but there are several chioces nearby.

__________________
83 SD

84 CD

I had pulled the sender out thru the first aid kit, in rear deck. Cleaned with mild solvent and replaced. Works great. I forget the socket you will need, I have the tank out for other problems and used a pair of channellocks.
I am waiting for the low light to illuminate, with 2 1/2 gal fuel in the trunk.
Good Luck

__________________
Gary
Experience is something you get, Just after you needed it....
'99 E300 295K, '83 300D 220K, '75 240D 185K sold
'80 MCI Bus Conv DD 6V92TA, w/4 cyl. Kubota diesel GenSet 12.5KW

The fuel gauge is an easy fix, yet you guys are doing 10 times as much work to set your odometers, and such. FIX IT!! It's a breeze! Take a look at the DIY instructions posted. It'll take you about an hour to read and try to mentally face the task, and if you have a dremel or Rotozip, you can actually do the job in about 1/2 hour, maybe an hour.

jeff 1991 300d, 100k