Would a clogged or dirty injection pump prevent car from starting. When I try to start the car it will not start and i drain the battery right down in the process. The car is a 1990 350SDL Turbo.


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1990 350SDL (200,100)

An injection pump not producing pressure fuel to your injectors will not let your car start. You kind of find that out by loosening the line on top of your injector a little to see if fuel is coming out when you crank the engine. The state of the injection pump is not your first concern though. If no fuel is present at the injector it is far more likely the pump is not getting fuel to start with or its shutoff mechanisim is bad. An injection pump like anything else can go bad but usually it is actually almost always a problem in the fuel supply. Or even something else.

While I do agree with Barry that your pump itself would be the last thing to suspect, I think you should first start by checking your glow system, that is the most common cause of no-starts. Is your glow light working normally? Also check the strip fuse. If those are ok, crack one of the injector lines and crank it to see if fuel comes out, if no fuel, pull the vac line from the shutoff (If they still use vac in 90) and try again, if you get fuel then your switch has gone bad. If still no fuel, crack the fuel supply line going to the IP and pump the primer to see if fuel is flowing into the IP. If it does then your tank strainer should be ok, leave that line cracked and crank engine, if no fuel then the lift pump would be suspect.

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Chris
64 190D R.I.P.
80 240D W/617 engine -for sale
82 240D -for sale

Try pinching shut the vacuum line from the rear of the shut off solenoid at the back of the IP. Use vise grips and a rag to protect the hose.

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Terry Allison
N. Calif. & Boca Chica, Panama

09' E320 Bluetec 77k (USA)
09' Hyundai Santa Fe Diesel 48k (S.A.)

Dude, slow down. You've got 2 or 3 three threads going about this, and you're going to wind up getting conflicting advice because not everyone has all the information. All the threads have mentioned the glow plugs. I saw one post in which you stated they had been replaced/tested good, then a later one that stated that the car needed new ones. You also said
This is not normal behavior, and indicates a problem with the glow plugs themselves or the glow plug relay, or both.

So, before we consider anything else, when you turn the key to the glow position, does the glow plug light immediately come on, stay lit for 5 or 6 seconds (more if really cold) and go out? If it doesn't, that should be where we focus.

Please report back.

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Tjohn

82 300 SD
77 450 SL (gone)

You are right i am getting ahead of myself. I have not replaced the glow plugs yet. The glow plug light does not come on when i turn the key to the start position it does however come on about 15 seconds after whether i have started the car or not. I was plugging it in for a couple of hours at a time before i took it out and that worked for a few weeks but nothing at all now.