My 96 E300 keeps cutting out, at idle, at road speeds, turning, not turning, coasting, accelerating any time it feels like. On restart, (can take anywhere from 4-5 trys to 20,) sometimes the red and green lights on the RV mirror blink..( i assume start lock out) sometime if i lock and unlock the driver's door from outside with the key, it will restart,,,but not all the time. I have had this problem for a while,,, i replaced all the injector retun lines( they were leaking), the 4 clear fuel lines, canged both the fiters. it worked fine,, for 1 day, and now it has started again. Is there a way to disable the start lock out system? is there an eletric fuel pump? could this be a problem with the key switch? I hate to take it to the dealer and have him start to replace parts to TRY to find the problem. i havent sprung for the service and parts manuals (yet) but i fear if im going to go further i might have to!! BTW, i have never had any problems other than this,, and i did replace my glow plugs,,and i broke one off,, i drilled and tapped what was stuck in the head,,and pulled it out..not to bad, but it was all done without removing the head.

sorry it was so long,, but i wanted to be sure you had all the details.

Did this issue start to happen all of a sudden? Fuel injection usually deteriorates slowly over time and the tell tale nailing is a pretty good indicator of that.

If I were you I'd make absolutely sure you have no air bubbles in the fuel lines between the fuel heater all the way to the lift pump and then replace the K40 relay. If that does not fix it there is not much else other than a lack of fuel that would keep your engine from running other than replacing the electrohydraulic shut-off valve.

Have you tried a purge recently? Not that this would fix your issue but it is a good way to see if you have lots of air bubbles in the fuel lines and to see if the lift pump is strong.

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Scott C.

2006 E320 CDI (120k miles)
FOR SALE: 1998 E300 Turbo Diesel - Black w/Tan Leather - Euro delivery (236k miles)

If you're good with a soldering gun, you may be able to fix your K40 relay module.

Where is the lift pump? Do they go bad? I'll purge the fuel system of any air and see if it helps,,,, but why do i get the flashing lights on the rear view mirror?

what is the best way to purge the air from the fuel system, since this one does not have the manual pump on the side of the injector pump? And where is the K40 relay? Sorry I'm not up to speed on this car.. I think if I'm going to keep this car, i better invest in some manuals... you know of a good one to buy?? When i bought the car in California and drove it home, i got almost 38 mpg with the AC on and cruise at 80.. Thanks for your help

Either your K40 relay or shutoff valve is bad as Scott and Matt alluded to.

Is difficult to determine which is bad. You should be getting a CEL. If not I'd def got for the K40 first. Typical symptom will be shut down "as if key were turned off", at any speed, at any time. Prob is that both can cause that fault.

K40 costs $80.00 or so and takes 5 minutes to replace. Shut off valve is +$200.00 and takes 30 minutes to replace if you have long arms and can reach under the intake manifold to the IP to get to it.

K40 is #56 - http://www.detali.ru/cat/oem_mb2.asp?TP=1&F=210020&M=606%2E912&GA=722%2E438722%2E600&GM=717%2E446&CT=F&cat=45P&SID=54&SGR=080&SGN=04 Is the front unit in the sealed fuse box on the right side of the engine compartment.

Shut off vavle is #11 - http://www.detali.ru/cat/oem_mb2.asp?TP=1&F=210020&M=606%2E912&GA=722%2E438722%2E600&GM=717%2E446&CT=M&cat=19T&SID=07&SGR=045&SGN=01

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Terry Allison
N. Calif. & Boca Chica, Panama

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

Terry is correct, and it is most likely that K40...it has been noted here many times before to cause these exact symptoms. As others have said, you can even repair them if you are good with a soldering iron and can find the broken traces on the card.

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Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz

How do i re-program the K 40 relay? in the ipc link you sent, in the notes it says you have to re program the relay after install. I purged the lines,, still have the same problem.. i think ill go for the K 40 relay.

The part number is the first #56 item listed (2105400372 ) and doesn't need programing. Have your VIN available when you purchase to make certain is correct.

K40 also powers the computer which would need to be programed to your specific vehicle if it were replaced.

I don't know that it is necessary but I have always disconnected the battery first before messing with it.

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Terry Allison
N. Calif. & Boca Chica, Panama

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