My GP controller had to been staying on a while.I replaced it with a updated one after I installed new regulator.Lucky I did not fry all my lights.I was getting 16 volts with everything running.

Exactly what I was thinking.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Hmmm.
All at once, on most diesel engines, at some time through the years.

It is common for the majority of owners to put off glow plug replacement until the vehicle will not start.

Chuckle.
Eight on the Oldsmobile 350 diesels was the most common, some had ten sets in one winter = operator error (starting fluid).





Have a great day.

__________________
ASE Master Mechanic
asemastermechanic@juno.com

Prototype R&D/testing:
Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician.
Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH).
Dynamometer.
Heat exchanger durability.
HV-A/C Climate Control.
Vehicle build.
Fleet Durability
Technical Quality Auditor.
Automotive Technical Writer

1985 300SD
1983 300D
1984 190D
2003 Volvo V70
2002 Honda Civic

https://www.boldegoist.com/

Four out of Six when I purchased my SDL.

__________________
I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

4 or 5 out of 5 on my 300SD, wouldn't start when it got cold.

The strange thing is they all tested fine with a meter. But when you took one out and put it on a battery it did everything but glow. The new ones got toasty red.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Unfortunatly when all the glow plugs are burnt out it makes me a little suspicious Tom. For starters the glow plug relay may be coming back on.I would either monitor that or if I had a spare good relay around the garage exchange it. . I would also ream the plug holes for potential excess carbon build up in that situation.

Fortunatly in your case the plugs just aged out or the filaments just wore out out so to speak. So no ongoing concerns at all. Nothing lasts forever.


Unfortunatly it is not a record either. There is no reason to despair though. Since there is no tangiable reward or recognition for holding the record. What does it really matter? The only trophy just might be the burnt out award. At our approximate ages who really needs that particular one?

In ancient times we were taught that filaments and cathodes had finite lives. Efficiency just falls off with time and use. Probably the repeating on/off cycles oxidized the filaments impairing their ability to boil off or transfer electrons.

In a glow plugs case if the fundemental resistance was still very low The slowly developed coating or changes might act as a restriction to the electron/heat transfer. Or perhaps the very nature of the metal filament is changed with time and use. So the plug will not glow red.

I already hold that one I think!

Do you think diesel can wash the rings and cause low compression like it can with a gasser? I am still having trouble getting it started.

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

More likely your restart problem is caused by something else. You might want to monitor the actual glow plug voltage at the plugs during a cycle. There is a very slight chance you checked your old plugs with very low voltage.

Or there is for some reason not much voltage present in the glow circuit. If that was the case the new glow plugs are not functioning much better. If you do not own a cheap meter get one. I suspect you already do own one though. I also have no ideal what your regional temperature is there right now.

I would still tend to eliminate that glow plug circuit as a possibility first. Takes little time to do it. You should almost always return to the original fault area before moving on. I know I dislike going around in a circle on problems myself.

I hope and suspect not a cylinder wash down. I imagine a diesel could be slightly flooded by repeat attempts to start but should clear itself. It would take a lot of cranking to get much actual fuel in there and most would be blown out I suspect. The cylinder washdown angle is possible on a really marginal engine I imagine but do not really know enough about diesels to really comment. I also suspect your engine is not marginal.

that cylinder may have a broken pre combustion chamber. the little ball may have burnt off it's sticks. or it has a bad injector, or both.

I think thats why most mb diesels get tossed to the yards,their sold to an unexpecting buyer who knows nothing about cars , its purchased very cheaply already and instead of persuing a fix they end it there.I wished I could yard start some just to find out ,they wont let you hook up any batteries and test run them though.I see alot of dirty fuel filters under those poor beast hoods also.

Yeah its louder than others.#1 injector. I bought a set on ebay a year ago.Used with only 70,000 miles.I've seem them always advertising.Tax time getting thoose Monarks from mecedessource.
I added a new autolite gp.Couldn't get a german brand.I did ream more carbon out.The other one had not failed yet.