Will startron dumped into tank clean the strainer in a stationary car ..300D nonturbo - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

neumann · #1 02-11-2010, 01:13 PM

My 1980 300D non turbo has just been put back in service after about 2 years in storage, maybe moved around every few months but no street driving. It was running fine for a week and then I experienced intermittent power loss and then outright stalling preceded by power loss. Gradual to total loss over 5-6 days. Finally I could not get the car to start one evening when leaving work. Confirmed battery, glow plugs, filters, fuel cap (no woosh) and then finally noticed the leaky primer pump after having it towed home.

Changed the primer pump. It already had the newer bosch style but it was definitely leaking from the barrel area and not the washer. I cannot get fuel to the front three injector lines. The rearward line gets plenty of fuel and the second to rear gets a tiny bit. The front three are bone dry.

Kind of leaning towards a clogged tank strainer. Will startron dumped into the tank clean the strainer in a stationary vehicle or does it need any agitation? I'm crossing my fingers that it will also help my fuel gauge's erratic movement as well once it get it rolling again.

I'm going to try switching the return and supply as well to further diagnose. But still would like to know if I can avoid pulling the strainer and that leads me to ask "Will startron dumped into the tank clean the strainer in a stationary vehicle or does it need any agitation as in a moving vehicle? "

Biodiesel300TD · #2 02-11-2010, 01:22 PM

If it's clogged that much I kind of doubt Startron is going to be very helpful in a car not running and sitting still. I don't know sure, but I'd assume it needs to be mixed in to work properly.
I'd get several diesel cans and start draining the tank. In the past I've used a pair of vise-grips or a hose clamping tool to close the rubber supply line at the tank. Then you can remove the hose from the steel supply lines and point it were you want and release the clamp to allow it to flow. When the containers full clamp it off again and switch containers.

oldsinner111 · #3 02-11-2010, 01:35 PM

Really you need Startron Tank Cleaner from West Marine. Enzymes will start digesting to the point where some material will pass thru screen.Blow back thru fuel line to tank,then bleed fuel out.Reconnect and see if your diesel runs.This would mean crap in tank.

neumann · #4 02-11-2010, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldsinner111

Really you need Startron Tank Cleaner from West Marine. Enzymes will start digesting to the point where some material will pass thru screen.Blow back thru fuel line to tank,then bleed fuel out.Reconnect and see if your diesel runs.This would mean crap in tank.

I believe that is what I bought and actually where I bought it. Its light blue in color and in a squarish maybe 32 oz jug. Same stuff. I dropped in about 2-3 ounces last night in hopes that it will eat enough crud from the strainer to allow for some fuel to pass

tbomachines · #5 02-11-2010, 03:02 PM

You need to mix it with the existing fuel so it will get down there...I imagine you'd need to agitate it a bit. Startron/soltron will help, but I think a good drain and cleaning would be your best bet if it is absolutely clogged.

pselaphid · #6 02-11-2010, 03:09 PM

Somewhere on one of these clogged screen threads on this forum someone mentioned that many times the buildup is not biological but chemical...waxes and other hydrocarbon polymers that over the years settle and coalesce into the bottom of the tank and onto the screen. I think in that case a good tank cleaning is the only way to be sure and get rid of it. Startron might work great on bacteria, but not on waxy crud. Of course it just depends on what's in your tank. As the bottle says "overdosing is not harmful," but it doesn't claim its helpful either.

Biodiesel300TD · #7 02-11-2010, 03:44 PM

Another trick I've used for pulling the tank screen is a shop vac. It works best with a fairly empty tank. Turn the sucker on and put the hose into the fuel filler neck. Don't seal it, you can actually cave in the tank. With the shop vac on you can pull the screen out and it will pull air through the hole and not allow fuel to come out. I've done it and only dropped a few drops of fuel out of a tank with several gallons of fuel in it. I've done this countless times when I was at Greaseworks when changing hoses on VW's and MB's.

DO NOT DO THIS WITH GAS!!!! You'll set yourself and everything around you one fire!

Quote:

Originally Posted by pselaphid

Somewhere on one of these clogged screen threads on this forum someone mentioned that many times the buildup is not biological but chemical...waxes and other hydrocarbon polymers that over the years settle and coalesce into the bottom of the tank and onto the screen. I think in that case a good tank cleaning is the only way to be sure and get rid of it. Startron might work great on bacteria, but not on waxy crud. Of course it just depends on what's in your tank. As the bottle says "overdosing is not harmful," but it doesn't claim its helpful either.

It can be biological or not. Fungus and bacteria can and do grow in diesel, and cause clogging, but you can also jsut get the buildup you are talking about.

pselaphid · #8 02-11-2010, 03:48 PM

You mean the screen is not sealed at the top and will just pop out? How do you get it back in?

pselaphid · #9 02-11-2010, 03:59 PM

I went and unscrewed my spare tank and you cannot pull the screen out the top. However, I can see this as a nifty way of clearing the screen by sucking a stream of bubbles through it from the bottom. Is this what you meant? Unless we are talking about two different kinds of tank screens.

brownrice78 · #10 02-11-2010, 05:10 PM

If you want to see if the tank is clogged, attach a return and supply fuel hose going into a small container filled with diesel. See if it runs good that way. The fuel hose you can easily get from Autozone.

el sea · #11 02-11-2010, 05:18 PM

When treating fuel with an additive, treat by the size of the tank.

If the tank is twenty gallons but you only have ten gallons in there, treat as if twenty gallons.

The dead air space is where the condensation develops.

The condensation is where the algae develops and this is where your problem lies.

Good Luck

compress ignite · #12 02-11-2010, 05:52 PM

If you even suspect FUNGUS problems...Dump the whole container in the Tank!
It will work even without fuel flow.

ANYTHING is better than having to pull that damn Tank.

d.delano · #13 02-11-2010, 06:44 PM

If in doubt pull the screen and clean it. It won't come clean unless you do. Then put the Startron in. I've never used it but last time I pulled the screen it was covered with crud, don't know how pouring in some product could have physically removed it. Pulling the screen is easy anyway.

el sea · #14 02-11-2010, 09:09 PM

I have used Sentry Gasoline Plus on my own vehicles with very positive results.

Good Luck

Biodiesel300TD · #15 02-11-2010, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pselaphid

I went and unscrewed my spare tank and you cannot pull the screen out the top. However, I can see this as a nifty way of clearing the screen by sucking a stream of bubbles through it from the bottom. Is this what you meant? Unless we are talking about two different kinds of tank screens.

You run the shop vac. Then you remove the tank screen as you normally would. With the vac running is sucks air through the hole as you remove the tank screen which keeps fuel from coming out.