'86 SDL fuel filters
 

First, is the attached picture 'normal'? I know it looks fine for a gas filter having the air in it, but I don't know about diesel, as my ford has no little primary..

I replaced the primary and secondary filters. I started with a different primary than the attachment. It is a reusable glass filter I have many refils, so I thought it would be good to use encase I had some in tank problems since I am new to the car and it has sat awhile...

Here is a video of the poor results;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ceg_Z4F7WA

Now THAT has to be wrong. This filter screws together so you can change out the guts. It has four different places it goes together and so I decided it was just to risky to use, too many potential leaks.


Off to the store and I bought the official wix filter, put it on and :( I think it still leaks? First attempt but it dies;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb8UkP14ps4

This time I try to hold a higher idle to show more bubbles... I held my hand in the same position throughout, so it should have remained steady? It would have died at the end but I 'feathered" it a bit. I also hear a high pitched tick that I did not hear with the first glass filter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IPOSGI-bgc

This time I have let it idle for at least a half hour. I was hoping that the air might dissipate?? Anyway, again I hold the throttle as steady as I can in one position throughout the video until release at the end and it dies..
It can be hard to see but the level of fuel in the filter is dropping...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO3hMmaw2l8


As to weather or not there air in it before I started messing with filters, I don't know. When I got it, it had no primary..

I have read allot (every post in this forum that had sdl in it) and so I have some idea what is going on, but I cannot KNOW because I may be able to read all day long, but it doesn't give me any experience.

So, my theory on hat I have read is that this is NOT OK and I have an air leak somewhere between the primary and the tank.

I have a receipt for

6/10/7 Fuel hose return line, in-tank hose, filter, screen

The metal fuel lines cannot be rusted, the car was purchased and has remained in Oregon.

I am assuming there are rubber lines here in the engine compartment attached to metal, and then another rubber line into the tank?

First some nomenclature: the clear is the prefilter. The "screw in," which isn't really, is the primary or main filter.

I think your plumbing is haywire. The bottom line (below master cylinder) should have a length of rubber, then the see-thru, then more rubber and go to the lift pump on the side of the injection pump. The barb leaving the main filter area should go to the top metal line under the master cylinder in one straight run of 5/16" 8mm fuel line.

Yes there are rubber lineS at the tank end, but for now get the gozinta and gozouta right. I'm too tired to pop the hood and look at the fuel heater plumbing.

The plumbing does look a little odd. The picture looks like it is the return hose that is being filtered, and a backwards oriented filter?? If that is the return, it is not filtered; just a straight peice of rubber hose. That clear pre-filter is not the correct configuration for the OM603 either. It is supposed to be a straight through filter for the fuel feed line to the fuel thermostat.

Is yours plumbed like mine?
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/j...l/IMG_0092.jpg

Dang, forgot to send this this morning.

From the attached image (more clear than the pictures I just took of my car), we see that flow:
Tank to bottom steel line
To rubber line
To prefilter
To front connection of thermostat

Left connection of thermostat to lift pump

Top/rear connections of thermostat go to/from the fuel/coolant heat exhanger (just a little bit of tube brazed to the cabin-heater line).

Filter outlet via one piece of hose (not a "cigar" on a 603A) to the top steel line, back to the tank.

When people swap the supply/return bottom/top lines, the car will "run out" of fuel at about 1/4 tank.

All these rubber hoses under the hood and by the differential near the tank are 5/16" or 8 mm ID; the vent hose on the left side of the tank is 3/8" 10 mm ID.

There will almost always be one little bubble in the top of the prefilter that will pulse with the lift pump flow. No worries there--"they all do that, sir!"

OK, then my hoses are routed wrong, but they are the correct size? They say 5/16- 7.9mm. Here is a pic;

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6goQ8HE3VYr0U1nQl8jZ_A?feat=directlink

The attachment is a still pic of my routing.

Here is a you tubevideo of my routing with narration;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUC_l2yCCmU

After looking at the hoses and checking connections, I think this is the reason for my air leak

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7WhBq7Zq6JclgiH2s7Kr5Q?feat=directlink

That connection on the metal line, I was able to turn it by hand. I tightened it as much as I felt I could without striping the worm gears (which I hate). Now there is barely any air bubbles. I feel sure once I re route these lines and get rid of that conection my air problem will be fixed.

I went for a 30 mile drive out to grandmas farm and back. Constant highway speed and at speed acceleration seemed fine. From a stop was ok, but at about 30 mph it would nose dive like it was starving but power would come back and you could continue on down the road.

Now the bad part. After only 30 miles, this is what my brand new filter looks like;

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qq4UeN3VKN8bQ3gGaLsOyA?feat=directlink

Is that bacteria/algae/microbes? can you tell what it is? Since it took 30 miles from new to look like this, how long do you predict it will last until I need another? I would like to go to a truck show on Saturday, the round trip would be about 150 miles. I think I could do it as I have extra fuel, filters, tools, extra battery and jumpers. What more could I need LOL :rolleyes:

What's the ball valve for?

See this picture; from lift pump to main filter inlet; filter outlet to pump body (my factory "clear" are yellowed these days).

You are sucking through the filter, when you should be pushing through it.

Whoever did this to this car should be banned from anything but a Rickshaw from here on out.

No idea what the ball valve was for, I removed it. Thanks for the picture, I will recreate it tomorrow.

Well I did already buy some STARTRON. Good to know I bought the right
stuff. I re routed and replaced all the hoses, and got new injection
type clamps. It seemed to cure my bubbles problem, but now the car
feels low powered and only goes about 70mph. It was late by the time I
was done, and so it was too dark for pictures. I went on my 25 mile
test loop and it seemed much nicer drivability wise, except the lack of
power. In stop and go, it didn't feel like it was going to die. It
always did before. It used to have good power but would nose dive as it
would starve for fuel. Now I assume it has the fuel but now it has no
power.

My research tells me that since there is evidence of bugs, maybe my in
tank strainer is clogged. My problem with that is that it was fine
yesterday, but now it is clogged without even going anywhere? I just
don't think it would be instantaneous like that. I did dump about 2 oz
into my approx 1/4 tank of fuel. Now (from what I read) a biocide might
make the gunk go to the bottom and plug things up, but this STARTRON is
an enzyme that I read does not do it that way.

So, unless there are other ideas, I will swap the tank lines IN/OUT
tomorrow but I think I need more fuel first. Then that will tell me that
my strainer thing is nut clogged and I must have screwed something else up.

Clean your in tank strainer and while there replace the "O" ring on it as well as the 2 rubber fuel lines you will find. Then straighten out you hoses up front and remember to fill the screw on filter before you put it on. I do not know about your engine but make sure any and all "o" rings and any crush washers are in good shape. When I got my 85 300SD there was an irritating fuel weepage at the screw on filter that someone had tried to fix using a crescent wrench ( rounded the banjo bolt corners) it turned out to be 2 "o" rings that were flattened and could not seal anything.
Alan

Well, good news and bad news...

Good news; Power is back. I found an unplugged vacuum hose. I remember moving it when I did the fuel hoses, and I also remembered putting it back, but it was a two parter hose, and I guess I only got one end of the split back on.

So, off to the nearest b99 dealer to fill up. I just replaced all the hoses, so the b99 should be OK (we'll see). I figured if my tank is all mucked up it could only help (clog my filters faster)! It is about 20 miles. It is over a small mountain pass, but the car is feeling good.

What a beautiful drive through the country on a nice sunny day! I worried I might have trouble climbing the pass, as I have in other cars, but it was effortless. The brakes on the car are also wonderful.


Bad news; I broke my cruise control handle. The key chain was a big shoe string type thing like for hanging ID cards around your neck. When getting in the car, it wrapped around the handle and didn't snap it off, but it over extended it and it made snap noises. Now it still works but not safely or properly. It stays in accelerate or coast or wherever you put it.

After filling up for $55 @ $3.49 I went to start the car but it didn't. I guess the pre filter was too plugged ALREADY! I tried to blow it out and refilled the primary. It was too much for the POS battery I have and I called it quits. I don't have a cell phone and this @#$%^&* gas station would not let me use their phone to call AAA!!! The mechanic is in and he will fix my car/sell me a battery though. Now when I told him I would have to call the bank to see if I had funds for his battery (that wouldn't be correct anyway), THEN they were going to let me use the phone. Do the letters F O mean anything to you? I borrowed a pedestrians cell and got towed home.

On a side note, three different 300d came and fueled up while I was there. The old kind 80's. Sorry I don't know the years say '83-'85, they looked like that. I figured if you drive one you must be an 'enthusiast'. Guess not.

The first was there when I drove up. I waved as I pulled in behind him, no response. Another came in and out while I had my head buried under the hood, but I didn't see the driver. Then a 40 something couple came in. I am kinda sitting on the fender with the hood up so the tow driver can ID me easily. I didn't need there help at the time, I wasn't asking. I did wave and I said hello. The guy just went on about filling his car as if I didn't exist. No resentment here, just surprise.


OK, so I am thinking that instead of driving around changing the filter every time it clogs, I can loop the system and circulate the fuel in the driveway.

I have an electric fuel pump for a carrier refer unit that I bought for my truck, but haven't installed. I also have a big racor transparent refillable water separator type valve at the bottom deal. It is huge like big truck farmer size. I am thinking I could put these together from supply line and back into the return. Run it for hours or whatever it takes to plug the filters. replace and repeat. Simulating thousands of miles if necessary.

Whaddaya think about that?

So, for anyone following along, I have a bug problem clogging my pre filter.

After just 20 miles, it would look like this;

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qq4UeN3VKN8bQ3gGaLsOyA?feat=directlink

I was told to either pull the tank and clean it, or add chemicals and replace filters as they plugged.

I opted for the fuel additives, but I cannot be troubled to go driving around changing filters. I would prefer to fix it and have it nice and reliable before I set off on my journey. Noone could say just how many times I would get a plugged filter and so i came up with an idea to get and replace plugged filters in my driveway.

I took a fuel pump designed for a refrigeration unit on a semi trailer, and looped it with a pre filter onto the cars supply and return lines. It is designed to run 24/7 and it is rated at 30 gallons per hour.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECfzMU3Catc

This pump has a built in removable 80 micron screen, then I had the stock Mercedes prefilter. I don't know its micron rating and I couldn't find it on the web. I let it run for 40 hours, circulating fuel from the tank. I figured 40 hrs * 30 gal per hour is 1200 gallons filtered, divided by 23 gal (tank size??) So theoreticly simulates having gone through 52 tanks of fuel. :confused:

After that time here is a close up of the screen in the pump, there were also little black specks in the screen.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pQFtpB735S1jZ1PoeWywLQ?feat=directlink

Here is the prefilter, Doesn't look like anything in there...

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/u8zlQAs4s4KTyCIyyvojNw?feat=directlink


Now I will go out and hook the lines and filters where they belong, and see how it goes. I think it is relatively cleaned out. Any further advice, opinions or comments are welcome.

Good job with the fuel polishing, that can only have helped! It might be that the prior owner was trying to run on VO and that is part of the issue with stuff in the tank and the wacky fuel line arraingment,

You really need to think about getteing the correct hard plastic factory lines and install them with new sealing washers, all that rubber lines and clamp stuff will likely remain a headache and have you chasing your tail everytime things aren't running right. Good Luck!

I think the PO was running veg. I have a receipt, fixing something, and the gripe was low power on WVO.

Also I have instructions on installing a "greasecar" kit in amongst the paperwork for the car. I drove 150 or so miles this weekend in combined trips, and the prefilter is still clear.

Run some biodiesel to dissolve any gelled WVO. Be ready with more filters.

Sixto
87 300D