Doug I havent done any of the stuff you mentioned. I didnt even know about any of it. I dont have to technical expertise to attempt most of that but I'll try to at least do a couple things if replacing the plugs doesnt work.

Not to fear. You will inevitably develop a certain amount of expertise. Nothing difficult in what I suggested. Even removing the fuel tank is not difficult although a minor PIA. We all do as we nurse the diesels along. I knew nothing about them when I started. Unfortunately I recently sold my original purchase 1977 240D in favor of an older ponton.

__________________
Douglas
1959 M-B 220S cabriolet

Glowplugs did not come today Bill.

I'll do a little testing this weekend, check the fuses and other stuff to make sure I didnt miss anything earlier.

UPS always comes in the morning to the campus here.

If you and Bill can not get it running this weekend we are going to declare it the " ShinDig Project". You can trailer it in and have tons of expertise available at one location. But hope you get it running this weekend.

Tony:

While you are changing the glowplugs, check the fuse in the glow plug relay -- it is a metal strap held down by two nuts or thumbscrews. If it is cracked or corroded, the glowplug light will work, but no current will flow to the plugs, and nothing will work. Make sure you try to flex it -- the usual failure is to crack clear across, but no separation will be visible until you try to bend it.

I suspect you have several, it not all, glowplugs out!

Good luck!

Peter

__________________
1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

Bill:

Must be a different system than the older ones. On those, the dash lamp was on a different circuit, and the fuse was in-line between the relay contacts and glowplugs with no other connection to the glow system.

At any rate, sure sounds like bad glowplugs to me -- I had the same problem with the Volvo this year, ran the battery down trying to get it started. New glowplugs and a battery charge and she lit right up!

Peter

__________________
1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

Additional info from the service manual:
"If the glow current circuit in interrupted, e.g. by a defective 80-amps fuse.........the pregrow indicator lamp will flash for approx. 30 seconds after the preglow system has been switched on. If one or several pencil element glow plugs ...are interrupted, the preglow indicator lamp will flash for approx. 30 seconds after starting."

Further looked at the manual, I found I was wrong previusly saying that the relay box compares the current between plug #1 and others. On this older relay box, it does not do the current compare. Any one plug having open circuit will trigger the flashing.

David

It didnt flash for 30 seconds post-startup... usually about 5-10 seconds. But this car has always been troublesome to start, never HARD but never easy. Usually takes 2-3 attempts in the morning when I first start her up, even if its relatively warm. (60s)

Yep, Bill. The 83 240D is an iron horse, especially with a manual tranny. I have never worked on a 240D before. I may add a 240D with manual tranny to my fleet if the physical conditions and price are right. It seems to me that your 83 240D model has the newer glow plug system. Therefore, the light should not flash. It should either on or off. If it was flashing continuously, I think the relay box was defective. Trouble shooting the glow plug system is very much straight forward as described in the service manual.

David

If you check the current flow of each plug, it is likely that you find at least one plug having no flow. Fix the glow plug system first. If you still have the starting problem, you can move on to other areas, such as, battery condition, valve clearance, fuel system, or compression, etc.

David.