hi hopes this finds everyone doing well. so I am finally replacing the tank strainer today on my 99 e300 td. i got it out expecting a major blockage, and besides some black there was nothing that seemed to block it. im at a loss, my car dies at about 1/4 tank, nails loud, and has terrible turbo lag, Ive done almost everything you can name to the fuel system, where should i go now? im thinking maybe a cracked line in the tank so when it gets to 1/4 all it gets is air? Ive got the strainer out AND ALL ACCESS TO THE TANK SO I WANT TO FIGURE EVERYTHING OUT BEFORE I PUT IT ALL BACK TOGETHER PUT Diesel in and than have to redrain a whole quarter tank. please give me some guidance on where to go next specifically with the tank??

It wont hurt to clean out the tank - the bit where the strainer fits has some sort of manifold in it that can get a bit clogged with similar sludge as the strainer.

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)

did you buy it used? Perhaps the previous owner switched the supply and return lines going to the tank in hopes of blowing off some of the buildup on the strainer??? I've heard of folks doing this on the w123. And maybe your fuel sender is correctly reading 1/4 left, but because those lines are swapped, the placement of the return line is near a 1/4 area or higher?? I hope that makes sense..

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1985 300d Turbo Diesel

Is the tank vent venting or is it blocked?

I would test the supply line under the car with a Mityvac to make sure it holds vacuum. If it is a metal line like the W123's, it is prone to rust and develop pinhole leaks which introduces air at low tank levels.

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

Its a tricky one as the 1/4 tank is usually the strainer...
Is it a Saloon or an Estate?
You need to get a new Oring when replacing the strainer.
As state above , the strainer is inside a wee inverted dome, I forgot the name( could be a plebe?), this prevent the loss of fuel when cornering, and I heard before that the little hole in this cloche can be clogged, then if there is not much fuel weight pressure as the tank is low it might not get enough flow through the clogged holes?

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E300TD year 2000. RUSTY SOLD
cost a fortune to maintain on the road
but run well on WVO
Second Merc died due to corrosion ( NOT rust) How can mercedes get away with that for so long?
Third lasted a month then went away...
Fourth now... Corroded too...

so i went to remove the strainer of course its seized to the line, however i would replace the line either way due to dry rot. so ive got one on order, ill also replace the fuel filter as i found the oring to be broken! thanks for the help should be back on te road by tuesday! Ill KEEP you guys posted

I finally got the time to button her up and get it goin again.i finished the strainer with a new fuel hose that attaches to it. I also replaced the fuel filters. Now I got it started drove it with less than a quarter tank for about 4 minutes and it died. Ran home got the ford and towed her back home. Got it started in the driveway after a lonnngggg crank. All the lines had massive bubbles and it ran like S**t. No I'm stuck again. What is my next step? How exactly do I Check vacuum to the lines inside the tank?

It takes an incredibly long time to get all the air out of the system, at least in my experience. You may have everything buttoned up perfectly, but that long empty fuel line from the tank introduced a lot of air into the ip and such. I'm guessing you were running on what was left in the filter and ip. I say keep cranking.

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I'm going to run it a long while see if it all bleeds out. If not I'm thinking there's a line in the tank that is introducing air into the system, is this a plausible idea?

Date: February 6, 2002
Order No.: P-B-47.10/23
Supersedes:
Group: 47
SUBJECT:
E-Class (W210)

Engine Performance / Check Engine Light with Code(s) P03xx
If you encounter instances in E-Class vehicles (W210) of engine misfire/lack of performance with low fuel level (below approx. 1/4) and/or "Check Engine Light" activated with code(s) P03XX (misfire detection), perform the following procedure.
Possible Cause:

Lack of fuel supply due to obstructed fuel supply opening to fuel pump in splash bowl. If tank level at time of misfire detection was low (below approximately 1/4), it is possible that the above described condition was caused by lack of fuel entering the splash bowl failing to feed the fuel pump due to foreign material blocking the fuel supply hole (Figure 1) (wit low fuel level, fuel enters only through supply hole at bottom of splash bowl).
Proceed as follows:
1.Ensure all related systems are working and within specifications - repair as necessary.
2.Check freeze frame for "fuel tank level", document freeze frame data and clear OBD memory.
3.Lower fuel level in fuel tank to approx. same level or lower than indicated in freeze frame.
4.Try to duplicate condition (load & RPM) as indicated on freeze frame and observe if engine misfires and/or misfire code is set.
5.Connect fuel pressure gauge and drive with high load/RPM and monitor fuel pressure. Fuel pressure should remain constant.

Note :
-Make sure codes are stored with fuel level ¼ or below (see freeze frame data) ,i.e. below top of upper splash bowl rim, and no fuel can enter the splash bowl from top opening.
-If misfire can be duplicated and/or misfire code(s) are set again during procedure in step 4 and 5 or fuel pressure starts to fluctuate during procedure in step 4, replace fuel tank.
-If, during procedure in step 4 no misfire is observed and/or no misfire code is set, and the fuel pressure remains stable during procedure in step 5, the cause for the customer complaint is other than described above and needs to be further diagnosed.

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2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid SEL Premium (Sparky)
http://badges.fuelly.com/images/smallsig-us/193500.png

It's a car not a science experiment! Open the throttle!

Check the fuel supply line under the car, especially where the clamps are. If you see wet spots at the clamps, they are leaking. I think this is a common problem with our 30 yr old cars that often gets overlooked.

See this thread

Air bubbles in fuel

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

How exactly do I check this?.

In my post above, link to another thread, I describes how (near the end).

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

Mine is a 99 is there anyway besides visual inspection (if that fails) to maybe test if the fuel line has a leak. Why would it only do this on 1/4 tank or lower

As I recall, and referencing EPC, this applies to gasoline vehicles, not diesel.

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