78 240D Not starting. Anyone have similar problem?

Hey there,

A while back I posted message re the same vehicle and the same problem. The suggestion was that I check the timing chain which I did and there is no problem there.

This all started when it died suddenly while driving on the freeway. Thinking it was fuel supply problem I replaced the fuel filters, bled the fuel system and changed the glow plugs. Now, the car cranks but does not turn over. Any suggestions?

Thanks

[The Warden]

I'm assuming the M-B diesel is an interference engine. Therefore, if the timing chain somehow came off or snapped, the engine would probably not even crank; in fact, chances are it'd be scrap metal...bending valves with pistons is a bad thing

How is the fuel shut off? Is it an electric solenoid on the injector pump, a manual lever, or what? You may want to make sure that the solenoid's getting power with the key ON, or the lever is in the right place on the pump, or whatnot. Another thought would be to crack each injector line in turn, crank the engine briefly, and see if fuel comes out the metal line or not. It'll at least give you a better idea.

Just some thoughts...good luck with it!

TxBill,

You're right, the cows have come home and the engine does not fire.

I did have one Mechanic look at it. He claimed it would take about 1200 to fix it but would not specify what was wrong with it.

[JimSmith]

Goodmite,

Seems you have a unique set of circumstances that should help narrow down the problems/solutions. First, as I understand it you were at normal operating temp and running when the engine quit. That condition can really only happen when you loose fuel, unless some catastrophic other failure occurs that causes a sudden, serious loss of compression. You did not report any sudden noises or other indications of a major internal engine failure (loss of oil, high temp, excessive smoking, etc.).

This happened to my 220D once, after my father-in-law assumed ownership. He called me whenever the car burbed or showed a sign of being irregular, as, at the time it was my "fault" he owned the car. I could only think it was the fuel, or a lack of fuel. So I asked him to open the fuel filler cap and add some fuel, then go to the hand pump and prime the system and so on, even if the gage said it was half full or more. The next report was that he could not get the gas cap off, which confounded me. He also reported the reserve light was on while the indicator showed the tank was over half full.

In the end, he got the cap off and reported there was a loud rush of air entering the tank. The car started and he drove for another hundred miles or so and it shut off again. By this time I had the manual out and figured his vent was stopped up. He got a new line installed and the problem went away. He eventually learned to love that car, and replaced it when it got really old with an 81 240D, which he still owns.

While this may or may not be your problem, I still think you are suffering from a fuel delivery problem that came about while the car was running. I think you should check the standard stuff for fuel delivery. Open the tank filler cap, and if that is ok, break the connection to the in-line filter and see if fuel runs out freely. If that is ok, check the hand pump action. Look for bubbles and froth in the clear line going up to the main fuel filter. If that is ok, check the position of the manual shut off lever. If that is ok, pull the vacuum line off the injection pump at the back of the unit that connects to the vacuum shut off feature. Then try to start the car. You may need to prime the system before you start it. You need to use the manual shut off lever if that gets the car started, to stop it.

If none of that works, the injection pump itself comes to mind, and you should try the loosening of the injector lines to see if fuel is being supplied under pressure to the injectors. After that, I am at a loss because I just cannot imagine a warm, running engine suddenly "deciding" it is missing enough compression to stop working.

Good Luck, and I hope this helps. Jim

Just this afternoon our 94 jaguar xj6 decided not to start. About 2 months ago it wouldn't start, all of the sudden; no prior problems. It would turn over, but not fire. I took it in and a relay switch was replaced.

Everything was fine for a month. Then, wouldn't start. Took it in and of course it started once it got to the shop. The mechanic, who is excellent, couldn't figure it out for sure, so in an attempt to make sure everything was fixed I had the fuel pump assembly replaced -- about $850.00! (The part alone is about $500.00.)

It worked perfectly for about a month, and now today, all of the sudden, it won't start. Again, it turns over but won't fire.

Fuel filters?