Yea, I'd say light dry soot is what I saw on my glowplugs when I pulled them.

Can injectors contribute to hard starting? Coincidentally my fuel economy has been tanking over the last couple years, along with hard starting below 25F...

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84 300SD - bought in April '06 with 237,000 mi

Most definitely. Injectors and the IP provide the fuel. The fuel must be atomized by the injectors properly with good spray pattern , matched to each other. Pull the injectors to inspect, rebuild, calibrate them. Injector nozzles should not be caked with wet oily soot. A very light dry soot is ok. Don't forget new heat shield if you pull the injectors.

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 167,870 July 2025
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

I did buy heatshields a while back, but I don't believe they are genuine OE... Should aftermarket heatshields be ok, or should I use only OE ones here?

Also, probably if I pull the injectors I should just take them to a diesel shop to have them cleaned and pressure-tested/adjusted... I probably won't gain much just by pulling them, and without proper equipment to check them after cleaning, I fear I will do more harm than good, right?

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84 300SD - bought in April '06 with 237,000 mi

Yes, take them to a diesel shop and have them popped tested. Ask to observe while they do it if possible.

No problems with after market heat shields afaik. They go in one way. Make sure you get it right and don't leave the old one in there!

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 167,870 July 2025
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

Having the Valves adjusted been a big help for People with hard starting as it can effect the compression.
If you do it yourself and don't buy the Special Wrenches; with the exception of the Valve Cover Gasket it is nearly free to do the Valve Adjustment.

Starter cranking speed, Engine Compression, Camshaft Timing, Fuel Injection Pump Timing, Glow Plugs, Block Heater, good Battery (with good cable and ground connections), Fuel Supply System and good Injectors all have an effect on starting.

Also as mentioned Synthetic Oil is a big help in starting in Cold Weather as it allows the Engine to spin faster than with normal Oil.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Injector Heat shields for the 617 engine are Part# 617 017 03 60 and $2.00 ea.

1983 Mercedes-Benz 300SD Sedan - Fuel Injection - Page 1

Injector Heat Shields for the 87 300TD are part# 601 017 00 60 and $1.25 ea.

1987 Mercedes-Benz 300TD Wagon - Fuel Injection - Page 1

One has a 10mm hole and the other a 7.5mm hole and either will work in either engine.

I also found them for $1.10 else where..........


These things are a one time use.


The heat Shields for a VW Rabbit will also work.

Charlie

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

Well I'm taking this preparation a step at a time -- today I adjusted the valves. Every one of the valves was tight -- I couldn't get a feeler gauge into any one of them before adjustment.

Now it seems that I need to re-adjust rack damper bolt and idle, since I adjusted those some time before I did the valve adjustment, and now there seems to be a little dip in the idle after letting go of the throttle.

I believe next up will be professional injector cleaning/test and most likely nozzle replacement for each injector -- I'll let the diesel injection shop decide when I get to it.

The shop I'm going to try here is Garden State Diesel, which is a Bosch-certified diesel injection shop. They quoted me $20 per injector for testing, and if nozzle replacements are needed, they told me they waive the testing fee in that case. We'll see how it works out.

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84 300SD - bought in April '06 with 237,000 mi

You should really do a compression check. If it is not strong you may be squandering your time and money to some extent. If strong then pursue the other possibilities.

Your valve adjustment may have helped and you do not know it yet. This is required before a serious compression check anyways.