Hi guys,

I parked my 300TD about 2 years ago (July 2014) in front of my house, because it needed some steering/suspension work. It was running fine at that time, it would start with no issues with just a few rotations. I took the battery out and that was it.

I wanted to start it last week, so I poured some diesel stabiliser into the tank (yeah, I should've done this 2 years ago). First I smelled the filler tube and it smelled like normal diesel fuel. I put the battery back in (I put a maintainer on it periodically).

It won't start. It turns over well, it sounds like it has compression, it even builds up oil pressure. I sounded like it fired on a few strokes throughout all of my attempts at cranking it, but just once here and there.

I changed both filters, and primed the heck out of it (new-style primer plunger). I cracked the fuel injector lines to confirm that fuel would come out, and it did. But I could only check lines 1 and 5 because I couldn't get a wrench on the middle 3. I need a 17mm flare nut socket. But with fuel spilling out from 1 and 5, I'm satisfied that it shouldn't be a fuel delivery problem.

I checked the glow plug resistance at the plug on the driver side fender, and they all showed continuity. How many ohms should I be seeing here?

I'd really appreciate any help. I love this car and I want to drive it again!

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'82 300TD
'77 6.9
'75 280S
'74 280
'87 Porsche 944 turbo

Mine was parked for two months while I fixed it after a crash and it took a long time to start initially. No idea why, but the point is don't lose hope.

If it were me, I would try to get it started off of Diesel Purge from a plastic bottle, or at the very least fresh diesel from a bottle.

-Rog

I'll try that - how exactly do I do it? Which hose(s) do I use?

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'82 300TD
'77 6.9
'75 280S
'74 280
'87 Porsche 944 turbo

You can try a half way purge, remove the fuel supply line, set the end in the plastic bottle with diesel purge, or any fuel.

This will become your temporary fuel tank.

The return will still go back to the tank, but there ya go.

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83 SD

84 CD

I'd suggest not doing this since it'll run out of fuel in a few seconds and fill the system with air.

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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

Which one is the supply line, and which one is the return?

If I had to guess, the hose going to the prefilter is the supply? And the cigar hose is the return?

I can route them both into a bottle of fresh diesel mixed with diesel purge, how about that?

Can glow plugs go bad by just sitting?

You checked the continuity, but did you verify that voltage was getting to the plugs? I started a 300sd that had been sitting for 6 years by filling a 3 liter bottle with fresh fuel and plumbing the feed and return lines into it, then doing a full prime of the system. Took a few cranks but eventually started and ran. Don't remember if I had to jump around the plug relay.

OK I'll check for voltage. And I'll go get some fresh diesel tomorrow after work.

Thanks for the input everyone!

Good point, keep the temporary tank filled until you shut it off.

Otherwise, route the return "cigar" hose in the tank as well, keep an eye on the level.

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83 SD

84 CD

If you can, plug in the block heater for about 30 minutes prior to attempting to start.

Hold the accelerator pedal to the floor while cranking.

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Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

I would make sure that the glow system is working. Then crack a few lines at the head and have someone crank the engine while I watched the fuel come out at the head. Tighten each line as fuel comes out.

FWIW, I keep a set of filters and tools for changing the filters in the trunk and have always been able to crack the lines using a normal open end wrench.

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

OK, I'm under the hood of the 300td again today (finally).

I have a plastic bottle of fresh diesel fuel, and I've routed the supply and return hoses into it. I bled the system with the plunger and saw the air bubbles come out (and a bit of dark fuel).

I checked the glow plugs again. I am getting voltage at the glow plug terminal. And at the terminal I read 1.9-2.0 ohms on each glow plug, which IIRC is OK.

It had good enough compression and timing when I parked it to start and drive fine.

It still won't start... what else should I try?

So you have voltage at each of the glow plugs?

If so, crack each injector line and crank it until you get fuel dripping\squiring from each one. Then tighten them and try to start it.

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2004 F150 4.6L -My Daily
2007 Volvo XC70 -Wife's Daily
1998 Ford F150 -Rear ended
1989 J-spec 420SEL -passed onto its new keeper
1982 BMW 733i -fixed and traded for the 420SEL
2003 Volvo V70 5 Speed -scrapped
1997 E290 Turbo Diesel Wagon -traded for above
1992 BMW 525i -traded in
1990 Silver 300TE -hated the M103
1985 Grey 380SE Diesel Conversion, 2.47 rear end, ABS -Sold, really should have kept this one
1979 Silver 300D "The Silver Slug" -Sold

Cheapie tool places sell sets of the Flare Nut Crows Foot and the open end straight type Crows Foot Wrenches.

At work for many years I used a Craftsman 17mm open end/straight type crows foot on Fuel Injection Hard Lines. The pic if the open end/straight cows foot is the one I use on Oil Cooler Lines.

You can get individual snap-on 17mm Flare Nut Crows Foot wrenches on eBay and they are thicker and more compact then the cheapie ones. But, I also have a set of cheapie straight and flare nut crows foot wrenches and have used those with no issues.

I recently used the 11mm flare nut crows foot on my Brake Lines when I removed the Brake Calipers so having the set can be handy.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

I was on the job once and had to remover an extremly tight Flare Nut fitting and I had no flare nut tools at all; I ground a slot wide enough for the tubing to go through, through the closed end of one of my combination wrenches.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel