So I hooked up the starter switch to go to the corner store (about 1.7 miles away).
Car runs for a few seconds and dies.

I cracked the injectors and the lift pump (new Bosch style) is pumping, but the drips form the lines aren't enough to power an ant's motorcycle twice around the inside diameter of a Cheerio.

All that I have done to the car is remove the ignition switch/steering column lock, and adjust the alternator (and discovering the broken mount).
Didn't touch any of the fuel system.

The car has an old battery that still takes a charge, but it is on it's last legs I am sure. I need a conclusive response so I can get this started again- but I also would like to know why this happened. It sat in the garage for months with no issues, it is driven daily/every few days with nothing like this. I will mention that it has a rough idle, and perhaps that is the clue needed here.

Years back on my '81 240D the line coming out of the fuel tank de-laminated internally, blocking the fuel line and caused intermittent no-fuel conditions. I can fix that!

But if there are some good ideas out there, I am listening!


Cheers,

snapped_bolt

__________________
'81 240D For now, a good place to borrow new parts
'80 300TD Probably will be put back into service!
'79 240D BACK IN SERVICE SINCE 09/16; limited use, oil leak. Guide pin r/sealed/replaced. Still a leak. Front crank seal....

('All I have done to the car is remove the ignition switch/steering column lock')
check your vacuum lines, sounds like they might be reversed.
as a test remove the vacuum line from the pod at the rear of the injection pump
and see if it will start.

The ignition switch/steering column lock has been removed, the switch itself is still in the car. When I tried to start this way, I got the result in the last post. I might as well mention that I got an intermittent start issue with just the switch itself, after I had gotten under the car and shoved the shift rod back, which throws the shifter into Park. I hope that switch assembly that is in the mail has an easier time making contact on a regular basis.
I raised the rear of the car, put it on jackstands and proceeded to unclamp the fuel line from the bottom of the tank. I wanted to verify that this line did not suffer form the same demise as my '81 240D. The hose flowed fine, and I took advantage of the fast delivery to fuel my diesel can for filling the new fuel filter.
I changed the pre-filter, then changed the main filter. That pre-filter was coated.
Now I am about done for the day. The car is still on the jackstands, hopefully some air bubbles will flow harmlessly away overnight.

I ahve read some of the posts regarding similar issues, and it seems to me the best choice is to disconnect the glow plugs so I can crank without additional load until fuel is flowing from the unscrewed injectors.
Where should I disconnect the glowplugs?


Thanks,

snapped_bolt

__________________
'81 240D For now, a good place to borrow new parts
'80 300TD Probably will be put back into service!
'79 240D BACK IN SERVICE SINCE 09/16; limited use, oil leak. Guide pin r/sealed/replaced. Still a leak. Front crank seal....

Does that mean that the pre-filter that was plugged?

I think you will need to do a lot of pumping on the hand primer to get air out as the fuel pressure relief/overflow valve on the fuel injection pump has to be pushed open by the flow to bleed the air out of the fuel supply system.

__________________
84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

But... did you disconnect the vacuum line from the shutoff valve?

__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

Vacuum line disconnected at shut off valve.

Where should I disconnect the glow plugs? At the relay under the dash, or just disconnect the line at #4 cylinder and zip-tie it safely out of the way? I would like to crank the engine and get that fuel running out of the injector line. Then I'll re-connect the line when I know I can get some fire in the hole!

snapped_bolt

__________________
'81 240D For now, a good place to borrow new parts
'80 300TD Probably will be put back into service!
'79 240D BACK IN SERVICE SINCE 09/16; limited use, oil leak. Guide pin r/sealed/replaced. Still a leak. Front crank seal....

Pay real attention to the vsteck post. If you think about it you were working in the area of the device that shuts the engine down under the dash. Logically if it were the issue the car would start but as soon as any vacuum built it would shut the injection pump off.

Just using the primer pump should get you to the point of being able to restart with not too much more effort as long as that vacuum line is off.

Is disconnected at the shut of valve. It would be a very tenacious type of vacuum to stay there with the vacuum line disconnected. But I will say that there is a remote possibility that the shut off valve could be damaged as quite a bit of engine in the switch, I even found a drop hanging from the switch when I first got under the dash, there has been quite a bit being drawn in. I don't know the extent of the damage to that shut off valve. I have a "new" shut off valve I installed on the '81 a few years back, I suppose I will get out there today and pull it and install in on the '79 before it completely dies. At any rate I want to stop the oil flow into the switch.

snapped_bolt

__________________
'81 240D For now, a good place to borrow new parts
'80 300TD Probably will be put back into service!
'79 240D BACK IN SERVICE SINCE 09/16; limited use, oil leak. Guide pin r/sealed/replaced. Still a leak. Front crank seal....

OK this won't help troubleshooting, because I had two things I did that I usually don't read about when fuel isn't going to the injectors.

Last night, about 200 pumps on the primer pump.
Car was placed on a jackstand in the rear to inspect rubber fuel lines. Sat overnight.
Wondering about the possibility of the shut off valve failure mode-could it possibly just be stuck? I hit the vacuum line with some compressed air for a second.
About 100 more pumps on the primer pump.
Disconnected #4 glow plug.
Recharged battery 2 hours.
Cracked injector line #1
Mrs snapped_bolt cranked the engine at my cue (with the stub of the ignition, just the switch, until fuel ran out of injector nut. Took about 5-6 seconds of cranking.
Disconnect battery.
Re-install glow plug wire on 4.
Re-connect battery.
Car started and continued running.

At this point I really do not know whether it was a combination of things, or absolutely nothing I did.

The adventure continues. It looks like the spring compressor will be here soon, so off come the LCA's and the bushings will be replaced.


Cheers!

snapped_bolt

__________________
'81 240D For now, a good place to borrow new parts
'80 300TD Probably will be put back into service!
'79 240D BACK IN SERVICE SINCE 09/16; limited use, oil leak. Guide pin r/sealed/replaced. Still a leak. Front crank seal....

What was the purpose of disconnecting glow plug #4 and disconnecting battery and reconnecting them?

__________________
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

The battery likes to discharge. Another issue I will be chasing in the near future.
I had hoped to have less voltage load while cranking by disconnecting the glow plugs. This battery is nearly 5 years old now. I don't want to test it's "failure mode". New battery not in the budget. Maybe August.

snapped_bolt

__________________
'81 240D For now, a good place to borrow new parts
'80 300TD Probably will be put back into service!
'79 240D BACK IN SERVICE SINCE 09/16; limited use, oil leak. Guide pin r/sealed/replaced. Still a leak. Front crank seal....