Dagggnabbittttt.... and I though I had it running good - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

coachgeo · #1 06-14-2003, 10:07 PM

Car just died on me today. No clue why... looked under hood and the glass prefilter was empty of fuel but clean as a whistle. It sorta just ran out of fuel even though its got 3/4 of a tank. Purged everthing with the hand pump, then it was hard to start. I assume still air in the systemt and then it started. Glad I have a good battery

luckly it broke down in the parkinglot next to my house. I drove a tiny bit after purging of air and it seems fine.

Once home I let it sit, 20min and was hard to start again. Did this hard to start routine yesturday on the first start of the day. It then it worked fine all day after that. I'm going to wait till morning and see if the prefilter is empty or has bubbles in it.

There goes my plan of chasing wild woman in the yucky smoke filled bars tonight. Coursee.... I could allways drive the Unimog!!!

Any suggestions? no it does not have an elec. fuel pump.

#2 06-14-2003, 10:09 PM

Check the tank lines for damage.
Check/replace the fuel tank strainer.

coachgeo · #3 06-14-2003, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 82-300td
Check the tank lines for damage.
Check/replace the fuel tank strainer.

Yeah I was thinking strainer too. I almost did this the day I added the cyclonic filter but didnt get to it. Guess I gotta now.

franklyspeaking · #4 06-14-2003, 10:37 PM

I had a similar problem yesterday. Thw 240D died pulling out of the garage and wouldn't restart. I couldn't get it to pump fuel with the hand pump...no fuel coming from the tank. Took the line loose from the prefilter and no fuel coming out the line. Blew into the fuel line until the I heard the air bubling into the tank. Let it drain and had good flow...so I put it back together and pumped some fuel into the filter and it started up and I ran it all day today without a problem.

I have tried to get the tank strainer out before, but it is really froze on. It's really a pain getting all the fuel out of the tank also. However, I'm probably going to have to try again before long....my days are probably numbered.

coachgeo · #5 06-14-2003, 10:50 PM

well... I am active on this board cause I have a 5 cyl turbo in my Unimog....

problems with this car are general diesel issues so I asked questions here even though it is a Nissan Diesel. VERY THANKFULL no one has wanted castrate me for this.

Imm not sure their is a strainer in my tank like there is in a MB. I can't find any reference to one in the manuel. I assume there is a standard one of some type at the end of the fuel pick up in the tank though. Guess I'll soon find out.

#6 06-14-2003, 10:58 PM

Quote:

even though it is a Nissan Diesel. VERY THANKFULL no one has wanted castrate me for this.

That just shows how smart a person you are for choosing a diesel vehicle over a gasser.

#7 06-15-2003, 10:20 AM

Coachego, you need to give up on that Nissan diesel. Let me come up there and give it a new home out of the rust belt. I miss my little Datusn diesel pickemup truck, and need another Nissan "D" to make up for it.

coachgeo · #8 06-15-2003, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Diesel Power
Coachego, you need to give up on that Nissan diesel. Let me come up there and give it a new home out of the rust belt. I miss my little Datusn diesel pickemup truck, and need another Nissan "D" to make up for it.

:p :p I have this nasty habbit of not giving up that easy.

This morning it started fine. Proceded to drive it around the block so to speak. Didnt make it. Pulled off into

[sounds of Halloween] bum bum bum bum...... whooooowooooooo clank clank eeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaahhhh[/sounds of Halloween]

a cementary. The glass filter was.. DEAD!!

well actually it was just empty. I gave the hand pump CPR enough to raise one of those laying 6 feet under. Cranked and cranked and finaly got it started and drove home.

There I whaled on all the hose fittings. tightened the nipples and pipe fittings, rounded out one of the brass fittings by accident.

Tested her again and she runs fine.

Odd thing is if I use the hand pump while either engine opperating or not I will see tiny bubbles LOTS OF THEM form in the glass filter. They collect into one med. size bubble which eventually disapears.

psfred · #9 06-15-2003, 01:52 PM

Rotten suction side fuel line, allows air in when the engine is running instead of sucking fuel out of the tank.

Made much worse by algae or crud in the tank screen, which on the Nissan is probably on the end of the pickup. Remove the fuel sender and pickup from the tank (may have to remove tank, it's probably on the top and not easily accessable installed), screen is obvious. Clean tank of crudded up.

Check fuel lines for cracks, since they are always under negative pressue, you don't get leaks out.

Peter

coachgeo · #10 06-15-2003, 04:03 PM

Well..

I'm an old Datsun person and I remembered that all of them I ever owned (1971 - 1969) including my Pickup and Roadster had access holes to reach the fuel sending unit. I dug around and sure enouh right in the trunk is an access hole.

Using solvent and a hand held hammer it type impact I broke the phillips screws loose. Removed them and peered thru the access hole.. hmmmm. Not good. Very rusty. Not confident that if wont break a bolt or something as I try to remove the small ones that hold the fuel sending unit to the tank. Or I could end up tearing the rubber (or whatever) gasket between the sending unit and the tank and be really screwed. I dont have any silicon at the moment. Maybe it was just a bad vibe thing. Cheapo Auto parts is just down the road so I could easly go get some silicon, but it still did not just feel like it was the right thing to do.

I sprayed everthing with screw loose solvent and replaced the Nissan hose clamps with American clamps on both the small and large hoses. (large I assume to be suction side. and small the return side. ) I kranked these down real tight. Before the hoses could rotate on their tube. Now they cant.

If I have to go this step least they will have soaked for a while in the solvent.

I fooled with glass prefilter and realized it is holding some air in itself I wiggled this around and got the bubles to line up with the exit port and got them out of there while the car was running. I then played with the priming pump again and I got no more bubbles bouncing around in the glass filter. Maybe now I'll be better able to diagnose things with this pocket of air gone. Esp. if a new pocket forms.

I did drain and strain what was in the cylonic filter. I got a twig looking thing and some other tiny junk out of it. Since the glass filter is still clean as a whistle the cyclonic must be doing a lot cause nothing but fuel seems so be going past it. Or is that just me convincing myself that that part of my work was not in vain?

psfred · #11 06-15-2003, 04:20 PM

The rust in the tank will collect on the strainer, plugging it. When that happens, air will get sucked in any place you don't have a vacuum proof seal in the suction lines. You may have the air leak fixed, but I'd bet you will still get fuel starvation.

You will probably need to clean and coat the tank, or replace it.

Peter

coachgeo · #12 06-15-2003, 04:29 PM

I did not look IN the tank. Just at the face of the fuel sending unit. That was rusty.

If this recent fix seems not to be working then Ill have to go the step I just avoided.