OK, I’m taking the plunge this weekend, as I have bought a ’95 E300D. (by the way, what’s up with the “Special Edition?) It has 140K on it. I’m going to change oil, all filters, and trans fluid as a base line, because although the car checks out fine I have no records. Do you diesel fans have any sage advice for a diesel newbie? I’m mechanically inclined with good overall automotive experience, but I’ve never run a diesel.

I’m concerned about cold weather starting. This car will be my main commuter and although Maryland doesn’t really have super cold winters, we can get some very cold stretches. The car will live outside. It will have the occasional “airport parking lot for a week” stay…..Assuming my battery is up to snuff, will I have trouble getting started in the morning after a 12 hour cold soak? After a 1 week cold soak? Should I consider a block heater (and is an OEM one available or recommended?) What sort of life do glow plugs have.?

Anyone favor particular fuel additives (don’t want to start a war on that one!) How about injectors? Assuming the car is running well and not smoking other than at cold start for a short time, do you folks recommend any injector cleaning ?

Any other wisdom or “must do’s” are appreciated.

Rgds,
Chris W.
’95 E300D
’93 500E
’03 Bentley W124 book

Congratulations on the purchase. Obviously the Diesel won't move like a 500E, but it has it's own special charm.

Mercedes usually does a special edition for the last year of a chassis's life. It's a way to offset declining demand because people know a replacement is coming. They did the same thing for the W140 and R129.

No worries about cold weather starting, no matter how long it sits outside. Like you said, just make sure the glow plugs and battery are good. Glow plugs do not last as long in this engine as they do in the old 616/617 engines because of an afterglow feature. The relay keeps the plugs on for a few seconds after startup to smooth things out a bit. Glow plugs on my turbo OM606 seem to last about 40K miles.

I'm not about to start up another fuel additive or injector cleaning war. Just search here for "fuel additive." You'll be reading for a week.

The block heater is most likely already on your car, although the electric cord might not be. Check for the cord behind the two hook cover. If it's not there, check for the block heater on the passenger's side of the engine, near the starter. I've posted pictures of mine here before, including the cord routing. Just search for "block heater" and my username.

Other "must do's" would include making sure the fuel tank is full if the car is going to sit for a while. If not, condensation may form, and you can get algae growing in the tank. You may want to give it an occasional shot of biocide as a pretentive measure. If you do get algae, it will first show up as black specks in the fuel prefilter.

__________________
Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

"it will first show up as black specks in the fuel prefilter."


This is the reason to be sure and put the totally clear inline fuel filters on your car.... they make opaque ones... but you can't see the algae if you have them....