remote starter can be done in a MBdiesel - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

westkill · #1 01-12-2004, 09:05 AM

Hi,
Reading some posts on the subject , the problem appears to be the fact of the vacumn shutoff controlled by the ignition key. Although I don't have one installed yet in my 83 TD, I did put a mercedes diesel engine/tranny in my 1973 International Travelall(Suburban) and this is how I controlled engine shutoff.
On many older American 80's cars on the firewall, you will see a small barrell shaped solenoid with 2 vacumn lines going to it and a 12v plug attached. Thats a 12v. vacumn solenoid. Many chryslers used this with the torqueflight trannys and emission controls and to delay when vacumn advance would kick in.
On the solenoid you will see 3 ports. 1 is uually plugged. You can make it normally open or closed. How mine is wired is that When no electric is supplied the valve is open so vacumn pulls through it. So, this is what happens. when I turn on the ignition key, the valve is energized and closes, NO vacumn can pass thru it so rack gets no vacumn, car runs. When I shut off the key, The solenoid is deenergized and the vacumn passes thru it and pulls the rack down, Engine shuts off. I notice a 1 second delay from when I shut off key to when engine stops.
TO install on a benz, find the 2 vacumn lines going to key switch, the supply , and the line back to the rack and, hook them to your solenoid. Now when the remote starter signals the ignition with the proper delay relay for the glow plug cycle, the solenoid engages, closes off vacumn and car starts. The opposite will happen when you signal to shut off the car.
If your looking for solenoids in a yard, look at old Dodge Darts, Lebarrons etc. The more emission controlled crap on the car, the better the chance of seeing 1 or 2 solenoids. Also if the solenoid ever fails while driving and the car shuts off, all youhave to do is disconnect the vacumn supply line and plug it. The car will start right back up and You can use the engine shutoff on valve cover to kill engine until you replace it. AS far as new solenoids, STANDARD ignition might carry it. Hope this helps, MIke Moran

BoostnBenz · #2 01-12-2004, 11:32 AM

I guess the vacuum aspect of a remote starter doesn't seem as bad as the timing portion. If it were very cold out even if the remote starter waited for the glow plugs and got firing the vast majority of us here have to be there to stabilize the idle for the first few seconds otherwise it'd stall again.

I may try hooking up a solenoid to the line going to the IP just so I can use the only function I ever did with remote start, being able to run into the store real quick and leave the car running with the doors locked and keys in my pocket.

wolf_walker · #3 01-12-2004, 05:54 PM

I have this on my 300D, works fine. It was in the teens last week, it started and kept running on the second try(it will try three times). It will also not try if the batt voltage is too low, it has a glow plug wait period, just works pretty good. I think I'd not use it daily in the very, very cold, but now and then it's OK, and perfectly fine if the car's been run in the last six hours or so or if it's up past 30F.

Oh, and the overboost solonoid on the firewall makes a good choice for the auto start's shutoff solonoid as well. That way you can keep it all Mercedes..