'95 E300D Leaks Licked (with pics!@!)

[Mark Herzig]

All,

IF you remember, I was having gas leaks with my 1995 E300D. I took the car out of rotation about 3 weeks ago and in that timeframe did a lot of neat repairs. The link below will take you to the pictures but I will try to give an overview here first.

The first decision I made was to remove the intake manifold as to gain better access to the fuel lines. With the manifold off, I could see the deteriation of the engine wiring harness. I knew that it would oneday need replacement so I decided to tackle this job.. more on that later but let me say it was all-n-all easy.

I also decided to get the intake and crossover pipe cleaned. For this I took it to a machine shop and they did hot bath cycles and you can see from the pictures how clean they came out.

Note that the CCV hoses had to be replaced. Everyone of them cracked that came out of the intake side. The valve and lines we all re-usable. Phil worked along side me on all this and got me fixed up with the correct parts. I also replaced all of the plastic fasteners for the metal injector lines... most of them were loose or broken.

Phil also sent me a complete set of fuel lines. Everyone of them was replaced. It was not exactly clear where the leaks were but there was a lot of moisture around the fuel heat exchanger so I paid careful attention to that line. THe main gas line comes into the heat exchanger and then a line with the heated gas runs to the pre-filter and on and on. After completing the fuel line installation, wiring harness, and manifold cleaning, I put it all together and took it for a short ride thinking everything was fine.

The next day I drove it and it was idling real rough and a strong gas smell permeated the car. By the time I checked under the hood, there was considerable diesel everywhere it seemed. I inspected the lines but they all seemed clear. I then noticed diesel pulsing out of the metal injector line and I know this was the culprit all along. Take a close look at the picture of the cylinder 3 and 4 injector lines. They has been rubbing together for who knows how long. Look at the damage!! ALso note on the engine pictures that some of the plastic fasteners were broken before I replaced then the first go around.

So lesson 1 for all concerned is to make sure the high pressure metal injector lines are property fastened and secured!! In particular check the clearance on line 3 and 4.. if it looks like mine, WORRY!!

So continuing, It was clear that the manifold had to come off. Well, 4 of the bolts were stripped so after repeated trips to Sears, I was able to drill off the heads and get the intake off. Phil got me set up with new injector lines and 15 new manifold bolts. I double checked the fasteners and reinstlled everything last nite. It;s amazing how much faster the second installation goes after making ever mistake conceivable the first time around..

Well, the E300D runs SOOOOO great now.... Not a lick of diesel anywhere AND with the sparkling intake, it seems perkier and more powerful that ever. My wife drived the E300D while I get the '85 300D. We are very pleased...

I hope you enjoy this story and I'm pleased to give something back to this most excellent group of compadres...


Car Repair Pictures