I posted this in a different topic last week and somebody suggested thatIstart a new topic with it, so here goes... The car..1981 300SD with 141,xxx miles The situation...Car was running good, it would start after just a couple of turns no matter how cold it was, ran good. It does smoke a bit under acceleration. With the car in the condition listed above I put a full tank of B100 in. While B100 was in the fuel tank the car was virtually impossible to start. Once it started it ran good. It got so bad that once I had it running I just kept driving it until the tank was empty and I could replace the B100 with #2. Now about 4 months later, and quite a few tanks of #2, the car is still difficult to start when it's cold. Since I ran the tank empty of B100 I have replaced both the secondary and primary fuel filters and ran a couple cans of diesel purge through it. Anyone have any sugestions as to why the car is still hard to start when it's cold?

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I'm sick of .sig files

If it's still starting poorly after running several tanks of Regular fuel through it, I would suggest using the normal diagnostic routine for the symptoms you describe.
Check glow plugs
Check compression
Check Injectors
Check Prechambers

It is possible the change was coincidental, and not related to the Biodiesel.

Joe

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1978 300SD
Running Biodiesel/SVO, 2 tank system
127,000 Miles

Did you check the fuel tank strainer?

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'81 300TD Wagon 355k (Miss Diesel)
'83 300SD 180k
'84 500SEL 190k (Parting it out)

In addition to the things mentioned above...
Check start of fuel timing...
Check Chain elongation and valve timing by using the movement of the number one intake valve ..... the factory shop manual SPECIFIES THIS PARTICULAR PROCEDURE if one has a " PERFORMANCE COMPLAINT" .....

Chris,

Remove the fuel cap from filler pipe. Remove the rubber fuel line from the steel fuel line below the fuel tank. Fuel should run out in a steady stream. If it doesn't, your fuel tank strainer is plugged.

If strainer is plugged, remove it and clean it. Best way is to remove fuel line attached to strainer and blow it clean with compressed air. Best time to do this is when tank it almost empty. Drain fuel tank thru fuel hose you removed into a container, fuel can be reused. Strainer does not have to be replaced unless the mesh is broken. Put in a couple a couple gallons of fuel and check for leaks. Its possible you might have to replace the seal on the strainer if there are leaks around the strainer.

P E H

Let's not overlook the obvious here. Check for malfunctioning glow plugs.

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Rick Miley
12 Honda Pilot
14 Tesla Model S
Former MB: 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

And last but not least, check and make sure the tank vent is clear. You can do this by seeing if it starts easier with the fuel cap removed. If you here vaccuum (or pressure) release when removing the fuel cap, it's a good indication of a clogged vent line.