HELP-Washed engine,NO power!
 

To any helpful soul out there - I am new to these mercedes diesels - I have just degreased & powerwashed the engine on my '83 300cd turbodiesel ...then I drove it home a few miles and it seemed to run just fine...I decided to check the aircleaner, it was pretty dirty and lots of oil residue in there, apparently from the valve cover breather hose. I decided to remove this hose as I had on my VW Jetta TDI(where I had replaced it with a simple breather element), since it seemed like an obvious way to quit sucking sludge into the turbo and intake manifold....I then drove the car and it has absolutely NO power and it shifts WAY too high in the RPM range. I am assisting it in shifting by releasing the throttle! I then replaced the breather hose, thinking that might be the problem...same NO power situation! HELP-did I screw up something by removing that hose, OR is it possible that I have broken a vacuum or electrical connection by powerwashing the engine, even though it drove well immediately after the wash? ANY ideas or suggestions as to where to start, as I have looked around quite extensively underhood and can find nothing broken...maybe an electrical part is wet? Thanks for any input! ,Loren

first, does your central locking work correctly? it runs off of vacuum. if it doesn't work now,you have a loose vacuum hose or your power wash cracked a plastic fitting that the hose connects to. i power wash my diesel all time.
transmission should shift up at 2000 rpm.

Will check today!
 

Thanks for your reply regarding the central locking...I will check that today...I haven't even thought of that ...I also purchased a hand-held vacuum tester that I will try on the system! I will let you know how it goes! Loren

Along with the vacuum issue, check for moisture in the electricals. Powerwashing if effective in getting out all of the hidden grime, but with that pressure comes the unintended ability to have moisture penetrate components that aren't designed to work under those conditions.

I'm not familiar with diesels per se, but check for cavities at the head where fuel injectors(?) and glow plugs reside to see if water has pooled.

RE:Electrical/water
 

Thanks everyone...I am currently going thru the tedious process of checking all electrical as well...I hope that it is obvious to the eye...I did find a few broken circuits - one was a wire coming from some sort of switch at the top of the thermostat housing, and also a broken electrical connector that I can not determine the whereabouts of the other end!

...In response to the transmission, I found one abraded/broken wire that comes off of the main harness to the trans and plugs into the back of the transmission....I will have to splice or buy a new one! I will keep updated...tomorrow I will have everything put back together and see if she drives well again.

There is a connecter behind the air cleaner housing for the Turbo. More than likely you have soaked it ....Let it dry out for a day and it should be ok. I've done this several times. When your driving listen for the whistle of the Turbo. If you don't hear it, it's probably wet. :)

Is it a temperature issue?
 

The car seems to drive fine when it is cold in the morning...I drove about 3 miles to the gym and parked for about an hour...when I came out and drove away, I have no power again...is this temperature related somehow? I have no clue but don't yet want to spend the money at the shop! Thanks