1981 240D

[robertbrown29]

My 1981 240D will not start.I Have changed the fuel filters and glow plugs.It was running fine before this episode.any ideas on what to check next? car has about 240,000 miles.

[TN-W124 Diesel]

Check the following: Fuel Tank empty,battery discharged,battery connections loose,fuel injection timing or start delivery incorrect,fuel injection pump faulty,broken or loose glow plug wires, broken or loose glow plugs, loose or leaking fuel lines, contamineted fuel, Air in fuel system. Did the car just stop when running or just never started again when shut off ? Good luck

If this happened after you changed your fuel filter, then you probably did not prime the fuel system with the hand pump. The hand pump is on he side of the injector pump, and has a small round white plastic knob. Unscrew the knob counterclockwise, pull the knob out, and pump it until you hear the fuel bypassing the injectors. Hope this works.

Robert,
Make sure you or someone else has not accidently put gasolene in the tank. Diesels will not start on gasolene. If you don't want to pump the hand pump so much, remove the big fuel filter and fill it with diesel fuel. Better still is to fill it with Lubro moly. This way your car should start, and your injection nozzles will get cleaned.
If it sill fails to start,loosen the injection lines at the nozzles and make sure they are getting fuel. If fuel is getting to the nozzles, and you are sure it is pure diesel fuel, and it still won't start you should do a compressio test. I doubt if the timing is off, unless the chain has jumped a few teeth and then the pistons would hit the valves on the up stroke. I have seen diesels start and run 18 degrees out of time, but at around 50mph the pistons were hitting the valves.
Bill Lewallen Lexington,Ky. Where diesels purr and torbos whirr.

[TN-W124 Diesel]

Are you sure the engine stop lever is in the correct position?