View Single Post
  #1  
Old 08-25-2003, 08:54 AM
connerm connerm is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 1,078
Over my head - diesel purge disaster confession

95 e300d 115k. Shakkkkkking at idle, reverse, neutral, etc. New mounts. Decided to try diesel purge straight. Changing filters was easy enough. Decided to run diesel purge from a glass jar. Trying to remove plastic tubing from prefilter I cracked the tubing - problem #1. Tried to use hose fitting connectors and hose clamps with no luck. Clear plastic tubing running from under the intake to prefilter is brittle and hose clamp didn't make airtight seal. I could see little air bubbles getting in. Rigged tubing from hard fuel line - under windshield washer container directly into purge. Diesel fuel continued to spill out of hard line on garage floor - problem #2. Split grommet holding washer pump in fluid reservoir - problem #3. Can't remember if wires and sensor imbedded in washer fluid hose go inside washer fluid reservoir - problem #4. Due to leaks, couldn't get air out of system long enough for engine to run more than 1 minute - problem #5. Even tried filling filter with purge two times. Poured diesel purge from glass jar back into cans and back on the shelf - out of sight. Tried to get back to square one and thought air leak in hard plastic tubing would make me end up calling the tow truck. Using a section of black rubber fuel line a tiny piece of copper tubing - slid it into brittle plastic tubing, I was able to finally reconnect fuel to the prefilter - without any air leaks. Car started up after a bit of trying and eliminating air. Seems to work as before. Don't think much diesel purge ever got through. Garage now stinks, big stain on the floor and of course still shakes at idle. I'll live with the shaking until I can get it to a shop sometime in the future.

Final thoughts. After reading and re-reading posts on diesel purge, I thought I had it figured out. I didn't. Cracking the clear plastic tubing going to the prefilter was the first and biggest mistake. I should have fed diesel purge directly from where the fuel hose meets the hard fuel line - under the washer fluid reservoir. Now, I have to repair the clear tubing which is impossible to reach due to it being under the intake manifold. I'm not going there. Could have been an expensive adventure. I'll stick with changing oil and filters. Techs need to make a living too! I have an entirely new appreciation for my local tech hero. Anybody know where I can buy a washer fluid motor grommet? And does anyone know where that sensor goes? I can't imagine it goes inside the washer fluid. If so, how?
Reply With Quote