on the way home from work. Looks like the tank screen is blinded over. It is draining into a 6 gallon diesel jug as this is being typed. This is the first time I have been left by the side of the road since I broke a crankshaft on a '72 Harley Sporster around 1985. The wife was nice enough to tow me home - damn it is hard to keep that rope tight and I'm sure the people in that line of cars behind us (we were running 20-25 mpg) were impressed. The wife would make a good tow truck driver.

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Jim

You have my sympathy. The day I took a test drive in the 300SDL, the serpentine was squealing. No biggie I thought, and the wife and I headed for Lansing (90 miles from here) for lunch. 60 miles later, there's a muted thump under the hood, and the alternator light comes on. Hmm, there goes/went the belt. Pulled into a convenient Rest Area, and 3 hours and one tow truck ride later, we're back home.

I guess that qualifies as stranded, but if I had owned the car and the belt had been squealing, I would have likely found the bad idler pulley bracket that wore the belt that led to its breaking.

I'm glad, though, that it broke. My wife proceded to talk the seller down $3,000 from the original asking price, as it now needed a belt and the other items that we knew about...

Glad you made it back OK, and thumbs up for your wife!

Best Regards,
Jim

Well it happens engatwork, I have been lucky so far the only time I was stranded was when I got my Camry wedged across a road. Luckly a tow truck was able to pull me out.


Btw never pull the e-brake on a steep ice coverd hill, I learned and important driving lesson that day.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

My sympathies, Jim.

The 123 stranded me on the NJTP once when I ran it out of fuel. The 123 contributed to the disaster because the fuel gauge decided to stop at 1/4 full. I routinely keep track of fuel mileage with the trip meter. It typically needs fuel around 420 miles or so. Well, it's up at 490 miles and I'm thinking that this is going to be the best fuel economy I ever had with this vehicle.


Nobody stops to pick you up on the NJTP.

I finally removed all my tools and parts from my '80 300TD today, and put them back in my truck. I haven't been stranded yet, other than running out of 'fuel' [still for you, PEH], but the gauge was at 1/4 of a tank. I now fill up every 200 miles. I simply don't trust it enough to keep driving it around all day every day. Something is always happening, whether it is an AC belt breaking or a glow plug relay acting up, etc.....etc.....etc.....
I'm still going to try and keep it as long as the wife doesn't get too terribly opposed to the idea. It's a non-turbo, so it's not like it's that enjoyable to drive, but there is something about it that makes me want to keep it. We'll see......
JL

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Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

Jim,
Have you determined it is the screen? A quick tip to check if you don't already know is to try pumping the hand pump. As you know you pull the knob up to pull fuel and push down to send it to the filter. If you pull up on the knob, release, and it sucks itself back down, the tank screen is clogged. Instead of pullin fuel into the pump, you are pulling a vacuum which makes the plunger go back down.

Peter

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Auto Zentral Ltd.

On the W123 cars, the return line in the fuel tank goes to the bottom of the tank. so if the tank screen blocks up, reverse the fuel lines. Take the lift pump hose off the fuel line and swap fuel lines with the "cigar hose". The car will run well and down to below 1/4 tank without sucking air. The worst case scenario is that, what is clogging your tank screen will then clog your fuel prefilter.
Tony

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Tony from West Oz.
Fatmobile 3 84 300D 295kkm Silver grey/Blue int. 2 tank WVO - Recipient of TurboDesel engine.
Josephine '82 300D 390kkm White/Palamino int.
Elizabeth '81 280E, sporting a '79 300D engine.
Lucille '87 W124 300D non-turbo 6 cylinder OM603, Pearl Grey with light grey interior


Various parts cars including 280E, 230C & 300D in various states of disassembly.

The screen was awful. Please see the attached photo. In addition, after I got the screen back in the fuel gauge was inoperative. I pulled it out and it was gummed up too. With a good cleaning everything is back to normal. Thanks for the tip Tony.

Sorry for the poor pictures - I struggle with taking close ups. I think it has something to do with the automatic focus on the digital camera focusing on something other than what I am trying to get a shot at.

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Jim

Heres a shot of the screen

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Jim

heh jim, at least she came to rescue you. mine told me to hitch hike the last time i got stuck .. nice..

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1984 300D Turbo - 231k....totalled 11/30/07 RIP

Jim, check your camera for a "macro" switch. My digital has one and you activate the switch for close up shots. The auto focus still works but the range becomes limited.

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Mike Tangas
'73 280SEL 4.5 (9/72)- RIP
Only 8,173 units built from 5/71 thru 11/72

'02 CLK320 Cabriolet - wifey's mid-life crisis

2012 VW Jetta Sportwagon TDI...at least its a diesel

Non illegitemae carborundum.

Jim, that wouldn't happen if you would quit burning bunker fuel in it.

All kidding aside, maybe you should change fuel suppliers. And maybe use Redline or some other algaecide (if you aren't already).

Cheers,
Wes

Jim,

You need to use an algaecide like Biobor. Diesel doctor which was made from Biobor is no longer available. Biobor is very expensve. A quart cost me ~$80, almost half was shipping. But it is very concentrated. 1/4 oz. to 20 gallons (135 PPM) after initial shock treatment of 1/2 oz. to 20 gallons (270 PPM) of fuel. So one quart will treat about 2000 gallons of fuel.

I have found that if the inline filter is plugged the manual pump will be hard to pull up because it is pulling the fuel thru the inline filter and the tank strainer.
That's one disadvantage of the new spring operated manual pump, its harder to tell if the inline or the can filter or strainer is plugged by the feel of the plunger of the old type pump.

P E H

Maybe I need to quit using that used Mobil PM oil (paper machine oil) - just kidding. This was probably the first time ever that screen had ever been pulled out of the fuel tank.
I'll try the macro switch on the camera - thanks Mike.

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Jim

Good tip, but I changed to the newer primer pump. Any idea how it would behave with a clogged screen?

Those pictures are impressive, I have put off checking mine too long.