Have an '82 300sd that has been running great, no problems, suddenly it doesn't want to start anymore when warmed up. It starts fine when cold, but if you stop it, it won't start again until it cools down . it cranks over fine, it just won't cough.
Injectors rebuilt and new filters in last 1000 miles.
glow plugs and relay new not long before that.

Any ideas here?

Thanks-----------Robert

Thinking perhaps your shut off mechanism may be binding after warm up. It shuts the engine off but perhaps unable to open up again until engine injection pump cools. Or some weird vaccum problem? Long shot but if binding or some other difficulty should be easy to check. This thread may prove interesting to me as I do not have a lot of knowledge on mercedes diesels strange little problems that develop.

I was thinking along the same lines, but don't have a clue where to start checking.

--------------Robert

I wonder what the compression is like, how many miles on the engine and did it have any smoking under cold starts? Are the valves tight? when was the last valve adjust?
A good engine when warm will start with no glow plugs, or will act hard to start but eventually will start after some cranking.
Logically there is nothing normal about what you described. There is no flooded condition that carburetor cars can have. You flip the starter and a hot diesel engine should start right up.

__________________
'95 E320 Wagon my favorite road car. '99 E300D wolf in sheeps body, '87 300D Sportline suspension, '79 300TD w/ 617.952 engine at 367,750 and counting!

Go to Alldata.com and plug in your car .... read the Tech Service Bulletins and see if one says something about your problem... I have seen it there for some of our diesels.... but have not read the actual tsb... you can get the number from the title on that site and call the MB dealer or something...

This is the TSB for a W123 but its the same engine

DDAF07_10-U-640 APR 97 Engine is Difficult to Start at Operating Tempatures

__________________
Adam Lumsden
(83) 300D
Vice-President of the MBCA International Stars Section

I had the EXACT same problem about a year ago on my w123. The culprit-
THE STARTER. Check that. The electrodes were fried in mine, and they wouldnt carry a current when hot. Needless to say, the car would only start when it was cooled off (or when the starter had cooled off).

Good luck!

__________________
Nate

1995 E420
1992 BMW 525i
1984 300D Turbo sold
1993 Volvo 244 sold
1995 Volvo 944T R.I.P!


"The details are not details. They make the product."
-Charles Eames

www.cbs.nu

One person is right about the hot starter dragging as a possibility in my opinion as well. To most likely indicate I would cool the starter with a garden hose prior to trying to restart hot engine and see. In my opinion though if starter dragging that much you should be able to hear it.

you guys get off the starter issue, RLD stated that the engine will turn over (ie. crank) "it cranks over fine, it just won't cough."
So why all the detour talking about starter motors?
This is a fuel issue most likely

__________________
'95 E320 Wagon my favorite road car. '99 E300D wolf in sheeps body, '87 300D Sportline suspension, '79 300TD w/ 617.952 engine at 367,750 and counting!