1983 300SD. I just changed the glow plugs and the car starts up immediatly BUT the car dies after 5 or 6 seconds. I then have to crank the heck out of it a number of times to get it going again. Once it is running I can start and stop it all day. Next morning the problem starts again.

Fuel?
Rack Damper bolt?
Gas tank strainer?

Where do I start? I opend the gas cap and the oil cap and still no start. Car runs graet when it is going. 301,000 miles just went through New Jersey inspection last week

From the clue you gave that it dies in 5-6 seconds, it sounds as if it may be close to the Injection Pump and fuel related. With that thought, you could probably rule out problems in the tank for now.

What is the condition of your priming pump? Is it the old style which has a large white knurled top that you unscrew? Or have you updated to the new style that is simply a push pump?

Any fuel leaks in the IP or Injector area?

When was the last time filters were changed? especially the secondary screw-on filter. Any leaks in that area?

What have done or checked so far?

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Sam

84 300SD 350K+ miles ( Blue Belle )

Never discount the ability of Bosch or whoever to sell you glow plugs that do not work out of the box. Maybe checking them now will save you some frustration.

DP,

Right after the engine quits, pump the primer vigorusly and see if the engine starts and keeps running. It sounds like you are losing the prime, probably caused by an air leak in the fuel line or primer pump.

I don't know why replacing the GP would cause this problem. Were you having a starting problem that made you replace the GP? Possibly if you had to crank the engine more with the old GP, you might hve primed the system. But a running engine should prime itself better than cranking it.

P E H

I'll lay odds he has an air leak........................on a fuel line.....but likely on one of the crush washers........or the plastic lines....assuming he does not have a updated primer pump yet.

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

The glow plugs cannot be the culprit. Once the engine starts, they are out of the picture.

If it does not continue to run, I agree with BHD. There is a small air leak that allows air into the system while it is sitting overnight. It could even be in the primer pump, itself.

Thanks guys,
Last year I upgraded the primer pump due to the fact that the original was leaking. I looked around and everything looks dry. The main filter is fairly new but I will replace that anyway. Fuel is getting to the injectors. I cracked the nuts at the injectors and when turning the engine over there is fuel coming out. I do suspect that air is getting in there somehow as you had stated. I will keep checking. If anything else comes to mind let me know. Thank you Dennis

I had this problem and I used some soap solution to find the leak. I undid the fuel hose from the supply line and blew low compression (less than 10 psi) air in to the line to clear some fuel out of the lines. Then I disconnected the return line and plugged it. I took the soap solution and applied it around all the fittings. I put the low air pressure air hose back on and sure enough there was some small bubbling coming from under the copper sealing washer to the fuel filter. Fortunately in my grab bag of parts I had a new washer the proper size. I retested after and the bubbling was gone. I guess you could just replace all the washers but it was nice to locate the problem and verify it was taken care of.

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Bill Reimels
Now down to one:
1972 300SE 3.5 W109 (Euro delivery)