My 83 300D (non turbo) is running on 4 out of 5 cylinders. I confirmed this today by cracking the injectors while it was running, and the idle lowered on 4/5, but when I cracked the first injector (closest to the front) the idle remained steady, and some fuel leaked out.

I've ruled out the injectors, since I replaced them a month ago, and the poor performance did not improve.

I haven't done a compression test, but the engine starts up like a champ, and oil pressure is always good.

I spoke to a German Car Mechanic this morning who said that the engine has to be replaced. He was appaulled to hear that I let another mechanic (not a diesel specialist!!) spray starter fluid into the air filter. He said this strips the oil from the engine, and turns the seals to sawdust. He said "don't bother bringing your car in" after this discussion.

My question, is there any hope for reviving this dead cylinder? Any tips, tricks, or "Hail Mary" techniques I might try?

Any help is much appreciated.

Check valve adjustments.....if they are in spec then get a compression adn leakdown test done....this is only way to find out if it has a chance or not.

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Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
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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

You are much better off withOUT that mechanic... he was really full of it...
If you replaced your own injectors... did you check their pop off pressures and pattern ? Did you put new washers to replace any one time use items?
An aerosol burst of starter fluid into the intake when starting one of our 617's won't hurt anything... not enough BTU's, and this has been discussed here LOTS... and JimSmith posted the final word...
Your problem is probably something minor and when you find it you will be amazed that you thought about giving up on it...and that that mechanic told you you needed a new engine...

Welcome to the forum.

It's an unfortuante fact of life that the mechanic has the solution (always very expensive) before he has even begun to diagnose the problem.

So, first off, get a different mechanic. Anybody who immediately states that you need a new engine, prior to doing any testing on it, is incompetant.

Then, follow BHD's advice. Get a compression test done on that one cylinder. It will tell you, right away, whether you have to pull the head and check out what's going on inside.

I'll bet hes got valves that haven't been adjusted in 40K miles and one cylinder had a valve hanging open as a result. Check that before you pay someone to do a compression test.

__________________
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)
---------------------
Section 609 MVAC Certified
---------------------
"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

I adjusted the valves myself about a month ago. Granted, I'm not a pro, and I just followed some instructions in a book. I tried to be as accurate as I could, being a novice and all.
How should I go about finding a good Merc diesel mechanic in San Diego? There are many "foreign auto" places in the yellow pages, but none say "diesel specialist" or anything.
I'm a novice, so I don't know what Pop Off pressures/patterns, or compression adn leakdown tests are. I suppose I should have a pro do these.
I'm glad to hear a little starter fluid won't hurt the engine. It was hard to believe that it would cause "death" (as he put it) if the can says its for gas AND diesel engines.
So, what should the FIRST step be? pop off pressure, compression test, or adn leakdown test?

On this site, on the very first page, there is a forum called "good MB shops". You can search this forum. Put "San Diego" as the search term and see what comes up.

If you don't get anything, you can post the question on that forum and someone in the area may give you a lead.


Edited:

Here, I did it for you. Many good results:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=3562&highlight=San+Diego

If fuel is getting to the injector it is probably not a fuel problem. However just for a quick test swap the 1st injector with a good one, say the back one. See if the dead cylinder follows it. This should only take a couple of minutes, then I would:

Adjust valves again
Check compression/leakdown

Did this problem come on fast or over a long time?

Engines don't lose compression overnight, but an injector may clog all of a sudden.

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