Hi everyone,

Thanks in advance for the good advice and help from all who have established and contribute to this board.

I once again have a starting problem with my 82 240D. Good plugs and compression, but it seems as if its not getting any fuel. No smoke at all out of the tailpipe while cranking. After priming endlessly and confirming the function of the fuel pump by removing the main fuel filter, I decided to crack open the individual injector lines and noticed that after prolonged cranking, only the number 4 injector line had any fuel flow at all.

I know that there is something that I probably don't understand about the system, but can anyone tell me if this means that the injector pump is malfunctioning or if there is something else I need to do to get this to work.

Thanks, Jim

Verify that there is full fuel flow from the tank. Your car has three fuel filters: the primary and secondary ones in the engine bay and the one in the fuel tank. With a car the age of yours I would suspect that the tank filter has plugged up with black gooey tar. The fix is to remove this filter and either clean it or replace it. Part not pricey. To remove the filter you may have to remove the tank to have leverage to unscrew it because it is likely very tight. It is located at the bottom of the tank where the hose comes out. The size of the nut is 46 mm. That is why I removed the tank and used adjustable pliers. In mine I found a lot of tar in the filter so I blasted out the tank with water and let it dry for several days before reinstalling. Feel around with your finger and you will find the tar surrounding the filter.

__________________
Douglas
1959 M-B 220S cabriolet

When you are operating the priming pump is it leaking? while pumping do you hear a faint buzzing as the fuel bypasses the IP? Are you screwing the pump handle back down before you try to start? The hand pump can be a source of air entering the system, especially if the fuel tank screen is beginning to plug. If you are at the end of your rope the engine will start and run on Wd-40 sprayed into the air intake ( do not use either!). You can keep it going with short bursts until it bleeds itself.

Bob D.

You might have a bad fuel pump, possibly the valves in the pump.

Take off the line going from the secondary filter to the injection pump and see if any fuel comes out: 1. when you work the hand pump and 2. when cranking engine with starter.

This will tell you if it is a fuel pump problem or plugged filter(s).

IE:1. No fuel working hand pump: plugged filter(s) or hole in fuel line that allows air to be sucked in.

2.Fuel comes out with hand pump but not when cranking engine: probably bad fuel pump.

P E H

Bought my 82 this Jan, and the previous owner "said" he had put in a recent starter. Tried for 3 weeks to solve the "no start - just cranking" scenario. Did all the things you have, from Fuel Deliver Pump thru injectors,filters,tank vacuum, to Fuel Tank filter. The starter sounded a normal cranking speed, but this is my first diesel and I was then told by a MB mechanic, that is wasn't spinning fast enough! So, I pulled the old starter, (could have be the OEM) and with a new one, it started first lick, and has been doing so for the past 2 months.

At a $112 aftermarket price, it was a no-brainer.

Hope this might help some.

Charly

Charly,

The compression of your engine might be getting low. I have a '74 240D and it will start with an almost dead battery that barely cranks the engine. The car has 200,000+ miles but it had a factory rebuilt engine installed somewhere along the way before I owned it. So I don't know how many miles are on the engine. It never was very good on fuel milage, only about 26 MPG.

P E H