I know how some ask people to search before asking a question so I have been for a few DAYS now.

Background

Have been running Lucas cleaner through it the last three or four tanks.
Changed Oil, filter, two weeks ago.
Put Lucas oil treatment in with change of oil.
Oil pressure in my car as per the guage always seemed pegged to the top. When my key was turned on, running down the highway, at a stoplight. Faulty reading????

Took a long trip, 200 miles, back from getting new floors welded in.

Uhhmmm...ok...ran gas low, really low, and filled it up, no treatment this time.
Returned home and didn't try to start the car for 5 or 6 days.

Tried, wouldn't start.
Blew air up the lines? (bad idea, I really don't know)

New filters installed?
Everything bled (I think). Have bled, bled again, yet again, ad infinitum.

My friend thinks the IP may be toast. How to check?

Still won't start.

When I get her cranking, oil pressure slowly rises to 30 (per dash guage).

Seems like its not cranking strong enough. Low Compression? Not sure how to tell.

A mechanic recommended I blow air up into the tank to try and shake loose sediment on the filter.

Also how does one know if the hand primer is bad. When one pumps it what should happen to show its working properly, not happen showing its faulty? Would it draw air into lines/IP?

As you can guess I am not a diesel mechanic, ...yet.

ANy and all advice is VERY much appreciated. Hopefully one day I will be able to help out others. I am determined to be able to understand these engines.

When you bled, did you loosen the injector lines. This may be required, use the search. MAke sure your tank screener (located inside the tank). Your glow plugs are working, right?

__________________
1989 300E 144K

Loosened 1
Then loosened a second.
Not all.

Plugs working, light on dash working, am getting a little smoke from plug 1 ( I think the one closest to the front bumper) as it gets hot (bad o ring I guess).

Guess I should loosen them all and blead.

i am also new owener of a 1981 240D.

I just changed the two fuel filters.

the little plastic filter, is easy and you just switch it out with the new.

the main filter, I took off the old, and when putting on the new, tighten it up just to the point where the rubber started to make contact with the metal.

then using the hand primer pumped, pumped and pumped and pumped, until fuel came out and kept comming out.

finished tighting up the main fuel filter, and started the car. sometimes if you did not completely get all the air out of the main filter, the engine will try to die. just step down on the gas, until till it starts to run soomthly.

bob 1981 240D 4 speed maual, 181,000

I changed the filters. My car won't even start. It doesn't start then die. It plain won't start.

does the starter engage and turn the engine over?

bob 81 240d

Yes it does but engine isn't turning very well. A friend seems to not think its a starter problem. It doesn't seem to my ear, while sitting in the car trying to start it, that engine is getting enough compression for combustion. Could this be typical of bad fuel. The fuel doesn't have a very strong odor. I just filled it maybe bad.

a diesel engine needs to turn over at a higher rpm then a gas engine. even with glow plugs, an older diesel needs this higher turning over rate.

one time, with a gas, i thought i had a bad starter, turned out to be a bad battery.

i would start with the battary, pull it and take it down for a test. no use to try and jump start. again a diesel draws so much engery from a battary, and the cables must people have will not transfer this from the good battary to the bad.

i had a bad battary on another (not MB) and took a very long time to jump start.


if the battary is good, and the starter does not turn the engine fast enought, then it might be the starter.

never pulled a starter off of any diesel before. but if you can, pull the starter and take it to a starter repair shop, and let them test. My other diesel has had to have the starter rebuilt twice in the last 21 years.

bob 1981 240d

rkerste and CSteve,

That's what happens when U replace perfectly good fuel filters.

U shouldn't loosen anything when U bleed the system. There is a bleed hole in the top of the seconary (larger) filter that will get all the air out of the filter and send send it to the fuel tank. U want the primer fuel pump to pump fuel thru the filters AND the IP. Tighten the filter cap and pump the primer pump 50 times or more and do it fast. U don't have to loosen the injection lines either. The IP will pump out any air in these lines along with the fuel thru the injectors.

P E H

I just did what P.E. said and it seems to be better. Charged the battery all night but somehow left the key on and think it not fully charged. I've been suspecting a short somewhere for awhile.

Uhmmmm.....will look further at troubleshooting electrical. I must say I know virtually nothing about cars but have been learning alot from this vehicle and from reading this forum. Which is great.

Body looks good, some rust on rockers, picked a decent interior and lots of extra interior parts, bulbs, fuses, from a junkyard. As stated in a previous post I just welded in new floors?

New Radiator, Battery replaced after purchase, new shocks, some new bushings, just changed oil, had to mess with the alternator which was shaking lose (somewhat stripped star bolt loosening: Can they be purchased? What cars are interchangeable 114, all 115, 123? Bad Idea to weld a piece of metal across bracket to hold it? It's tight currently), new filters (gas and oil),....

Next on the list diesel purge, perhaps switch starter to one off a 300D, new plugs (using pencil and getting off the series, going to parellel), tune up, bushings underneath, and hopefully she'll be good for awhile.

The guy before me had 4 other cars, let her sit, and when I bought her the car had 85,000 miles on it (not sure if actual) odometer stopped working a couple of months after I got her and I had been out of the country for most of the 18 months since I bought her. I can't have put 2500 miles on her since purchase. I bought the car at a non-profit donation auction, got title, called guy, and asked him questions. He bought the car, rarely used her but for long trips (200-300 miles), had others. Only got rid of her because he got a sixth car and wife said one must go. He bought her 16 years ago with 74000 miles on the odometer. So I assume she has either around 90000 miles or 190,000 on her.

Have you checked the glowplugs to make sure they're in good condition? When I got my 300D the #1 plug smoked and turns out it was just bad, $12 turned it from a non running car to a daily commuter!

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1974 240D 3.0L 4(M) - 250K -OM617.910 + 300D FW + Rajay turbo power!
1977 6.9 3(A) - 84k

When replacing filters (primary and secondary) I always fill the new filter with fuel before installing. I don't pump or crank at all. I have the old type of pump ((80 300 TD) it works and doesn't leak. The only time I've used it was after running the fuel tank empty.

Glow plugs, haven't taken them out, next on list. Have a heavy diuty diesel truck chareger and am charging it, using to help jump it, she's turning like she'd never turned but not starting. Gonna let it slow charge for a few hours or longer and then try again. Will look at plugs. Local stores closed and no MB glowplugs in stock. Have some I took off a 72 220D at the junkyard maybe I will try one of those. Is it a problem to mix loop and pencil type plugs?

Much appreciated!

I believe the primer pump is shot. If leaking could it prevent engine from starting.

diesels can and do start without glow plugs. if the starter was turning the engine over at a good clip, then the way i see things is either no fuel or no compression.

at least in my experence, i have started diesels (non MB) without using glow plugs. they did not start up on the first crang, but the do start.

bob
1981 240d