This is my first winter driving this '83 TD. Unfortunately, things aren't going well. I'm in Michigan and we're talking about 0 degree temps at night (and sometimes during the day) for quite a few days now.

Current situation:

Car won't start, even using an external battery starter.
Glow plug light on dash comes on and I hear the "click"
Oil pressure is good
-- not able to do diagnostics beyond that right now b/c it's dead in my driveway

Over the past few weeks, the car has been getting progressively harder to start in the the cold weather.

Earlier in the week, the car started after about 10 minutes of cranking, while attached to the external battery charger but now even this doesn't work.

Suggestions on where to start checking, or what to do at this point? Thanks. I know I didn't give much information, so I'll try to clarify or test things if people ask questions.

Check your glow plugs, you can still have one plug out and have the light come on. Visit Diesel Giant's DIY Glowplug repair . It will walk you through the process. When I have one plug out it is a lot harder to start. Also you may want to try adjusting your valves. Diesel Giant also has a DIY for that too. Try those and see what happens.

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Do you have a block heater on your car? If you see an electrical plug near the front of the car by the radiator, thats your block heater. Plug that in and let it sit for a few hours. Getting some heat in the engine makes a world of difference.

Generally, for cold weather starting there are a few common issues:
1. Bad glow plugs
2. Valves not adjusted correctly
3. Weak battery/starter
4. Oil is too heavy (use a 5w-40 in the winter for quicker starts)

All these issues are addressed in other posts on the forum. Just use the search function to find lots of info. Good luck, I've been there.

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1985 300TD 183,000 but I'd rather ride my bike

Thanks for replies.

Yes, I have a block heater and it was working well through the winter so far.

Previous owner says he replaced the glow plugs in the past year, so I'm hoping they're not the problem, but haven't been able to test them.

Even if the battery is weak, if I'm using an external jump starter/charger, that shouldn't be an issue -- right?

Oil = 5W-40

You should probably be useing some winter fuel additive, Also check/ change filters, I usually do it about twice a year. Any fuel or air leaks in your diesel system contribute to hard starting, I had a bad primer pump and it was very hard to start some times.

Other than the previously mentioned items, I use 0-40 sythetic oil (im accross the border in ontario, and it was around 0F this morning. One of my diesels will start witout the block heater plugged in, but 3 others will not.

Getting your fuel from a good source is important, forget about biodiesel or summer diesel at these temps,

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1984 Euro 300SDC, (4spd standard)
1986 Toyota Landcruiser Diesel HJ60 5spd X2

Gone but not forgotten (some sold, some stripped)
1983 300 SD, 1985 300 SD, 1983 240D, 1986 300 SDL, 1985 300 SDL, 1983 300 D, 1984 300 D, 1985 300SD, 1987 300 SDL, 1983 300 SD, 1985 300 TD Euro, 1983 380SEC, 1990 300 D, 1987 300D, 1982 300D, 1982 300D, 1994 E420, 1987 300 TD, 1987 300 D, 1984 300 D

The first step of checking your glow plugs is mandatory. Even if they were changed out last week. The valve clearance is really just good general maintenance anyways. Yet if totally neglected for a long period of time can have other consequences such as yours. .
As for your thoughts on your battery. Get it checked out somewhere as it's a free deal. No, boosting with a charger on top of a marginal battery is not a conclusive way to make sure you really have enough amperage available for the starter. A preliminary check of your glow plugs takes a meter and less than five minutes in your driveway. If it will not start with block heater assistance you do have a problem.

it's probably hard to type with cold fingers! you are going to need a good digital VOM to properly diagnose this problem. I would forget about the block heater at the moment, focus on the Glow plugs. "PO says changed the GP's" is not the same as YOU measuring the resistance of the gp's is is really simple on this car, just follow the directions for gp service on dieselgiant's site.
John
and while you are at it, measure the exact digital volts coming off the battery, I bet you aren't getting above 12.2 V you should have 12.75 on a fully charged battery.

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

dont worry about the exhaust smoke at the moment you have a lot of unburnt fuel going thru there with all the aborted starting attempts

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commercial fisherman diesel in my blood in my boats trucks and Dear old Dad has had me drivin them since i got my first license in 1968
1986 300 SDL 427654
1999 Chevy Crew Cab Dually 225423
1986 300 SDL 287000 Dad's
1987 190 Turbo 158000 Mom's (my inheritance)

VEGGIE OIL? I hope you are joking... the "D" stands for Diesel.

I am not a fan of discussing grease pushers on the Diesel forum but that's just a soapbox opinion from a Diesel snob.

Anyway, Newbie fans of MB are always welcome here...makes me rethink some of the fun and challenges these fine cars present us with over time.

Your recent experience sounds like mostly an electrical problem overall. I would suggest that you check or replace your battery cables in case they have not been replaced in the last 10 years. Over time, the interior cable wiring can and will oxidize or corrode and will not transfer the necessary power to the starter! (even though the starter spins). Since Ma Benz uses such good OEM stuff we tend to forget that those things will wear out and need to be be checked periodically to rule out contributing root cause for problems.
In this case, I suspect there are several small individual conditions at normal tolerances that when combined under extreme conditions result in the cranking failure. For example low battery, high resistance in cable or connections, timing chain stretch, poor fuel delivery, valves out of adjustment, corrupted fuel (H20, Gel, debris, grease), weak glo-plugs, reduced compression...added together at Zero degrees means no dice and points to several things to check out and try to make right.
First is electrical.
Battery - Fully Charged. Posts and connections clean, tight?
Cables sound? Starter connections clean and tight? Glow plugs measured?
Use the block hearter cause you have it! (I plug in every nite when I get home from work 'til consistent overnite temps over 35)
Second is Fuel.
Good clean Diesel (not waste vegetable oil)? Filters recent? Visible fuel in the inline filter?

Enough from me for now, let us know what develops as you look into this more.

Good luck, keep warm, and glad you chimed in!

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Bama1


2008 SLK 280, Firemist Red - "Hurricane"
2001 F150 Lariat 4x4, Black on Black - "Badboy"
1982 240D 4 speed survivor -"Pearl" - Donated to Vietnam Veterans
1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 -"Gertrude"

1954 model original owner - ~2.5M
Gray softtop/solid exterior/modified chassis