My 300D has been sitting for a month outside. I went to start it last night and it felt like the starter was not getting enough juice and would barely turn over. I thought the battery might need a charge due to sitting and the cold weather so I pulled it and put it on the charger.

Now with the battery back in I get a big voltage drop when I turn the key to glow and the lights dim. Also a noise from the driver side fender. It sounds like a relay in the glow plug system is making noise or there is a short in the glow plug system.

Where do I start?

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85 300D Turbo

Do you know if the battery is holding a charge? Sometimes letting them run down kills them for good. Can you try starting it while connected to a running car with heavy cables, or using a jumper pack? You need to determine if it's the battery or something else.

The battery is fine. I pulled the glow plug relay and took it apart and cleaned the contacts and checked the continuity to all the plugs which was good. Put the connects back on the relay and it started right up.

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85 300D Turbo

Dimming interior light occurs a little normally. You may have a bad earth between the body & the motor or at a terminal.

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Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

In South Texas, when I was in high school- WHENEVER there was a starting problem there was a rule of thumb- always, always, always, check/clean the connections first. 99% of the time, whenever there was a problem- it was due to a crappy quality connection SOMEWHERE. It could be at the battery terminals, it could be at the starter, it could be at the coil or the ground, but it was nearly always a connection issue if the battery was good, due to the salt in the air causing corrosion. I imagine that the same would be true in the winter time... J

satyr,
Your learned well !!!
Connections are more a problem in winter.

__________________
Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

Where do you find the glow plug relay and how do you check the glow plugs?

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rene
1983 300D

http://www.dieselgiant.com/glowplugrepair.htm

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85 300D Turbo