Diagnosis help!! car stalling..98 E300
 

98 E300 turbo diesel..I start the car and drive about a mile and the car looses power and just dies on me. I have changed the battery and don't seem to have any electrical issues. The car was sitting for about 2.5 months for the winter. After i get it to start again after about 5 minutes of cranking it works fine for the day. The next morning same problem. I had my mechanic friend take a look, could it be a fuel leak that is causing the problem?????? If it was electrical the I assume car would still run without battery power, Correct?????

I would change both fuel filters, and examine them carefully. Another possibility may be algae in your fuel tank, or it could be possible that you fueled up at a station with contaminated diesel. If it turns out to be an algae issue, Startron puts out a great additive that will help clean out the tank. Good luck.

Where can I buy that product??? from startron...I had the fuel filters changed and then filled the tank before I stopped driving the car for 2.5 months...

You can sometimes find Startron at Autozone, or one of the other auto parts stores. If all else fails, you can also find it at boating supply stores.

I was going to say lift pump, but the fact that after you get it started again it runs fine all day makes me question this. My '95 had a problem where it would start and run fine for several minutes, and then die. I was also having a huge whoosh when I opened the fuel tank filler. My fuel lines were fine, my filters were new, so after cruising through the board searching all related posts I decided to try a new lift pump. Problem solved.

It's not a difficult DIY depending on your skill level. The pump was not terribly expensive several years ago, about $150.

Just a suggestion if other things don't pan out.

Rgds,
Chris W.
'95 E300D, 337K

When you changed the primary filter (small screen filter on top) 2.5 months ago, did you put a new o-ring on the new filter (or at least re-use the old o-ring)? Missing o-ring means air gets into the system.

This is simple.

1. Change both filters.

2. Report back.

Dont worry about anything else.

primer filter o-ring was the problem. Runs great