I'm A Moron, And Now My Car Won't Start, 1981 240D - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Courier6 · #1 08-31-2012, 11:49 AM

Hey all. First off, I'm a new user. This is my first post on the board so, Hello. Nice to meet you. Now that we are all such good friends, I need a favor.

I have a 1981 240D that was given to me by my grandfather a few years ago for my 18th birthday. Before coming into ownership of the vehicle, I knew nothing about cars. Now, after years of working on her with my dad to get her drivable, I know barely less than nothing about cars.

So my current dilemma is this: I was waiting until payday to fill my tank, and when it finally came and I went to start her, the starter fired but the engine didn't turn over. So, after conferring with my dad, we determined that I'd run out of fuel and that it's now dry.

So, upon referring to both my user manual and a few posts in this thread, I went down to the station, got five gallons of diesel, put it in the tank, and started pumping the primer pump. I pumped it around 100 times, and then I went to start it. I turned the key to let the glow plugs heat up and, when they did, pressed on the accelerator and turned the key the rest of the way.

Now, you know how there are a couple different sounds that happen almost, but not quite simultaneously when you go to start an engine? I don't know what any of them are. But I do know that the First sound is the only one I hear when I try to start it now. I have no idea what that means, and I'm worried about trying again. Another thing I noticed: as I was pumping the priming pump, it was bleeding diesel onto my hand from about the third pump on. I also have no clue what that means.

Any help I can get here would be vastly appreciated, as I need to get this thing up and running for school soon.

engatwork · #2 08-31-2012, 12:27 PM

Welcome aboard, sorry for your issues.

You need to loosen the lines at the injectors. After they are loose, pump, crank (with pedal to the floor), pump, crank, charge battery and start over again. Once fuel is coming out of the injector lines hook them up and it should start up. Take a few minutes between cranking with the starter to allow the starter to cool off. You can ruin a starter if you get it too hot.

Courier6 · #3 08-31-2012, 12:38 PM

Thank you Jim, just to clarify (as I fear that any mistep here has a chance to ruin my engine in some horrible way) do you mean to pump the primer pump while cranking at the same time, or pump for a while, then go to the driver's seat and crank for a while, and then do it again? Also, I will try to use other resources to find out how to loosen injector lines, as well as where exactly those are, but any pictures or guides anyone could provide would make me massively more confident in what I'm doing. Thank you again for your help.

vstech · #4 08-31-2012, 12:41 PM

First things first.

Welcome to the worlds greatest Mercedes forum!!!!

Ok. The fuel leaking on your hand is from a worn out primer. New style black pump should be first on your purchase list. But its ok. Look at the filter behind the power steering pump. See the bolt with the arrow pointing at the engine? Loosen it one turn then pump the primer. When zero air comes out with the fuel, tighten the bolt and the primer handle. Then loosen all the nuts on the injector lines at the motor. Now have a battery charger connected and get someone to crank the motor while you watch the nuts. As each injector gets fuel tighten the nuts. Likely it will start before you get them all tight.

daw_two · #5 08-31-2012, 12:43 PM

Just curious. Did you and your Dad perform a valve adjustment on the car?

And....welcome to the forum!!!!

Courier6 · #6 08-31-2012, 01:00 PM

Alright, I'm really sorry if I'm being annoyingly cautious, but I want to double check everything before I do it. So when I look at what I am pretty sure are the injector lines, I see two rows of nuts, as seen here:

Just to make sure, I am to loosen every nut in each row and then start pumping? Or do I only loosen one row, or a few in both rows?
And to answer your question Daw Two, not to my knowledge, though it is possible my dad did it on his own while I was away.

kerry · #7 08-31-2012, 01:10 PM

Is the glow plug light working and is the starter turning over the engine when you turn the key to start it?

sixto · #8 08-31-2012, 01:10 PM

One sound is a click, the other is a whir. Which do you hear? A click or rapid series of clicks suggest the battery isn't strong enough to turn the engine. A constant whir without the engine cranking/turning suggests the starter needs repair or replacement.

Go easy on the nuts you loosen. More importantly, go easy on tightening. It takes experience (or a torque wrench and specifications) to tighten them without overtightening them. Overtightening can lead to leaks down the road.

Sixto
87 300D

Courier6 · #9 08-31-2012, 01:14 PM

It's a whir, but a quick whir that stops after like half a second.

cirrusman · #10 08-31-2012, 01:19 PM

Welcome to the forum! I hope that it will be just as good an experience as it has been for me. Folks around here are really helpful and knowledgeable.
I fail to see the logic steps between "I'm a moron" and "now my car won't start". Did you do something to the car that you didn't mention above? Going to get fuel and putting it into the tank doesn't sound like an "I'm a moron" kind of thing to me... But anyway. To start a diesel engine you need basically 3 things: Fuel flow, electricity flow and air flow. If any of this three is failing your car won't start. The two sounds that you hear when you start a car, almost, but not quite simultaneously are the "clack!" of the starter solenoid engaging the flywheel, and then the starter itself spinning and cranking the engine fast enough to start the piston cycles. If you're only hearing the "clack!" that could mean that you have enough power to get the solenoid going, but not enough battery juice to get the engine to spin. you got an electric problem. I'd check the battery and alternator. Same if it's spinning slowly.
Now, another possibility is that the starter could be off position. Check that the bolts are firmly securing the starter and that there are no foreing objects between that starter and the flywheel. Keep us posted of what you do!

kerry · #11 08-31-2012, 01:22 PM

If you have the ability to videotape what's happening, do that, post it on youtube and link it here. The audio and video will make for a quicker diagnosis.

sleepstar · #12 08-31-2012, 02:42 PM

you say you pumped the primer 100 times and then tried to start the car. did you actually see fuel coming through the clear fuel filter? i helped a friend who ran their tank dry and it took a considerable amount of pumping before fuel actually began moving past the pump

kerry · #13 08-31-2012, 02:47 PM

If there's diesel getting on to his hand, it has to be coming from the tank and thru the clear filter.

Courier6 · #14 08-31-2012, 02:48 PM

I will admit that I did not, as I don't (embarrassingly enough) know what the fuel filter looks like, or where exactly it is. And to answer Daw_Two's question, not to my knowledge, although my dad may have done it while I was away.

Anyway, it sounds like I'm stuck until my dad comes home tonight to help me, but when he does I'll try to record the process. Not only to help you guys help me, but also as a frame of reference for others that may have this same problem.

rscurtis · #15 08-31-2012, 06:00 PM

Don't touch those nuts! They index the barrels to the plungers to equalize fuel delivery between cylinders. That adjustment will have to be restored by a fuel injection shop after the pump is removed from the engine. You want to loosen the nuts where the fuel lines attach to the injectors. Don't loosen the lines at the pump.