Hello folks!

I just wanted to post about the failed lift pump check valves on my wife's 1985 300D. Last tuesday I was on my way to meet my wife at work and drop off our 8 month old boy. The phone rang and she said she was stuck. You're stuck at work I asked? Nope. She was sitting in her stalled car on the side of a highway exit ramp, she though she had run out of fuel. I stopped and filled up a two gallon gas can, filled up her tank and tried to prime the fuel system with the hand pump. No dice, no flow, no pressure, nothing. Two hours later we had the car towed home.
The next day I swapped out both filters, pulled vacuum on the hard line with a might vac and got fuel from the tank but could not get the hand primer to move anything. Cranking didn't seem to move any fuel either.
I pulled the lift pump and could not get it to move any fuel on the bench. Rebuild time. I replaced the check valves and springs and the lift pump was working on the bench. Got it back in the car and she primed like a champ and fired up in a few seconds.
The old check valves had worn down by about .020".
The car had no symptoms of a week lift pump before it quit on the side of the road. Cost was $10 for parts and a few hours to diagnose and fix.
Go and rebuild your pumps now and don't get stuck by the side of the road!

__________________
-Louis
The Hills of Western Mass.
1985 300TD 327,777 sold to JB3
1985 300D 218,xxx
1987 190D 5 speed 338,xxx