help car wont start - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

#1 02-08-2003, 02:45 PM

its an 1981 300sd. it has 233000 miles on it. its been sitting for 2 years. i changed the fuel filter. and it wont start. its barely cranking over. the battery is new. i hooked up a yellow top to it and it still barely turned over. what could it be?

Mike123 · #2 02-08-2003, 04:26 PM

I'd start checking all connections. Check at battery, where ground is attached to body, where positive attaches to solenoid, etc. Your starter could be bad. The battery could be bad, but if I read your post correctly, you said you installed a new battery.

These are a few places to start and there are others.

I'm sure others can post more ideas of where to look.

Good luck!

Wasuchi · #3 02-08-2003, 05:55 PM

Did you prime it after you changed the filters? Primer/hand pump is on the side of the injector pump. Sounds like a bad connection or starter though. Why was it left sitting for that long?

mikemover · #4 02-08-2003, 07:01 PM

A diesel that has been sitting unused for that long probably has algae in the fuel tank, crudding up the screen in the bottom of the tank, and probably your fuel filters as well.

Mike

#5 02-09-2003, 01:26 AM

phew. i got it started today. turns out the guy who gave it to me had his mechanic put in a wrong battery. it didnt have enough power to start the car. it was left standing because the guy couldnt start it one day and got fed up with it and bought a new car. so now he just gave it to me. theres alot to be done to it though. yea when i changed the fuel filter i could def see algae growing on it.

leathermang · #6 02-09-2003, 12:09 PM

It is hard to beat getting a free Mercedes... buy a shop manual as soon as you can... also the Haynes manual for it...better pictures in it but not enough information to use it alone...learn the quirks of these designs... they are simple in a way and complicated in the way they are implemented many times....