I think you should check the resistance on all your glow plugs. There's probably still another one that is not glowing. You can buy the Bosch glow plug for the 300D at Autozone for $11. I just did.

__________________
85 300CD Signal Red/Tan sold
83 300D Manganese Brown 109K
97 E420 Midnight Blue 197K sold
98 BMW 328i Vert White 100K, sold
95 BMW 525i White 125K, sold
93 BMW 525iT Red 193K, sold
95 E320 Green Wagon 125K, sold
94 E320 White 127K, sold
85 300SD 156K Grey (Annie), sold
84 300D Lapis Blue 170K (Judy), sold
99 ML 320 Black (lease), 1998 C230 White (lease)
00 Honda S2000 Red (lease)
86 Mercedes 300E (sold)
84 Porsche 911 Red (sold), 1965 Porsche 911 White (sold)

JUST SAY NO TO GASOLINE!! I would no more use either gasoline or starting fluid to start a MB diesel than I would use it to start a fire in my wood stove.Heavy equiptment operators may use starting fluid to start their diesels but they are a lot heavier built engines.I have used WD as a starting fluid in my weary
115 240 D...............
William Rogers..........

I haven't seen anyone ask the most important question here: How many miles are on it? Maybe it's just outta "squeeze" and a big infusion of cash is neccesary to make it start reliably in cold weather. Hard to believe that it's cold enough in Alabama that it won't start, maybe it's really worn out.

Gilly

__________________
Click here to see the items I have up for auction at EBay

Click here to see a photo album of my '62 Sprite Project Moneypit (Now Sold)

My Car is an 82 240 D
It's been freezing here in South Alabama, and Eutis, ( the car's name given by my 10 year old), started acting up when the weather at night started cooling off to 40 and under.

A friend used an "OM" meter to check the glowplugs. He said only one was bad.

I can't believe she is just worn out.. she has such a good soul.
Thank you all for your posts and advise.

When trying to start her, even with a jump, she tries to start.. does that little rmm rmm, then cough thing.. but no cigar.

Does anyone know where I can get a book on this model car? I have a friend who works on cars and if he had a book he thinks he could figure it out. He only repairs gas cars to date, never tried a diesel.

Happy Holidays to All.

Smiles,
Donna

Donna, don't give up on this thread yet...
I am sure that if you disable your glowplugs and use the ether you will be able to start it at zero degrees F.....
I have appealed to JimSmith to come straighten me out if I am wrong on this.... It is not fun having to raise the hood to start.. but it could keep you going while you research this issue further...

Edit, somebody that was here visiting my in a pre 80 non 123 dark colored diesel started his car with stater fluid all the time... but it was not TxBill....

Donna.

Call your friend with the ohm meter and ask if it measure volts. If so, ask him to come over and measure the voltage going to the glow plugs when you turn the key on. If it doesn't, ask him if he can get you a cheap $10 voltmeter at radio shack or sears. If voltage is going to the plugs, and they all measure good resistance, you may have starter speed problems, fuel problems, or compression problems. If voltage isn't gin to the plugs, you may have a bad relay or a blown fuse inside the relay. Let us know what you find and we'll let you know what can be done about it.

Other bits of information that may help us help you:
1: How many miles are on it?
2: Do yu use any fuel additives?
3: Does it have a block heater and have you tried using it?
4: When was the last time the valves were adjusted?
5: When it was running, did it smoke a lot?

Good Luck
Jerry

Buy your friend a Haynes manual for this model for Christmas. If he is a good mechanic it will provide just about all the information that he needs to figure out what is going on with it.

__________________
Jim

The reason people recommend against ether in MB's is because they have pre-chambers. For some reason it can cause damage in pre-chamber engines whereas direct injection engines can handle it.
I suspect that the reason WD-40 works is that it uses propane as a propellant. If that is the case, shooting some propane into the intake with a unlit torch might be even better. Has anyone tried this?
One simple check that others have recommended is to turn on the glow plugs for a while, turn them off, and then immediately feel each glow plug or the head around them to see if they are all equally warm. If one or more is not as warm it is probably a bad plug. Watch out for the hot resistor wires if they are in a series.

I also second the idea that if the valves have not been adjusted for a while, they should be checked.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Maybe precombustion chamber engines have glowplugs ( I have said they need to be disconnected to use the ether ) and the direct injection engines use something else... I would say they use intake heater systems but that would not make sense as ( for instance on my Ford Diesel tractor it says specifically not to use ether )...

donnasride,

This thread went off the path a while ago and got into some subjects of interest to the people reading it but not of much use to you. So, before I try to think about the questions of ether and WD-40 as starting aides, I wll try to address your question, which was how come my car is getting hard or impossible to start?

First, I, like the others need a little data. Is the car an automatic or a manual transmission car? If it is a manual, we need to have you start it by pushing it, preferably down a slight slope. The procedure for this as it has been perfected by my daughter living in Troy, NY while in college the last four years goes like this:

Always park on a slight hill, nose down, and aimed to get out of the spot just by rolling the car forward. Next, before you get going, put the key in, and turn it to the position of glowing the plugs. Step on the throttle and wind the idle speed adjustiment knob all the way up. Press the clutch in, put the transmission in 3rd gear, and then release the brake. As you roll forward wait until you get to at least walking speed, and the glow plugs fully heated (as much as they will go), then "drop" the clutch and give it throttle. The engine should start in a matter of a car length.

Given your first attempt today will likely be in a positon that is not ideal (could be on flat ground, or worse, facing up a hill), you may have to enlist some help to push the car, turn it around, etc. The same procedure follows, you just have to have someone pushing the car as gravity is not set up to help you.

If you have an automatic, this is not of any use to you.

I think we may need to put together a cold weather starting tips sticky. I may work on this as this generates a barrage of similar questions that lasts from September to May every year.

First, a Diesel engine in the form you have in your 1982 240D has a 21:1 compression ratio, and the heat generated by this compression is what is used to ignite the fuel charge injected into the combustion chamber at all times except when the engine is cold. When the engine is cold, the starter speed is not enough to prevent the heat from compressing the air from sinking into the engine block and reducing the air temperature at the point the fuel is injected to below the temperature needed to ignite the Diesel fuel mist. The glow plugs are aids to starting in that they ensure the minimum necessary conditions will exist for igniting the fuel mist provided the rest of the engine is operating "normally." If one or more glow plugs are not operating the chances for success in colder weather is reduced significantly as the colder it is the more heat is going to be lost to the block, the slower the starter will spin, and so on.

Next, there are things that happen over time that can degrade the rest of the engine's parts from performing "normally." Since the Diesel engine is a little more demanding of the battery anch charging system, these two items should be checked to make sure the battery is fully charged and will stay that way in normal use of the car. Assuming these "auxiliaries" are ok, the first culprit in the engine to look into is the valves. These engines have mechanically set valve lash that must be checked every 15,000 miles or so. The way the valves work, they tend to be beaten into the head by their normal operation and eventually close the lash dimension or gap. This affects the time the valve stays open by making it open earlier and close later. The net effect is a loss of compression as the valve stays partly open when the piston is on its way back up and the air charge is not trapped by the valves. So, check the valve adjustment first.

Next, if you have not changed the oil and filter, do so. Use a synthetic oil, and I cannot speak highly enough about Mobil Delvac 1. There are other fine choices that cost less, but if you want to take the issue of oil off the table from a starting perspective, use Mobil Delvac 1 (will cost you about $45 for an oil change).

The synthetic oil will pump and flow easier in colder weather. This is important to how fast the starter spins the engine and that is critical to the compressed air temperature in a cold start at the point of the fuel being injected. The starter provides the torque to start the engine by turning the crankshaft, but it also provides the torque to turn the oil pump and the fuel injection system pumps. If the oil is like sludge in there, the oil pump will need more torque to be turned, and so the engine will slow down.

Since engine speed on the starter is so critical, a degraded starter that cannot achieve the necessary speed is a sure sentence to not starting. Identifying a bad starter is not easy, and they are not cheap, even from Fastlane, so you need to be sure before you spend the money. In my car, the starters lasted about 8 years each before they died and we use the car a lot. The signs are normally that the car is difficult to start even warm, but will start no problem if it is "pop" started. The main causes of starter decrepidness can be traced to lots of hard starting experiences due to some of the other problems. If the starter is cranked for minutes instead of seconds, it gets too hot. The starter rating is based on "intermittent duty" meaning it is stressed for a few seconds in a normal starting attempt. In this duty cycle it never gets too hot and cools significantly before the next start attempt, so the peak temperatures reached, which degrade the starter motor insulation, are kept in check.

If you crank for longer periods of time, or over and over for shorter periods of time without a suitable rest period, the starter motor windings get really hot and the insulation degrades, which leads to electricity finding ways to flow from the battery, into the starter and then back to the battery without doing any work. And this slows the starter motor down, leading to more cranking, highter temperatures and on into a vicious cycle of degradation. If you buy a new starter, I recommend a Bosch rebuilt one from FastLane, and get the one for a 1985 300D or 300SD that is called a Heavy Duty (HD) unit. They are interchangeable and these have extra torque capacity that will handle your 240D easily, and much better than the original Normal Duty unit it came with.

The next area is the injection system and this is a system that can have timing off, in which case the fuel is injected at less than the optimal moment. There are instructions on this board for checking and correcting this but I would not attempt it without some prior experience under the hood. Another area of this system prone to degradation is the injector nozzle for each cylinder. If the spray from the injector nozzle is not an even atomization of droplets of a very small size, the fuel is less likely to ingite. So spray the nozzle spray pattern is important. The first thing to do to address this if you suspect the nozzles may be dirty is to use a fuel additive like RedLine Oil's Diesel Fuel Catalyst, or some other in the tank additives (do a search there is lots of data already posted on the subject) or LubroMoly's can that is fed directy into the injection pump normal fuel line connection. These will clean up the injectors, if that is a problem. I use the RedLine product with every tank.

One other easy thing to check is the condition of the air cleaner. If it is clogged the system has to suck the air through the filter which will lower the actual starting pressure in the system, and therefore the final pressure and tempreature.

Ok, if the car is an automatic, or you are unable to "pop start" it as my daughter says, we are going to have to get into this deeper. In my opinion the first and most likely problem is more than one burnt out glow plug. I, and I appologize here to some of our reknown experts who are possibly only more widely known for their frugality, would change all the glow plugs at once. If you are going to buy a multi-meter and learn to use it today, you apparently do not need one for anything else but this problem. I think you will be better served by buying three more glow plugs.

The glow plug relay can go bad or, if you have run the glow plugs over and over, the fuse in the relay can pop. Leave the door open when you try to start and watch the interior lamp when you turn the key to the glow position. If the relay is working the interior lamp will dim noticeably and little light will come on on the lower right corner of the instrument panel. If the light does not dim, open the hood and look for a black plastic box about 2 inches deep and 3"x3" on the driver's side wheel well in the engine compartment. The cover is easily popped up and you will see a stamped, shiny sheet metal part of a particular shape held down with two screws on the back side (side nearest the driver). Take the two screws out and remove the sheet metal part and examine it carefully. If it is not in like new condition (no cracks, no sags, no corrosion, etc.) replace it. They are cheap and you might want to have a spare in the glove box.

Anyway, I am approaching the character limit so I will send this. Your car is behaving pretty normal for a car that is probably suffering from a minor malady. Don't freak out. Good luck, Jim

__________________
Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)

I don't know either, but I edited that line above.. with the 280se out front I get people stopping by regularly...
What happened to her needing a wagon or large vehicle ?
My paint will not be Blah forever... 'Snowberry' fields forever....
Jim, are you going to come back and address the starter fluid issue ? If it is safe then it can get her to and from where she needs to go while giving her time to address the real issue...

OK folks, If you are the kind of person who uses a whole quart of cooking oil in a frying pan to cook an egg and you ONLY use high heat to cook anything on your stove or in your microwave, then DO NOT play around with starting fluid!

The operative word here is a JUDICIAS AMOUNT. If you blow a whole can of starting fluid into an engine then hit the starter, things can get exciting.

I have been starting all kinds of diesels including Mercedes Benz since 1962 using starting fluid with no obvious harmful effects, ie. they just keep running year after year.

I have found that diesels across the board start having starting problems at about 40 degrees F.and increase expotentialy as the temp. drops.

The first trick to try that often works without using starting fluid is to crank the engine for about 10 seconds, then stop and wait for about 4 seconds while the cylinder that is under compression heat soaks from the compressed air in that cylinder, then hit the starter again and that cylinder will fire enough to get the other cylinders going.

If that dosn't do it, it's time to try the dreaded starting fluid. Remember, it is ALWAYS better to error on the side of not enough, rather than too much. Not enough and the engine just dos't start. Too much and you need to have your heart attack pills in the quick draw position.

Expirimenting with Benz diesels, I have found that above 32F. a shot directly into the air intake as fast as you can push the button and let go, gives a nice start. If you think you put in too much, just wait 5 minutes and you are basicly back to zero starting fluid in the intake. From 32F.to 20F. squirt for as long as it takes to say (Mercedes Benz). From 20F. to 10F. give it one (Mercedes Benz) length squirt, then have someone crank it with the key (or use a remote starter button) and keep cranking while you say Mercedes Bens. then give it a
squirt as fast as you can push the spay button and let go, say (Mercedes Benz), then another quick squirt. Continue cranking and short squirts untill the engine is running on its own. If it is not running on its own in about 30 seconds, stop and let the starter cool for about 10 minutes, then repeat the above. Below 10F, you are probably going to have to use jumper cables to get a good cranking speed. Do youself a favor and blow $20 for a well made set of jumper cables with 1 or 2 guage copper wires, not that cheap K-Mart crap.

Pressing the throttle slightly give a better injector spray pattern. The fast idle button is just the right amount of throttle if you have one. More than that just domps extra fuel into the cylinders which just absorbs the heat of compressin that would be used to fire the fine fuel mist. If you don't beleve me, go out on a cold morning, do not pre heat, just start cranking. the engine wil try to fire alittle bit, then push the throttle to the floor,it will act like it is getting no fuel at all.

Both of my 300 turbos have over 330K on them. They run real nice, have real good power, get exelent fuel milage and each use about a quart of oil between oil chances. They both start easy when at home and the block heaters are pluged in, but when they sit in a cold parking lot for a couple of days while I'm at work, it takes a lot of pre heat and cranking to get them going. Or a little starting fluid, an easy start and I'm on my way. Let me see, $5000 or an engine ovehaol, or a buk ninty eight a year per car for starting fluid. Which should I choose?

I have taught my wife how to use starting fluid with no problems, and to say that my wife is not mechanically inclined is being very kind to my wife.

WARNING!! I'm real old and even dumber than I look, so don't do as I do!

Lou`

Thanks Lou,
I did read one website which said it was the combination of glowplugs and starter fluid which might harm combustion chambers....
That is why I suggested disconnecting the glowplugs for using the starter fluid...
I am using ' ether' and 'starter fluid evaporated into the intake 'interchangeably for the record...
Some people seem to view ETHER as a sacred cow much the way others do GASOLINE... as if the fact that it is easily ignited at much lower temps than diesel makes it a POWERFUL SUBSTANCE... where in fact all of them have less btu's than diesel...
Someone mentioned propane as if it might be ok where ETHER was not.... I see no serious structural difference between starter fluid evaporated in the intake and propane evaporated as it leaves the nozzel of some container.. they are mixed with air as they enter the bore, have much less btu potential in terms of power... etc...
Hope you don't catch TOO much flack for speaking up...

TxBill, I had two of the three women in your life mixed up...
Snowberry is an early 70's MG color which any normal paint shop can replicate....the fields was a play on " strawberry fields forever' ---Beatles

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