Key left in "On" position(4-5 hrs), now won't start
 

On my 96 E300D, I've since recharged the battery and it just cranks over and over but won't start. Did I fry something by leaving the key in the furthest right position? If I can eliminate any electrical damage I can start to look elsewhere.
Thanks,
Matt

I've proceeded with the supposition that the electical is intact. One variable is that the fuel gauge is reading just below the first reserve mark and the car is sitting on a slight upward incline. After checking all the user friendly fuses, under the hood and by the battery under the rear seat, I removed the fuel filter. It was not brimming to the top full, and since I had a few extras, I replaced it, but filled it with fuel before doing so. I also put the remaing fuel left in the gas can into the tank(about a gallon). After approximately 3-4 times of 20 second cranking, it fired up. I guess I'm wondering what happened initially to create this inconvience. The only thing I can figure is that when I tried to start it with the low battery, it might have flooded the cylinders with fuel? The other possibility is that it was low on fuel? In any case it's back on the road.
Matt

My car occasionally does that also. After a short drive, it'll struggle to start like you described. Couple times its stalled and won't start right away. Sometimes playing with the OVP will start it up like a charm. The good users of this forum has told me its time to change the OVP, so perhaps you might have a similar problem to look into.

Thanks for the info, where was the OVP on your car?

Years ago, I had a Saab 96. I left the key on for hours one time and fried the coil. Don't know if that still happens with newer elec. systems.

I discovered it (after it wouldn't start) because I happened to smell something hot and when I touched the coil, it was very hot.

Then I read somewhere that coils can do that.

**EDIT**

Whoops! I thought your car must be a gasser since this post is not in the Diesel section. Never mind.

I would wonder if the problem has something to do with the fuel pumps being on for those hours, with a fairly low fuel level in the tank.

A diesel has a mechanical fuel pump.

Most modern cars including all MBs have no power through the coil if the key is left on.

One can drain the battery by just leaving modern keys in the ignition with the key off as the netowrks don't go to sleep properly.

I thought that might be the case as my Saab was a '67 and I left my key on in my '87 Bimmer a few times with no coil damage.

Thanks for the heads up.

That '67 had ignition points in the distributor. If you stop the engine with the contacts closed (quite likely), a lot of current will flow through the coil.

Did you have the cute little V4 or the cute little three-cylinder two-stroke engine?

I had the V-4. Never even drove a 3 cylinder, one of the profound disappointments of my life.

It was a nice little car -- I got it because of its prowess in the rally scene, I mean I figured it must be a semi-hot li'l number.

I had it and another V-4 wagon, the 95, for about 5 or 6 years. Had the engine/transaxle out 9 times. I was told by the experienced Saab hands that they used about the same tranny and clutch for the V-4 that they'd had for the 3 cylinder and the extra torque tended to beat up on the transaxle a bit. I'll go along with that.

Still, a fun car, but I don't miss gapping the points every month or two.

Sounds like it might be time for new fuel lines and O rings if you havent done it in awhile. I have the same problem with a lot of short trips, it sometimes has to crank a little longer. I have had all the fuel lines replaced but I think there must have been an O ring somewhere that was missed and causing the air in the lines.