Odd Starting Issue
12-18-2015, 06:49 PM
#1
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1983 300D and 2008 ML350
Odd Starting Issue
I have a 1983 300D. I drive it regularly (at least 4 days per week) - and it is in very good condition. I parked it (facing slightly downhill) in my yard and it has sat there for the past 3 days. I went out to start it this morning and it wouldn't start. It was 38 degrees F here this morning. It would crank and crank and crank, but it didn't even begin to fire. I glowed the engine at least 3-4 times and held the starter for at least 4-5 seconds - but it did not want to start.
Later this afternoon when I came home from work, I coasted it down near my garage to plug it up. It was around 32 degrees F then. I have a Kats - brand oil pan heater on the car and no engine block heater. I plugged it up and let it sit for 30 minutes. After that, no luck with starting - same issue, even after glowing multiple times, etc.. I let it sit for another hour with the oil pan heater on. I went back out to start it - and after much hestitation and a few starting attempts, it finally fired up and ran smoothly.
There is a little short hose that goes from the fuel pre-filter into some brass-looking component on the engine. That area had some diesel on it that I have never seen before. Also, the injector area where the fuel first goes into the engine had quite a bit of diesel on the outside - and it had run down the side of the engine as well.
I'm wondering if this could have been caused with the car facing downhill - or maybe when I was trying to start it while it was facing downhill. I'm also wondering if there was too much fuel in the engine - and that the cold temperature had nothing to do with the difficulty starting. I have started the engine before in much colder weather with no trouble.
Again - the car is fastidiously maintained. The diesel tank was probably 90% full.
Any helpful advice would be appreciated.
Thanks...
Later this afternoon when I came home from work, I coasted it down near my garage to plug it up. It was around 32 degrees F then. I have a Kats - brand oil pan heater on the car and no engine block heater. I plugged it up and let it sit for 30 minutes. After that, no luck with starting - same issue, even after glowing multiple times, etc.. I let it sit for another hour with the oil pan heater on. I went back out to start it - and after much hestitation and a few starting attempts, it finally fired up and ran smoothly.
There is a little short hose that goes from the fuel pre-filter into some brass-looking component on the engine. That area had some diesel on it that I have never seen before. Also, the injector area where the fuel first goes into the engine had quite a bit of diesel on the outside - and it had run down the side of the engine as well.
I'm wondering if this could have been caused with the car facing downhill - or maybe when I was trying to start it while it was facing downhill. I'm also wondering if there was too much fuel in the engine - and that the cold temperature had nothing to do with the difficulty starting. I have started the engine before in much colder weather with no trouble.
Again - the car is fastidiously maintained. The diesel tank was probably 90% full.
Any helpful advice would be appreciated.
Thanks...
Last edited by Sharpie1; 12-18-2015 at 06:53 PM.
12-21-2015, 10:43 AM
#3
Out Of Control!!
Well you did such a great job of describing the problem that I got lost in all the other HS part of the story---still lost except for the fact that parking diesels on a hill regardless of direction has no bearing on a leaking fuel injector pump\shutoff valve----did you think of looking at the fuel lines to detect air?? did you think of wondering why my pump was leaking?
