CathyG

I have had my 1996 E300 Diesel in the shop too many times since last year trying to fix a starting/fuel delivery problem.
Car has 179,000 miles.
Problem is more prevalent in colder weather and sometimes humid weather. When I go to start car after sitting for awhile or overnight. goes to start but then just dies. The only way I get it going is to depress the gas pedal and hold the key on till it seems like all the cylinders or injecters kick in before the battery goes dead. This also happened the other day after only sitting for a few hours but car was on slight incline. Car has been pretty reliable since the warm weather. Could it possibly be that something has expanded from the warm weather plugging up a vacuum leak or seal leak??
I have had all the fuel lines, shut-off valve, injectors, glow plugs replaced since May of last year.
I love this car but cannot depend on once the weather gets cooler. Anyone out there with any suggestions????

EdzBenz

I had similar symptoms with my E300. The problem was the fuel line seals going bad. It's hard to diagnose another car's problems without seeing it, but here's a list of things to check:
- Re-check your fuel lines/seals (look for any weeping or leaking of the lines)
- Replace your fuel filters (fairly cheap to do)
- Check the seals on your injection pump. These have a tendency to go bad as well.
- Always use a diesel additive when filling your tank, like Diesel Kleen or something. This helps to keep your fuel system cleaner and burns fuel more efficiently.
- Always make sure your Glow-Plug light goes off before starting the vehicle.
- Install a engine block heater if you store your vehicle outdoors.

I'm sure there's a bunch more things to check, but hopefully this helps.

liltimmy

The cold weather/cold engine part makes me think it has something to do with the glow plug system. The plugs may be new, but did they check to make sure they are actually getting power and heating up? Any shop thats worth its salt should be able to track this down pretty quickly.

CathyG

I have had the filters replaced and I always let the glow plug light go out before starting.
Have not regularly add Diesel Kleen. Will make sure I consistently start doing that. Will have to bring back to mechanic to confirm fuel lines/seals again. I have had it to 3 different mechanics replacing parts, but the problem keeps coming back. Going broke trying to resolve.
Thanks for your input!

CathyG

Thanks -will have new mechanic check power and heating of glow plugs. I guess I haven't been lucky finding that shop. Going to supposedly Mercedes specialist. Trying a new one tomorrow.

harkgar

I was down for a weekend at Port Jefferson in June. Stayed in the Milford Inn by the waters. Absolutely beautiful part of the world. Wished I had time to take the ferry to Connecticut.

frankfong

Cathy,

My E300D had similar symptoms. It would not start on an incline when cold. I would crank until the battery died and then had to jumpstart it with my other vehicle. This would only happen when the engine was cold. It would start on the same incline when the engine was warm.

Well...it turns out the problem was a fuel line leak. I had noticed that when I pumped the pedal, as you have, there would be a pool of fuel on the ground underneath the car. The dealer fixed the problem and I have not had a problem starting the car since.

Good luck to you.