E-Class (W211) 2003-2009

Help Please E320 CDI Cranks But Won't Start

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Old Jan 27, 2016 | 06:53 PM
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05 E320 CDI, 04 Sprinter 2500 158"
Help Please E320 CDI Cranks But Won't Start

Ok, so I am stumped. Friday I stopped after driving about 25 miles and had trouble getting may car started again. It cranked for a while without starting, then it would start to fire and shut off, then it finally started up and ran normally. Sunday I did some test drives and everything seemed fine. Monday I drove it to work (27 miles) and when I got there I checked and it wouldn't start. After work it started fine, so I drove to the dealer and bought the crank position sensor and drove home, where I checked and it started. So, I replaced the crank position sensor and it was much more difficult to get started cold. I drove it to the store and back, and when I got home I couldn't get it started again. That is when I read the codes and saw the P2043 cam position sensor code. So, worried that that might not fix it, I ordered a Mahle and had it overnighted. I put it in today and it still just cranks but won't start.

So, right now I am stumped since it hasn't given me any codes. I charged the battery and have verified that the low pressure pump is getting fuel to the filter. Right now I am thinking it could be a clogged filter, or possibly bad fuel. Without and trouble codes, I am having a really hard time pinpointing what it is. Does anyone have any ideas of other things I could check. If I can, I will change the fuel filter tomorrow. I tried today but it was 29F outside and I couldn't get the hoses off of the filter.
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Old Jan 28, 2016 | 02:50 AM
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W211 320CDI -04, W210 270CDI -01
Can you read fuel rail pressure during cranking? That would tell is it fuel related or something else...
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Old Jan 28, 2016 | 07:32 AM
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05 E320 CDI, 04 Sprinter 2500 158"
Unfortunately, I don't have anything that can read fuel rail pressure. Perhaps it is time to get some diagnostic software that can. Anybody have any suggestions?

The thing that puzzles me is if it was a high pressure fuel pump issue, I would expect it to be a much slower transition from starting fine to hard starting to finally not starting. This went from no issues to not starting in the space of about 100 miles. It is really starting to seem like bad fuel or a clogged fuel filter (that only has 10k miles on it). Like I said, if I can get the hoses off, I have a new fuel filter ready to try. This will also give me a chance to see what the fuel looks like and see how flow is out of the filter. But, as you are alluding to, everything is a guess without some data.

One more question, do these lift pumps have a history of slowly getting weaker, or do they fail all at once? One thought I had is if the low pressure pump is just not putting out enough pressure, it may be the cause for the hard starting, but if it can get started, the high pressure pump should be capable of pulling enough fuel through the system since it is positive displacement. I would just replace the low pressure pump, but I don't really want to take a $500 gamble on that.
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Old Jan 28, 2016 | 08:06 AM
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05 E320 CDI, 04 Sprinter 2500 158"
Ok, does anybody have any experience with this setup http://www.cnautotool.com/goods-145-...3+version.html ? I have a computer with a serial port for my Sprinter diagnostic tool, so I was thinking of getting the external hard drive version. I just want to make sure it should work before I get it.
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Old Jan 28, 2016 | 10:13 AM
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W211 320CDI -04, W210 270CDI -01
Non start due to low fuel pressure may be very temperature sensitive thing, injectors may start leak more under/over certain temperature only. HP-pump leak is usually only at cold, and like you said it tends to come worse.

Try old cam or crank sensor, if there is some compatibility problem...?

I remember hearing some issues with primer pump wirings, but it also was deteriorating over time, not sudden. And then there has been couple of cases where sender unit in tank has been glogged badly.

Dont know anything about code readers, using Star of my own...
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Old Jan 28, 2016 | 10:18 AM
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05 E320 CDI, 04 Sprinter 2500 158"
Thanks for the input. I swapped the cam sensor out a couple times yesterday with no change. I may swap the crank sensor back, but i really don't want to. It was not a fun job.

Like you mentioned earlier, I think I really need to know rail pressure when I am cranking, and also I need to check the filter. Those two things should help narrow it down.
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Old Jan 28, 2016 | 06:21 PM
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05 E320 CDI, 04 Sprinter 2500 158"
I tested a new filter and there was no change. I have the fuel from the old filter sitting to see if any water settles out now.
I also hooked up my Scangauge II to it and noticed the battery voltage was below 12V with the key on. I have a charger on the battery now and will try again with it fully charged, but I am wondering if a weak battery could cause these issues.
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Old Jan 29, 2016 | 07:24 PM
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05 E320 CDI, 04 Sprinter 2500 158"
Ok, so I tried a few more things today. I put a known good battery in it out of my Sprinter and no change. I then swapped the old crank position sensor back and got a P2045 code, and an ESP warning. I then put my original cam sensor back in and no change. So, based on the order of events, I am thinking the crank sensor may in fact be bad, and/or there is a computer module going bad. I will try a couple more things tomorrow, but I am getting closer to having it towed to the dealer.
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Old Jan 29, 2016 | 11:06 PM
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As much as I hate to overpay dealers, sometimes spending $140 or so for a good scan can be money well spend.
Unfortunately most of old, easy remedies don't work with digital rail injection.
I wold try some ether (starting fluid for diesels) to confirm fuel problem, but be very careful with dose.
Good luck.
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Old Feb 1, 2016 | 08:08 AM
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05 E320 CDI, 04 Sprinter 2500 158"
If it had just been the money for a scan I probably would have taken it to the dealer, but I was also looking at probably $100 to have it towed there.

Thankfully I figured it all out. The initial problem was the cam position sensor, which was only causing a problem when it was hot. It was after I replaced the crank position sensor that it wouldn't start at all. So I put both old sensors back in and it still wouldn't start. I then went to put the new crank position sensor in and noticed that a small piece of plastic that had broken off of the engine cover before I even owned the car had fallen into the cutout in the block for the crank position sensor when I installed the new one, and I hadn't noticed. I removed it and put the new sensor in and it fired right up, but gave me a cam position sensor code. So I replaced the cam sensor and no more codes and it starts when hot. So, it was essentially my error the whole time, but thankfully I figured it out.
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Old Feb 1, 2016 | 10:50 AM
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Good to hear the car is back on the road and thanks for reporting back.
Takes guts to report own error.
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Old Apr 12, 2018 | 08:30 AM
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Question W211 cranks but wont start

Hey ! I have a w211 320 cdi and i changed a damaged ecu that had the check engine light on. With the new ecu there is no light in the dash, so it seems the car worked fien but now i cant start the car. I dont hear the fuel pump and thazts why the car cranks but doesnt start.
My question is : If the fuel filter is cloged does the pump work
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Old Apr 12, 2018 | 08:55 PM
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I've never heard my fuel pump when starting the car.
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Old Apr 12, 2018 | 10:51 PM
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Originally Posted by W211 320 CDI
Hey ! I have a w211 320 cdi and i changed a damaged ecu that had the check engine light on. With the new ecu there is no light in the dash, so it seems the car worked fien but now i cant start the car. I dont hear the fuel pump and thazts why the car cranks but doesnt start.
My question is : If the fuel filter is cloged does the pump work
Yes, but you will have low fuel pressure. Put a pressure gauge on the fuel rail.
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Old Apr 12, 2018 | 11:10 PM
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Originally Posted by bbirdwell
Yes, but you will have low fuel pressure. Put a pressure gauge on the fuel rail.
On a CDI? That'd be on the order of tens of thousands PSI at the fuel rail, no? Is there another port before the high pressure pump on which a standard (0-100psi) gauge can be placed?
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Old Apr 13, 2018 | 10:23 AM
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Originally Posted by rapidoxidation
On a CDI? That'd be on the order of tens of thousands PSI at the fuel rail, no? Is there another port before the high pressure pump on which a standard (0-100psi) gauge can be placed?
My bad. I completely overlooked CDI... :-(
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Old Apr 23, 2018 | 10:51 AM
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Originally Posted by bbirdwell
Yes, but you will have low fuel pressure. Put a pressure gauge on the fuel rail.
I cant do it myself cuz i have no tools.
Another thing i would add is that since i have changed the ecu I heard the fuel pump making less noise then with the original old ecu.

Does this mean that i may have low presure ? If so what causes it
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Old Apr 23, 2018 | 01:52 PM
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The car has 2 fuel pumps
-the prime pump at the tank who gives few psi pressure
-the injection pump that gives about 4000 psi at idle and tens of thousands psi when running.
You can test prime pump by opening filter bleeder and cycling the ignition.
Be ready for diesel squirt.
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