1982 300sd won't start
02-09-2005, 08:53 AM
#1
Newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
1982 300sd won't start
I have a 1982 Mercedes 300SD that was running perfectly until about 3 weeks ago. Had a couple days of zero degree weather and the car sat (in garage) for about 3 days. When I went out to start it, it would only crank. Plugged the engine block heater in and added some new diesel fuel and it still only cranked. Over the weekend I pushed it out of the garage into the sun - (it was in the 50's and sunny) and I changed the glow plugs. Upon trying to start it now, it almost starts. It sounds as if it will, but it just won't fire. It seems to be getting enough fuel, at least I think...Any suggestions as to what to try next?
02-10-2005, 07:59 AM
#2
Member
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Kansas City, MO, USA
Posts: 235
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
1989 560SEL, 1999 S600, 2005 S600, 2008 S550 4Matic
Hmm... tricky one. How long did you leave it plugged into the heat (via the block heater) before you started to crank? Mercedes recommends that, at the temperatures you experienced, you should have left it for 6 hours.
But another thing that confuses me is that you said you left it out in the sun on a day during which the temperature was in the 50s. In that case, it should have cranked right after that.
Here are things to check:
1) Did you replace all glow plugs with brand new ones? If so, skip this step. If not, you need to check the resistance of all glow plugs. You could have some dead ones in there.
2) Did you do anything on the battery? Your battery could have been drained somehow, leaving it with an insufficient amount of power to run the glow plugs AND turn that massive starter. Try to jump the battery or take it and get it charged and see if it helps. What is the capacity of your batter? By this I mean how many cold crank amps (CCA) does it have and how old is it?
Let me know of the results (answer the questions as well) and let's go from there.
But another thing that confuses me is that you said you left it out in the sun on a day during which the temperature was in the 50s. In that case, it should have cranked right after that.
Here are things to check:
1) Did you replace all glow plugs with brand new ones? If so, skip this step. If not, you need to check the resistance of all glow plugs. You could have some dead ones in there.
2) Did you do anything on the battery? Your battery could have been drained somehow, leaving it with an insufficient amount of power to run the glow plugs AND turn that massive starter. Try to jump the battery or take it and get it charged and see if it helps. What is the capacity of your batter? By this I mean how many cold crank amps (CCA) does it have and how old is it?
Let me know of the results (answer the questions as well) and let's go from there.
02-10-2005, 08:51 AM
#3
Newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for the response. To answer your questions: 1. Yes, all 5 glow plugs were replaced with new plugs. 2. I've tried to jump the battery and I've also had it charged, still to no success of getting the car started. The battery is somewhere in the neighborhood of 2-3 years old and I think it has 850CCA. I also took the battery in to an auto parts store to have it tested and they confirmed that it was a good battery.
Could there be anything with the air/fuel mixture that could be causing this? Someone mentioned that to me.
Thanks again!
Could there be anything with the air/fuel mixture that could be causing this? Someone mentioned that to me.
Thanks again!
02-11-2005, 01:43 AM
#4
Member
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Kansas City, MO, USA
Posts: 235
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
1989 560SEL, 1999 S600, 2005 S600, 2008 S550 4Matic
Compression...
You may be losing compression. Compression tests are somewhat expensive on diesels due to the high compression ratios. But it seems to me like that could be your problem. Let's see: you had the battery fully charged, glow plugs brand new. Hey! Check the resistance of the new glow plugs first. Afterall, many brand new items come off the factory with defects. See if the new glow plugs are in good shape first.
You may be losing compression. Compression tests are somewhat expensive on diesels due to the high compression ratios. But it seems to me like that could be your problem. Let's see: you had the battery fully charged, glow plugs brand new. Hey! Check the resistance of the new glow plugs first. Afterall, many brand new items come off the factory with defects. See if the new glow plugs are in good shape first.
