HI,

This is a great forum, learnt quite a bit about diesels by going through the posts.

My 99 E300 Diesel has 2 issues, can anyone help on what could be causing these problems:

1) While "stopping at a signal" the E300 in the morning, for first few signals, the engine tries to switch OFF.
Most of the time it gets corrected when I give some "acceleration" when the engine tries to switch OFF.
Background info: about a week back the engine would NOT start in the garage, even while there was
about 1/4 tank diesel. Filled in about 5 additional gallons then the car runs fine. Still yet to reach the
quarter tank level.

2) The driver side AC blower after about 30-45 mins of driving starts to blow warm air. The center and
passenger side blowers continue to blow cold air.
Note: Close to the rear view mirror these is a cavity about 1 inch in diameter. When I look inside there
is some open solder. Thinking its a sensor... this is missing and there is a cavity in this location.

Please advice on what may be causing these issues and what could be done to rectify...?

Thanks.

 

have you replaced the primary fuel filter? these can cause hard starting and loss of power. while your at the secondary filter could be changed also. do you run an anti gel? how warm or cold is it where you are? do you run a cleaner lubricant for the pump and injectors? diesel allows microbial growth in the fuel tank and this could be blocking the filters and the tank screen. if i was throwing the dart at the troubleshooting board, i would start at fuel filters.

 

Thanks Andyfairna.

have you replaced the primary fuel filter?
No its about 2 weeks since I got the car from the mercedes dealership.

do you run an anti gel?
No. Any advice on which brand to use.

how warm or cold is it where you are?
I'm in TX its about 90-100 degree F.

do you run a cleaner lubricant for the pump and injectors?
I'm assuming this would probably be a good starting point to run a cleaner lubricant.
Any advice on which brand.

How can I identify/remove any microbial growth in the fuel tank....

 

with the heat being what it is an anti gel would not help nor is it likely the cause. start with primary and secondary filters. power service products makes diesel kleen which will kill microbial growth and clean injectors and pump. how many miles on the car? a run of diesel purge (before you change the filters) from lubro moly will clean the pump and injectors and eliminate poor performance. look for my post on cheapest price for diesel purge for the link. i'm not real familiar with your year of mercedes but if you go to www.dieselgiant.com, there is great info on how to run the purge and change filters. engines are relatively simple machines and diesels more so. the air intake is always 100 percent and the fuel is increased to produce more power unlike gas engines which hav a throttle butterfly. expressautoparts.com has your filters for about twenty bucks for both. run a lubricant such as 16 ozs of marvel mystery oil per tank of fuel as low sulpher fuels do not lubricate the pump and injectors well. these thing may cure the problems.

 

Hi Andyfairna,

Thanks for the detailed pointers, I will be trying out the Diesel purge, subsequently the filter change and
the fuel lubricant.

Today, morning the car stopped while driving, just about 1-2 miles from the starting point.
The engine temperature was about 50 deg F. Cranked the engine about 5 times. Cranks fine but
just does not start. After a break for about 10 mins tried again and the car started. Subsequent attempts
to start were fine. had about 1/2 tank of Diesel.

I'm going to fill in full tank until the weekend to avoid the engine switching OFF. This weekend per
your pointers will be trying out the purge->filter change->fuel lubricants.

how many miles on the car? about 136K.

Year and Model: 1999 E300, W210.

 

hi joel,
been away for a while. it sounds to me like your primary filter is getting clogged. this creates a hugh vacuum in the fuel line which wil stop the engine. change them and run the purge then let me know what happens.

 

Thanks AndyFarina.

The car (e300) is running in excellent condition, just yesterday hit the quarter mark in the fuel guage. The engine is working in perfect condition after the purge and changing of the fuel filter. Also used Redline Catalyst w my fuel.

thanks again.