hi

i have a 83 mercedes 300d. Iv been gone for some time, upon returning iv found that my car starts but quickly dies afterwards. Iv tried bleeding the fuel system with the handpump next to the injector pump. also inspected the fuel hose connections.
When i pump up of the fuel, its starts sounding very healthy. im able to accelerate it up to 2000rpm ( maybe 2.2 but wont pass that mark ) then it holds there for 5 seconds. then abruptly decelerates and cuts. It does start again if i wait 30 seconds or soand choke it some , and repeats the same pattern. I also dont smell/see any leaking gas ( though i do have a bit of a cold ) . Is there air leaking in? is the fuel contaminated (if so why does it start/sound so good?) please advise.
thanks

dan

 

Plugged air filter element orrestricted fuel filter either the 2 underhood or the screen filter in the tank. You are not describing an air in fuel concern.

 

agree with carnut. if you know the history of the car, do you know if the two fuel filters have ever been replaced. If not, do it, it is not that expensive to do and good for the car. It is sad when a diesel starves for fuel.

 

Iv replaced the filter and pre filter, checked the air filter, still same problem, no difference. Where is this screen for the fuel tank.how is it checked/cleaned?I have a manualthat mentioned it but nothing more than that.
thanks for your help

dan

 

Looking under the car. passenger side, you will see the 2 hoses at the bottom of the fuel tank and a large nut screwed into the tank. Ideally with the tank virtually empty, unscrew the nut after hoses are removed. The screen is behind this nut. If not empty be ready to catch the fuel as the hoses are removed.

 

ah, i took a look at that spot the other day...i was guessing there, but didnt want to mess around with half a tank of gas above me, guess ill syphon it out or something tomorrow.
Do you think that is the sole purpose that it wont stay started? both filter have been replaced. and the hand pump seems to bring up the fuel just fine. please tell me if theres any other possiblities, cause i need to get this problem fixed, or ill have to pay a small fortune to get it towed to a garage...then another small fortune for them to just touch my car.
thanks for the help.

dan

 

i checked the screen filter in the fuel tank today, perfectly clean.

any idea on why the car is still dieing after 5ish seconds?
please help
thanks

dan

 

what rpm is it idling at?

 

it idles maybe around 1.2 i believe, while double check. Though, does the idle speed matter? it still dies in 5ish seconds whether its idling or im reving it to 5krmp. and the engine is running smooth and sounds good, so i wasnt thinking that was the problem, maybe it is?

dan

 

hey,

the guys at dieselgiant sent me an email saying it sounded like air was leaking into the system. Are there any areas where it is more common for a leak/problem to occur? I really have no idea where to start or what to do. Havent ever had to deal with this kinda of problem before, any tips or pointers would be great.thanks

dan