Hello everyone,
I am a new Mercedes owner, and well it just had to be a turbo diesel. I'm in the middle of restoring my car (new apholstery and carpet, new headliner, new floor insulation, refinishing all the wood, and refurbishing all my switches) I'll work on the exterior this summer. Anyways I need to move it to the driveway on the other side of my property but I can't get it started now. Last week it would crank but wouldn't turn over. Now, all the lights work, but I can't get it to crank (did I kill my battery?) and I didn't plug in the block heater. I plugged in the block heater this morning and I'd like to try to jump it, but will my other vehicles be able to give my old girl a jump? they're both gas. Any insight would be most apprecitated

 

The Mercedes-Benz Diesel models generally use large high capacity batteries which generally last 36 plus months under constant use but no battery does well when left unused for extended periods and cold weather seems always to be a challenge.

What Year and Model is your vehicle and how long has it been since it was run?

 

it's only been a couple of weeks, I've got a 1982 300d turbo diesel

 

OK, that doesn't seem too long if the vehicle saw regular service prior to that. Regular meaning daily or there abouts.

Have you tried the primer pump on the side of the injection pump reference #s344&305 in the illustration?

Also there is an algea that actually grows in diesel fuel plugging filters and injectors.

 

the funny thing is that when I turn the switch I just get a short click and nothing else making me think maybe I killed the battery

 

It definately sounds like a dead battery?

 

The two diesels I have owned both needed a jump start after the battery weakened to the point where the only sound was the clicking. I learned from a tow truck driver that the best way to use a gas powered car and its battery for a jump, is to hook up the two cars correctly, including turningEVERYTHING OFF in the dead car and the donor car. Thenrun the donor car on fast idle for at least fifteen minutes. The dead car battery needs at least this long to get a partial charge.Then try to start the dead car. This worked for me twice with different cars in the dead of a Canadian winter. One car totally killed two gas cars before I tried this method successfully. And yes, it happened on Christmas Eve with relatives'gascars. But once I got goingI was able to start both of them like they were turbo charged. By the way, I didn't have to replace either battery.