Hi, I really need some help, hope someone out there can.
My car is a 1998 E300TD Avntgd. I use it as a taxi here in the UK. Bought it 18 months ago with 55,000 miles on the clock, now it has 126k on it. I had to have a refurb gearbox on 108k and just spent another £1400 on various bits including engine mounts, viscous fan, blower unit, ... you name it, it seems to be going wrong.
I drive it very very sensibly, seriously, it doesnt get thrashed and it doesnt have a hard life in any way. ANyway ...

... this morning I get up to do a 05:30am job (bad enough) and it wont start. Its rained heavily in the night but it all looks dry under the bonnet. I did park it on an uphill slope, not sure that that would make any difference but i thoguht id put all the details in here.

I turned on the ignition and as usual after a few seconds the coil light goes out, so i turn the key the rest of teh way and it fires and runs for a few seconds, then dies. Since then wont fire at all. Which makes me think it is fuel related, but i am no expert (there is half a tank in there)

Please, can someone help me or suggest anything i can do to diagnose the problem. I have no more cash to spend on the thing, it is putting me out of business much as i love it. Help!

thanks

John

 

Hi,
Currently 7.13am UK

You do seem to be having a bad run of luck!

I assume car cranks ok.
I assume youv'e tried to start several times after leaving the car for 10 mins or so.
I assume that you are POSITIVE that it has fuel in it. Have you ever run the tank lower than its current state? i.e. are you sure there is fuel in it and it is not a gauge error.
I assume that your fuel cap is in good order. No possibility of water ingress (linkage with rain).
Have you rolled the car back onto the flat and tried?

Not that it helps you get back to work quickly but it has been known for the fuel "pickup/strainer" in the tank to fall off therefore reducing the effective level of fuel in the tank.

Otherwise you need to check the fuel system from one end to the other. When was the filter/water separator last changed?

I also wonder wether there is a connection to the recent engine trans removal. e.g. trapped hose. loose connection etc.

Sorry I can't be much more help but I don't do diesels.

Stuart

 

thanks stuart for the prompt reply.

Havent tried roling it onto flat yet, not easy where it is, cars everywhere and being stranded at teh bottom of the slope would stop everyone getting to work ( 50 odd residents). Yes it cranks fine, will try again in a minute, it has been half an hour.

Always fill it up once the fuel light comes on and it doesnt ever go much into the 'red'.

Transmission change was in june so should have highlighted anything by then. Also had a major service 500 miles ago (last week). I was also driving it last night (and every day) and it was perfect. Fuel cap fine, i spend a fortune on it, making sure its always running perfectly, anything goes wrong and i get it looked at straight away, nature of the job, if peopel pay to go in it i think it should be perfect. and yes, haha, i am absolutely positive it has fuel in it, half a tank.

 

Ok, ten minutes have gone by, slight update. Did something i am not supposed to, i gave it a boot full of gas whilst turning it over. Two 3 second bursts of full throttle as it was cranking over. I turned it over for 20 seconds. It seems to try and fire a little but not on all cyclinders ( i think) but without ever really firing properly at all (hope that makes sense). Also a very peculiar smell round the back of the car when i got out. Unburnt diesel presumably?

 

hey john, did you try clean the jets i.e fuel jets, diesel cars need the jets cleaned every so often or change the diesel fuel filter. im not much help but give them a try. there is a cleaner which you can add to the diesel tank called dipetane, it cleans the fuel system in your car. you should get a ltr bottle in your local motor factors. goodluck

 

Unfortunately your vehicle is not a common rail diesel which is similar to petrol injection.
Although i understand the principles I don't do diesel.
Since it wont run it must be fuelling since their is little electrics (other than glow plugs which aren't absolutely necessary at normal ambients)
Its got to be bad fuel, bad supply to the distribution pump, or distribution pump timing etc.

When did you actually last add fuel to it. Its more than possible it had water in it. Its also possible that it runs OK on the flat but not on the hill dependent upon fuel pick up point in the tank.

Since car has been going fine till this episode I would have contaminated fuel as No.1 suspect subject to when you last filled it up.

Stuart.

 

Thanks greatly for all the advice, as suspected it was indeed fuel related.

I cranked it over for another 20 seconds, left it a minute then same again, popped the bonnett and looking at the fuel lines noticed air bubbles in them. After contunual cranking it finaly fired up and has done so on each occasion since, why it had air in there I do not know but it seems to be resolved. Any ideas?

Thanks again

John

 

Glad you got it going.

Did you get it to start on the hill or did you have to get it on the level?

I revert to the aparent level of the fuel in the tank so maybe the pickup has fallen off!
For air to get in there has to be a leak on the suction side of the pump.
Not sure where your pump is situated but guess it is in the tank in which case the pickup must be above the level of the fluid in the tank.
Of course parking on a hill will have played a part in the actual tank level.
Mystery is why the air cleared itself with cranking if this was achieved without running the car back onto the level.

You need to find the cause otherwise you will likely have a repeat another morning!

Stuart