Mercedes W124 E300D estate - progress, or not...
Discussion
Injectors can be refurbished, I had mine done two years ago. I think it was about £30 each, though. Low compression is less good news: it’s usually attributable to worn valve seats on the rearmost cylinder.
I’ve just covered 94miles in 1hr 4mins in mine, Tebay to Frodsham, who needs 300bhp?
I’ve just covered 94miles in 1hr 4mins in mine, Tebay to Frodsham, who needs 300bhp?
My mechanic has admitted defeat on finding a reliable injector specialist locally, so I have the car back. I'm currently debating whether to take it on a trip up to York tomorrow (600 mile round trip) or go with the safe yet non-barge option.
He has changed over the duo valve, so the car now has working heating (hooray!) but the exhaust is starting to blow more (boo!)
We have agreed, though, that he's generally happy to fit parts to the car if I can supply the parts. He's a good guy and it's a reasonable approach, so I'll probably go to him on stuff that doesn't need specialist diagnostic knowledge.
Plus, he has peacocks.
He has changed over the duo valve, so the car now has working heating (hooray!) but the exhaust is starting to blow more (boo!)
We have agreed, though, that he's generally happy to fit parts to the car if I can supply the parts. He's a good guy and it's a reasonable approach, so I'll probably go to him on stuff that doesn't need specialist diagnostic knowledge.
Plus, he has peacocks.
It's got some injector cleaner in - apparently it's the strong stuff - so I'm hoping the car starts okay this morning, and I can justify giving it a run out.
I've got some Wynns Formula Gold newly waiting in the wings, but I guess I should go through most of the tank before adding anything else - some seem to recommend against mixing additives, and I don't know what brand is already in there.
Mechanic thinks the cleaner didn't help, but it sounds like he didn't have time to go for a drive as such (which is fine - he hasn't charged me for the whole time he worked on the car) so I'm hoping that a longer time running & real-world revs may help.
As long as my next update isn't from the side of the road, I'll be okay with it.
I've got some Wynns Formula Gold newly waiting in the wings, but I guess I should go through most of the tank before adding anything else - some seem to recommend against mixing additives, and I don't know what brand is already in there.
Mechanic thinks the cleaner didn't help, but it sounds like he didn't have time to go for a drive as such (which is fine - he hasn't charged me for the whole time he worked on the car) so I'm hoping that a longer time running & real-world revs may help.
As long as my next update isn't from the side of the road, I'll be okay with it.
I haven't noticed soot on the run today, but the car seemed to start easier this morning so the mechanic's injector cleaner has maybe done something.
Good trip up, albeit not at r129sl speeds. The car seems fairly happy with the needle sitting straight up, although I'm used to a tdi so the revs felt high. Plus I think the exhaust is getting louder. Something else for the list!
Good trip up, albeit not at r129sl speeds. The car seems fairly happy with the needle sitting straight up, although I'm used to a tdi so the revs felt high. Plus I think the exhaust is getting louder. Something else for the list!
I had to put a new exhaust on mine last year when the old one fell off while circumnavigating Edinburgh. I sourced Eberspacher bits, centre section and end section for less than £250 in total.
These chaps overhauled my fuel injectors maybe two years ago: https://www.tyneelectrodiesel.co.uk
My car doesn't smoke at all.
And it revs high. It makes maximum torque at 2,400 to 4,600rpm, max power at 4,600 to 5,400rpm. The power characteristics are nothing like a turbo diesel and much more like an early 4valve petrol motor. 70-90mph is where they sing along, and very smoothly too.
These chaps overhauled my fuel injectors maybe two years ago: https://www.tyneelectrodiesel.co.uk
My car doesn't smoke at all.
And it revs high. It makes maximum torque at 2,400 to 4,600rpm, max power at 4,600 to 5,400rpm. The power characteristics are nothing like a turbo diesel and much more like an early 4valve petrol motor. 70-90mph is where they sing along, and very smoothly too.
Edited by r129sl on Thursday 28th March 20:51
Today's mileage is twelve times what the car drove from May to January, so it's definitely been shaken from its slumbers.
Thanks for the pointer on injector refurbish - if it still seems a problem after this weekend, id be tempted to get whatever parts are needed for the inlet manifold remove/replace cycle (and, perhaps anything worth doing while it's off), then asking my man to have the car back, whip the injectors out and up to Tyne, and go from there.
Exhaust had a tiny hole just at the back of the section in front of the back box section (if that makes any sense - looking at pics of replacement exhausts, it looks like it's essentially two sections after the manifolds, so I'm talking about the back end of the front piece) and I wonder whether that's opening up and making the car gruffer.
Now that I've had the car back for a couple of days, I think I have a better handle on the starting issues:
- The faulty glow plug (#1 I think) and/or damaged wiring connector is causing the glow plug light not to come on before startup, and instead it comes on after the engine is running (from memory, several seconds to a minute after).
- The other issue is that, during a cold start, the engine doesn't want to run on all cylinders. It feels like one of the cylinders gradually stutters into life, and then fires more regularly until it's up to speed. Someone mentioned a possibly sticky valve, and that somehow feels more feasible, but as I have little mechanical experience it could easily be a cylinder-firing thing, rather than a valve-unsticking thing. It'll be interesting to see how things are in the morning.
Oh, and I have something rotational squeaking, seemingly on the back end. I'd assume it was a brake, but none of the wheels felt particularly warm after 115 miles, so I remain clueless.
Thanks for the pointer on injector refurbish - if it still seems a problem after this weekend, id be tempted to get whatever parts are needed for the inlet manifold remove/replace cycle (and, perhaps anything worth doing while it's off), then asking my man to have the car back, whip the injectors out and up to Tyne, and go from there.
Exhaust had a tiny hole just at the back of the section in front of the back box section (if that makes any sense - looking at pics of replacement exhausts, it looks like it's essentially two sections after the manifolds, so I'm talking about the back end of the front piece) and I wonder whether that's opening up and making the car gruffer.
Now that I've had the car back for a couple of days, I think I have a better handle on the starting issues:
- The faulty glow plug (#1 I think) and/or damaged wiring connector is causing the glow plug light not to come on before startup, and instead it comes on after the engine is running (from memory, several seconds to a minute after).
- The other issue is that, during a cold start, the engine doesn't want to run on all cylinders. It feels like one of the cylinders gradually stutters into life, and then fires more regularly until it's up to speed. Someone mentioned a possibly sticky valve, and that somehow feels more feasible, but as I have little mechanical experience it could easily be a cylinder-firing thing, rather than a valve-unsticking thing. It'll be interesting to see how things are in the morning.
Oh, and I have something rotational squeaking, seemingly on the back end. I'd assume it was a brake, but none of the wheels felt particularly warm after 115 miles, so I remain clueless.
Edited by Northbrook on Friday 29th March 10:10
I was hooked after a test drive!
More running fun this morning - started up fine, ran less poorly than before....then swiftly slowed down to a stall, and then simply refused to restart. After leaving it for half an hour, I got the car running after plenty of tries and with my foot on the floor. Cue lots of greyish smoke (much appreciated in a fresh Yorkshire valley, I'm sure). Eventually conked out again after running with a careful foot on the throttle for a couple of minutes. Again with the non-starting, but coaxed back into life and eventually running well enough for a spin up the lane and back.
I'm puzzled, because the car - after the first time - didn't seem to be missing as badly (or at all) but the refusal to start is new.
Old cars!
More running fun this morning - started up fine, ran less poorly than before....then swiftly slowed down to a stall, and then simply refused to restart. After leaving it for half an hour, I got the car running after plenty of tries and with my foot on the floor. Cue lots of greyish smoke (much appreciated in a fresh Yorkshire valley, I'm sure). Eventually conked out again after running with a careful foot on the throttle for a couple of minutes. Again with the non-starting, but coaxed back into life and eventually running well enough for a spin up the lane and back.
I'm puzzled, because the car - after the first time - didn't seem to be missing as badly (or at all) but the refusal to start is new.
Old cars!
I think you have a glow plug problem. As Ian says, your symptoms are consistent. It sounds to me like the warning lamp is functioning correctly. That is how it indicates a glow plug problem, by staying on after the engine has started. The glow plug system is as simple as can be: a relay, the glow plugs and the wires in between.
Edit: having read your 10h10 post, it actually sounds more like a fuelling issue. Hmm.
Edit: having read your 10h10 post, it actually sounds more like a fuelling issue. Hmm.
It could easily be the confluence of a couple of different issues.
The glow plug that's not working (and not connected) will have some influence on general starting performance. It's certainly a pain to know whether the plugs have come on & gone off.
There could well be a fuel flow issue to contend with, although it initially started up fine, and only fell over later. Not sure if that might rule it out as a cause - the car was parked side-on on a hill, which I haven't had before. I'm familiar with the idea that the car could go through the fuel it had available then starve, but it ran for a minute or more before the revs dipped and it died.
Interestingly, the second time it happened this morning, the revs dipped noticeably a few times despite a constant throttle foot - causing me to add throttle - until it eventually died.
I'll have to see how it behaves in the morning, and/or when I get back to it this evening.
The glow plug that's not working (and not connected) will have some influence on general starting performance. It's certainly a pain to know whether the plugs have come on & gone off.
There could well be a fuel flow issue to contend with, although it initially started up fine, and only fell over later. Not sure if that might rule it out as a cause - the car was parked side-on on a hill, which I haven't had before. I'm familiar with the idea that the car could go through the fuel it had available then starve, but it ran for a minute or more before the revs dipped and it died.
Interestingly, the second time it happened this morning, the revs dipped noticeably a few times despite a constant throttle foot - causing me to add throttle - until it eventually died.
I'll have to see how it behaves in the morning, and/or when I get back to it this evening.
Edited by Northbrook on Friday 29th March 17:23
Started & ran okay back from York to Harrogate last night - some smoking and stumbling to start off with, but after a couple of minutes all was fine.
Started this morning, and ran with some persuasion. The usual stumbling & smoking, but kept going, unlike yesterday. Parked nose-up last night, rather than on a cross-slope, so perhaps that made a difference. Not sure if indicative of anything.
I'm back thinking of glow plugs. It strikes me that a cylinder firing occasionally until warmer sounds like that issue (at least) is engine temp related. My uninformed brain thinks that an injector would be a longer-lasting issue (?)
Started this morning, and ran with some persuasion. The usual stumbling & smoking, but kept going, unlike yesterday. Parked nose-up last night, rather than on a cross-slope, so perhaps that made a difference. Not sure if indicative of anything.
I'm back thinking of glow plugs. It strikes me that a cylinder firing occasionally until warmer sounds like that issue (at least) is engine temp related. My uninformed brain thinks that an injector would be a longer-lasting issue (?)
Good suggestions!
Fuel filters in the engine bay were changed by the mechanic last week. Tank strainer.... I doubt has been done any time recently.
I think I'll look at the glow plugs next. Car will need to go in again in the next few weeks for pre MOT prep, so that might be a good time for tank strainer.
And exhaust.
And probably welding.
Fuel filters in the engine bay were changed by the mechanic last week. Tank strainer.... I doubt has been done any time recently.
I think I'll look at the glow plugs next. Car will need to go in again in the next few weeks for pre MOT prep, so that might be a good time for tank strainer.
And exhaust.
And probably welding.
Daft question but when the fuel filter was changed did he fill the filter with diesel, because on my first one I forgot once and it started and ran but would stutter and revs would drop due to a strange air lock in the filter, which once i'd taken it off and filled it went away, also try parking nose down if the problem goes away you have an air leak and it's draining back, only just remember this the first one was nearly 20 yrs ago 
Edited by ian316 on Saturday 30th March 15:04
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff