1998 e300 td idle problem

[D-zel]

hello everyone, I am the new kid on the block with the 1998 e300 td, great car except this idle problem that I had since I've got it. In the morning it starts easy but it shakes for about 30-50 seconds and it smokes a little bit (white smoke). It is fine after that, until it warms up all the way to the normal temperature. After that it starts shaking unless is in Drive or Reverse, if I put it in Park or Neutral it starts shaking again. Now the interesting part is that the shaking stops if I turn on the head-lights ,rear defroster, the A/C or something that is using electrical power. I have changed the filters, I ran two cans of Diesel Purge and I even replaced the lowest clear plastic fuel line with O-rings and everything because I saw air bubbles running through it under acceleration. Still the same. I took it to the mechanic, he hooked it up to the diagnostic machine and there is no codes ,he is suspecting that the timming is off . I have search the forum regarding this but no luck. If anyone can help me with this I would appreciate it. Tanx in advance,Joe

 

[Dieselman]

The smoking bothers me more than the shaking, but they could be related.

It sounds like the engine isn't firing evenly on all cylinders so runs out of ballance at low load conditions.

I really doubt it's the timing as that never moves once set and suspect it's a worn/sticking injector, or even a loose fuel union.

Have the injectors tested, if Ok then the timing and compressions tested.

The cold start smoke could just be a glowplug but that should bring on the warning light.

It could also be a sticking valve or the injection pump requires setting up.

If the car has done a large mileage it could also be the engine mounts allowing the engine to shake around.