E300td - glow plugs, diesel delivery valve seals , etc

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johnsco

MB Enthusiast
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Joined
Nov 22, 2008
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2,654
Location
Leeds, West Yorkshire
Car
E280CDI SPORTS ESTATE and C200 KOMPRESSOR SE Coupe Auto (1.8 lit petrol)
I've been putting off a couple of jobs on my old friend for some time.

1. There's been a glow plug (maybe 2) not working.
The car fired up OK, but with a fair bit of smoke and a stink of diesel and a bit of grunting and farting for the first few seconds.
Unfortunately, one of the glow plugs had taken the glow plug relay with it, as the glow plug light came on again after the engine had started and stayed on for around 30 seconds. This happens when a glow plug goes short-circuit.
The excess current blows the internals in the glow plug relay. I think it's a fusible link that blows to protect the car's fuses.
I intend to open it up as I believe they can be repaired.

2. There's been a diesel leak from the injector pump area.
It's been dripping a bit and smelling pretty bad.
Fuel consumption was not noticeably affected .... But a little diesel goes a long way.
At 229,000 miles, I feared the worst ... The diesel delivery valves.
That's what it was.

So - With the great help from Rodley Motors in Bradford - Off came the inlet manifold.

The glow plugs were an absolute pig to remove.
They were almost certainly the originals.
They were a pig to release and unscrew.
Great patience and several applications of penetrating oil were required.
Some of them were reluctant even to blow out with the engine running.
Eventually - All was well - Out they came - To be replaced with 6 new Bosch glow plugs from ECP.

Fortunately I had a glow plug relay on the garage shelf.
It came out of my previous E300TD which got wrecked in a collision about 4 years ago.
That was fitted and all was well.

All six diesel delivery valve seals and washers were replaced.
The parts only cost pence.
Many Thanks to the legendary thread from Parrot of Doom.
We didn't disturb any of the innards of the DIP.
We weren't that curious !!

All went back together OK.

The long black diesel fuel feed pipe was replaced as it was looking very-shabby.
Some of the plastic pipes and the pipe o-ring seals were replaced.

The EGR was cleaned ..... Although it wasn't really that bad.
All those years of Millers diesel fuel additive clearly count for something.

Everything went back together OK, and after a fair bit of cranking, the old bus fired up and ran OK.
The glow plug relay fault was cured.
The light goes out when it should.
The car starts immediately with no excessive cranking and with no smoke on start-up.

Problem ..... On the second day, a fault flashed up on the dash
"EPC Engine Electronics".
The car still ran just fine.
After observing the problem over a few start/stops, it became evident that the engine ran on for a couple of seconds after the key was turned off.
This had never happened before and pointed to a fault with the diesel shut-off valve (SOV).
Back to Rodley Motors who plugged the car in and ran a scan.
Sure enough - One fault code showed up ... "DIESEL SHUT-OFF VALVE.
Fortunately ECP supplied one the same day.
Fitted it and ... BINGO ... The fault code cleared and the engine shut down instantaneously the key was turned off.

What caused the SOV to fail ?
Who knows ... It was 17 years old and had been fastened to the side of the DIP for 229,000 miles.
Disturb it .... And it don't like it

That was 2 or 3 days ago.
The car now runs and starts as good as new.
It sounds a bit different.
The note of the E300TD ticky noise is a bit different - But no-worse for that.

Thanks to Richard at Rodley Motors for great help on a challenging job.
:thumb:
 
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