Mercedes E300 elegance diesel glow plug problem or other??

[Lfmullin28]

Hello all,

I have just taken ownership of my first Mercedes. It's a 1998 turbo diesel E300 estate. I have never been one for being very technical minded about cars, but I do search, read and try to teach myself.

I have a somewhat odd issue with my new purchase, it's a real pain to get started but once started and warmed up it runs pretty much ok. One morning I went to start it, and all it did was turn and turn and turn and just as it felt it was about to fire up it gave up. I flattened the battery doing this so from a jump start it eventually started, then ran fine all day long until the next morning when the same thing happened.

This time I had charged another battery, popped it in an it fired right away but did run rough for a while, but again ran fine all day.

So that evening I disconnected the battery, went out the morning after reconnected it an it started right away but again was rough for a while.

So I've come to the conclusion I have something draining the battery and low and behold it was the radio as some novice has clearly messed the wires up at the back as they been cut and had an ISO connector put on.

So hurray I thought problem solved! Just get the wires checked.....but no

The very next day I noticed the coil light would come back on after starting the car, and a cloud of smoke which smells oily. I took the glow plug relay connector off and tested each pin 1-6 I put the positive into the connector pin and the negative to earth on each one with An ohm meter. 2 and 3 came back with NO current at all, 1 2 4 and 6 all had. 1.1 ohm reading 3 and 4 had 0 so I'm guessing glow plugs have given up and are contributing to my starting problems? I also have noticed the car is easier to start when parked facing downhill?? Suspect fuel lines as well?

Any further advice or help is appreciated as I'm now really mind boggled!!

As far as I know I have a battery drain two dead glow plugs and possible air in my fuel lines?

Have I diagnosed correctly as any further diagnoses or further help will be greatly appreciated

I love this car as I only paid £200 for it but I know why now however I'm prepared to spend to fix it up as it's very practical for my family needs

Thank you all!

 

[guydewdney]

Bargain car!

You might also want to look at the fuel pipes around the filter - these are known to leak air - this is proven on yours by the parking downhill test. Search for 'stop solenoid o ring' fix.

Get a set of glow plugs and put them in. be careful as they can snap off in the head.

 

[Lfmullin28]

Hi guydewdney, A few people have told me I've had a bargain but I'm not very clued up on the value of this car? I do like it though!

I am going to boom the car into a garage for the glow plugs, as you rightly say they are prone to snapping and if they do I'm sure the mechanic can bore it out somehow, I hope?

Just noticed an oil leak at the bottom passenger side by the intercooler? There is oil spray on the bonnet under it so not sure what's happened there I just hope it's a split pipe as not sure if the intercooler is oil cooled?

 

[guydewdney]

probably a split pipe - quite common on this age car. any sign of very light front damage - might be a split intercooler? there will be oil in the intake system due to the recirculating system.

 

[Lfmullin28]

I did hit the wall on my drive reversing it as I swung the front round and scrapped the bottom only the old gate post on the underside of the front left, never reversed such a long car before lol! Will do further inspection.

Self inflicted damage as they say!