C220 cdi Car will not start

[bobtonks]

C220 cdi 2003. The engine turns over fine but will not start. Any ideas?

 

[alab63]

Hi,
My car is a W203 cdi 220 sports coupe 2001 model,

I had this it turned out to be the "o" rings on the fuel pipes on top of the injectors. Only cost 0.75p each.
I first thought it was the c.p.s. I changed that after a struggle but I still had the problem.
I noticed small air bubbles in the fuel line near the fuel filter.
I had recently changed the oil and had moved the fuel pipes on top of the injectors so they were sucking in air.
Effectively what was happing every-time I went to start the engine I had to bleed it.

I hope this helps.

 

[bobtonks]

I have had this problem before and we replaced the 'crank shaft sensor'. Car has been ok for two weeks but would not start this morning. Is there a sensor on the Cam Shaft that could be the cause of the problem?

 

[television]

Are there any bubbles in the fuel tubes

 

[Steve@Avantgarde]

It could be a few things:

Buy some easy start and spray up the intake when cranking, if it fires its a sure guess you have high injector leak off causing the rail pressure to drop too far and it not starting.

Could be a knackered high pressure pump you will need to check the rail pressure for this one. Also if less than 1/4 tank with a worn HPP it wont start anyway as it will return all leaked off diesel back to the L/H side of saddle tank drying up the fuel supply side which is the R/H side, so if your gauge reads 1/4 or less drop some diesel in the tank and see if she starts, if so, your HPP will be on its way.

Could also be blocked filter or o rings as someone else suggested.

 

[Corsair1]

I have had this problem before and we replaced the 'crank shaft sensor'. Car has been ok for two weeks but would not start this morning. Is there a sensor on the Cam Shaft that could be the cause of the problem?

I have a C220 CDi - 2002 with 144,000. In the cold weather (-2C) 2 weeks ago she started and immediately stopped and then would only crank. The car was trucked back home and after a week my local garage fixed it; they reckoned it was the Crank shaft sensor which they replaced. Apparently nothing showed up in the codes to indicate a fault here.

Now 2 weeks later - same weather conditions (-4c) and it did the same thing; started as normal and then immediately died. It would then just churn with no sign of firing.

Off the the garage again to morrow if the tow truck can remove it from our road.

I was concerned that it might be frozen water in the diesel lines, but the garage says there is fuel at the injectors, and the pump is pressurizing OK.

Same condition - so a faulty CPS?

 

[Steve@Avantgarde]

Sounds like you have an injector leaking off too much or faulty high pressure pump. If no faults on star then you have to start with actual values looking at fuel pressure etc. I would chuck some easy start up the air intake whilst cranking, if it goes then chances are you have a faulty injector.

 

[Corsair1]

Sounds like you have an injector leaking off too much or faulty high pressure pump. If no faults on star then you have to start with actual values looking at fuel pressure etc. I would chuck some easy start up the air intake whilst cranking, if it goes then chances are you have a faulty injector.

Following the replacement of the CPS it ran perfectly, till I tried to start it this morning. Surely its unlikely to be an injector - which were all replaced last year. I will try some easy start never the less in the morning.

 

[Corsair1]

Following the replacement of the CPS it ran perfectly, till I tried to start it this morning. Surely its unlikely to be an injector - which were all replaced last year. I will try some easy start never the less in the morning.

Steve, thinking about this problem at bit further.

The problem has only occurred in sub zero temperatures.

Both times this problems happened:

The Car started instantaneously only to stop 4 seconds or so later. Whilst it was running it was running smoothly ie with good ignition on all cylinders.

It therefore cannot be any of the following:
Bad compression
Glow Plugs
Pressure in the common rail.

Is there anyway that water frozen in the fuel lines could be a culprit?

Is it likely that the new CPS is faulty? surely these things should not be affected by the cold?

Any idea gratefully received. - I wont go near our local Merc dealer since they tried to rip me off after a "health Check" - quite disgraceful it was too.

 

[television]

The CPS does often fail when engine hot but I see no reason whey the opposite could not be true If you have a ohmmeter you could measure the resistance where it should be 1 k ohm when good and near on infinity when bad.

£47 from any Bosch service center £87 from MB

 

[Corsair1]

The CPS does often fail when engine hot but I see no reason whey the opposite could not be true If you have a ohmmeter you could measure the resistance where it should be 1 k ohm when good and near on infinity when bad.

£47 from any Bosch service center £87 from MB

I will get hold of the old CPS and test that for resistance. If is was actually OK, then next stop will be the fuel system.

 

[Steve@Avantgarde]

Steve, thinking about this problem at bit further.

The problem has only occurred in sub zero temperatures.

Both times this problems happened:

The Car started instantaneously only to stop 4 seconds or so later. Whilst it was running it was running smoothly ie with good ignition on all cylinders.

It therefore cannot be any of the following:
Bad compression
Glow Plugs
Pressure in the common rail.

Is there anyway that water frozen in the fuel lines could be a culprit?

Is it likely that the new CPS is faulty? surely these things should not be affected by the cold?

Any idea gratefully received. - I wont go near our local Merc dealer since they tried to rip me off after a "health Check" - quite disgraceful it was too.

I think the idea of temperature is leading you up a garden path to be honest. I agree that compression or glow plugs is nothing to do with it, however knowing these engines like I do they normally fail to run when there is a fuel pressure issue ie injector leak off too high, failing high pressure pump, fuel lines etc. CPS failures arent very common on the 220cdi's, in fact, Im not sure I have ever replaced one on this engine.

What is your fuel tank reading? Is there less than half a tank of diesel in there? If so then let me know.

 

[Corsair1]

Problem identified.

Steve, thinking about this problem at bit further.

The problem has only occurred in sub zero temperatures.

Both times this problems happened:

The Car started instantaneously only to stop 4 seconds or so later. Whilst it was running it was running smoothly ie with good ignition on all cylinders.

It therefore cannot be any of the following:
Bad compression
Glow Plugs
Pressure in the common rail.

Is there anyway that water frozen in the fuel lines could be a culprit?

Is it likely that the new CPS is faulty? surely these things should not be affected by the cold?

Any idea gratefully received. - I wont go near our local Merc dealer since they tried to rip me off after a "health Check" - quite disgraceful it was too.

The man from Mondale came to get me back on the road. He checked that no diesel was coming from a cracked injector. He got a hair drier out and warmed the filter up. 5 minutes later it was running.

This morning it again would not start -( -2C ) so got the hair drier out - 10 minutes later it was running.

I rang Esso fuel expert, and basically it is caused by the presence of water - forming tiny ice crystals and blocking the filter. It is NOt waxing as that won't happen with the fuel spec until - 20c.

I have now changed the filter as advised. I was also advised to check out the contents of my tank.

 

[Steve@Avantgarde]

I stand corrected!

 

[Corsair1]

I stand corrected!

Steve - still having problems. I have now changed the filter amd still each morning I have the same problem. I heat up the filter with the hair drier, and then have to churn for ages. So perhaps its sucking in air now - as a result of the blocked filter perhaps?

The C220 has no electric lift pump but a mechanical one. So to see if there is any fuel at the injectors I need to crank the engine - or dies the high pressure pump suck fuel in with just the ignition switched on?

When it does start - its clear that it is short of fuel for a few moments, the nit runs perfectly and start normally for the rest of they day.

Any more ideas? I also think that the cold issue may be a red herring. That will be proved next week.

 

[Steve@Avantgarde]

How much fuel is in the fuel tank?

 

[Corsair1]

How much fuel is in the fuel tank?

Just under half: She will run for miles on an empty tank - I've tried!

Looking at the other threads on similar start problems, it looks like I should pull back the outside coats to the fuel pipes and have a look for bubbles/fuel. I didn't realize they were clear under there.

Which is the most likely pipe that will need replacing if there are bubbles? and is it easy to replace - the clips look like they require a special tool to undo them.

 

[television]

Just chipping in a bit,,it is mainly the O rings that need to be replaced, not so easy when it is this cold as everything is so hard and stiff, the pipes should all be OK

 

[Steve@Avantgarde]

Just under half: She will run for miles on an empty tank - I've tried!

Thats not why I was asking.

I am getting more and more issues of valves sticking in the high pressure pump which causes the left side of the tank to leak off all the fuel to there and not return it to the right hand side of the tank which is the side which supplies the engine! When you have a full tank it fills both sides, When it gets to half a tank it will simply run out of fuel effectively as it will store the remaining fuel in the left side of the tank and not circulate it to where the fuel needs to be. I was chatting with Alex Crow who had the exact same fault last week with a 270cdi that had been to another garage who couldnt figure out the non start fault so its becoming increasingly popular.

If its intermitantly sticking the valve open for leak off it wont start as the engine isnt getting fuel supply. 2 ways of checking this at home without a star machine is to lift the rear seat and undo the fuel pump and see whats there.

If you have access to star check the rail pressure when cranking, should be 200ish bar pressure, if no pressure then check the actual values of the fuel tank in rear sam. You will see it there if you have this issue.

 

[Steve@Avantgarde]

Just chipping in a bit,,it is mainly the O rings that need to be replaced, not so easy when it is this cold as everything is so hard and stiff, the pipes should all be OK

Sometimes Malc these pipes can be so brittle they break taking them off or cause a small fracture around the bonding of the clip as I found out to my annoyence this week. Better to replace the pipes I find.

Horses for courses though.