Diesel Cold Start Problem

[Daeths]

Have a W210 2001 E320CDI estate. Car hates the first start and now keep the tank >1/2 full nose pointing downhill and half throttle at start, have mastered the process.

Clearly this is wrong and I believe I have a fuel leak and the diesel is running back (agreement out there ?)

I want to take it to a decent non rip off (clearly not a stealer) repairer in the Kent area. I am near Brands Hatch, can anyone make a recommendation. The car was recently steam cleaned could this have made a difference ? Any idea of cost ??

 

[mattkh]

Hi
Are the glow plugs coming on
What is the mileage.
Air getting into the diesel.

 

[television]

The pointing down hill says its an air leak in one of the pipes.

its been covered many times here including the O ring replacements,dont forgot the return to tank as well.

Malcolm

 

[Parrot of Doom]

Mate, you don't need to pay anyone to do this. With the minimum of tools (a flat bladed screwdriver with a long handle) you can change all those fuel pipes yourself.

Why pay someone £100 an hour to basically unplug some rubber hoses? Its a doddle. And if its not the hoses it'll be the shutoff valve, or the prefilter o-ring. Allo very simple to do.

 

[Dunhamkid]

I wouldn't say that replacing the hoses that runs under the HP pump is easy

 

[mioba]

are you sure the diesel filter doesnt need draining of water,

 

[Daeths]

Hi
Are the glow plugs coming on
What is the mileage.
Air getting into the diesel.

Glow plugs not staying on (after about 5 secs)
85,000 and full MBSH

Thx for the input from all. Parrot of Doom, whilst I'm not a dummy the idea of pulling fuel lines off does sound scary. Is it really that easy or is it relative ? My fear is that I lift the bonnet and there is a great big cover held by the 8/9 bolts hiding all sorts of mysteries.

How many hoses are there, where are they situated (probably a dumb question) do i need to go all the way back to the fuel tank ???

It's probably just a confidence thing, however, I am paranoid I screw it up and end up with a big bill. Don't suppose you have a link into which pipes to change. All and any assistance will be appreciated.

Does anyone know of any decent diesel garages that will be able to help me in my area (Brand Hatch) so I can get a price and suss out cost of subcontracting versus hassle / getting it in the neck from the missus for "tinkering" with the motor.

 

[Parrot of Doom]

http://www.detali.ru/cat/oem_mb2.as...GA=722.626&CT=M&cat=65C&SID=07&SGR=120&SGN=03

Pretty much all the fuel leaks I've ever heard about on W210 diesels have been around the fuel filter and the injection pump. See the pipes 35, 41, 29, 137 etc? They're the ones that tend to leak, the O-rings on the ends of those pipes develop a square cross section with age. They go translucent yellow, new ones are translucent white. I bet money that when you're trying to start the engine in the morning, those lines are full of air. Try it - open the bonnet tomorrow with the car parked on a flat road, get the missus to turn the engine over, I bet theres loads of little bubbles of air rushing through those pipes.

There may be other leaks elsewhere, perhaps you could ask the garage precisely which parts are leaking - just for clarification.

To swap them out all you do is push the white horseshoe clips on each end in, and pull the line off (sometimes they're a bit sticky). You may need to remove the engine cover to get to the odd one, but it really shouldn't be that hard. On mine (different engine), the most you have to remove is the washer bottle for the windscreen, and thats just 2 bolts.

Each pipe you remove, put a bit of clingfilm over the exposed hole while the pipe is disconnected - just to keep any grime from getting in.

Without pictures I can't say more, but if you could post some pictures of that area, we can advise you further.

There are also o-rings on the fuel filter and the pre-filter. Sometimes they need replacing. Its all quite simple.

You need to ensure the battery is fully charged before you remove any lines, and having a battery charger would be a big help - normally once you've replaced the lines, you have to crank the engine for a few minutes to get the air out. This can drain the battery. A good charger will only cost you £20 (disconnect the battery from the car before charging).

Its a shame you live so far away, I've done almost all the fuel pipes around the engine bay, they're all quite simple. I'd gladly help you out. The next job I have is the delivery valves from the pump, which are now leaking.

/edit: I should add that I have the old style turbodiesel engine, its not the same as yours, therefore there may be other problems that I'm ignorant of. If it were mine however, I'd still give it a go.

 

[Bolide]

That diagram makes it look really simple, doesn't it?


I thought not as well...

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[Daeths]

Parrot of Doom

Many thx for the considerable detail and piccy. Looks a bit intimidating but will have a proper look at the car with the schematic at the weekend.
Dumb question, if I replace the pipes you mentioned are they all in the engine bay or do I need to go under the car and trace back to the tank ?

If one pipe has gone is it reasonable to assume they are all about to and therefore all should be replaced or do I track down the one with the air bubbles and wait for the rest to decompose ? Sorry to keep asking so many q's but really do appreciate your help.

As an aside am going to post what will hopefully be a positive rust and warranty story on the relvant forum.

Cheers

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

First course of action is to check the fuel filter. It should have been replaced at 50K as part of the standard service schedule. At 85K it would do no harm to replace again to eliminate this as a problem.

The link gives a good overview to common rail diesel injection systems:

http://www.turbocompressori.net/common_rail.htm#FUEL ADDITIVES

 

[Parrot of Doom]

Dumb question, if I replace the pipes you mentioned are they all in the engine bay or do I need to go under the car and trace back to the tank ?

The ones in the image are all in the engine bay. If they're the same as mine, they're just clear/yellow plastic fuel pipes, quite stiff but still flexible. They're formed into a specific shape, they'll look identical to that picture.

I found that once I replaced the leaky one on mine, the leak then moved to the others. The reason (I assume) is that the repaired pipe now meant higher pressure levels in the other pipes, which made them start leaking.


I can't really suggest more as I can't see your engine. Try lifting the bonnet and feeling underneath the pipes for wet diesel.

Also, I'm only assuming that that is where the leak will be, because those pipes always leak with age - the dealer may have been talking about another leak.