Alex
12-15-2005, 03:52 PM
This is a report that might help others with a related problem.
For at least two years my '81 300TD would quit running after starting in cool weather, unless the accelerator was held down lightly for the first minute or so.
My late mechanic adjusted the valves twice and was reluctant to mess with the timing chain, which he though might be the cause, so he sort of gave up, as did I.
Then I read a post here, which implied that a possible solution is to replace the rack damper screw. So when I brought the car in recently to a new local mechanic, to have the rear brake calipers replaced (they were seizing up the wheel slightly,) I asked the mechanic to replace the rack damper screw. He said he wanted to determine for himself whether this is the right solution before doing this.
During the course of replaceing the brake calipers and hoses, the mechanic discovered a small fuel leak in a hose junction near the fuel tank, which he replaced. Then he said he saw a badly rusted fuel line, which he also replaced. After he started up the car the next day in his garage, where it was cold in the morning, he had no problem with stalling, he said.
When I picked up the car, the after-start problem was no longer there. Evidently the rusted fuel line impeded the flow of fuel sufficiently to cause this problem.
So the punch line is that a cold rusted fuel line may allow starting but slows things down a bit. Rust - bah! Humbug!
For at least two years my '81 300TD would quit running after starting in cool weather, unless the accelerator was held down lightly for the first minute or so.
My late mechanic adjusted the valves twice and was reluctant to mess with the timing chain, which he though might be the cause, so he sort of gave up, as did I.
Then I read a post here, which implied that a possible solution is to replace the rack damper screw. So when I brought the car in recently to a new local mechanic, to have the rear brake calipers replaced (they were seizing up the wheel slightly,) I asked the mechanic to replace the rack damper screw. He said he wanted to determine for himself whether this is the right solution before doing this.
During the course of replaceing the brake calipers and hoses, the mechanic discovered a small fuel leak in a hose junction near the fuel tank, which he replaced. Then he said he saw a badly rusted fuel line, which he also replaced. After he started up the car the next day in his garage, where it was cold in the morning, he had no problem with stalling, he said.
When I picked up the car, the after-start problem was no longer there. Evidently the rusted fuel line impeded the flow of fuel sufficiently to cause this problem.
So the punch line is that a cold rusted fuel line may allow starting but slows things down a bit. Rust - bah! Humbug!