No Start!

My car won't start! We had a couple of really cold days a week and a half ago. My car started, though it took several tries. I was bogging a bit, so I put some diesel in the tank to mix with the veg oil. It was around 40% diesel at that point. The car ran fine for a day or so and then, about 5 days ago, it just wouldn't start. The battery is fine. It turns but won't start up. My Davco filter is a little dirty but I don't think it is clogged up with debris yet. I'll try tomorrow in the warmest part of the day.

Hmmmmmm.

Fuse box connections

Like many 300D owners, I have experienced jealousy of the 300SD fuse box. The SD has a fuse box that allows very easy access to the underside, to connect wires for various components added to the car. In my 300D, a 1984 W123, accessing the underside of the box has been impossible so far. So, I have had to connect wires to the top. I have done so primarily by using a ring terminal and connecting it with a screw to one of the threaded holes beneath one of the fuses. It was necessary however, that the screw in that hole, from the underside be missing. I had a couple of these but not enough.

I saw this photo on the fattywagons site today and I think it is a brilliant solution. I never connecting them in this way. So simple. I am curious however, how they plan to replace the cover to the fuse box without pinching these wires. Any ideas out there?

Injector heaters are certainly hot

A friend (and vegcar owner) recently got a laser thermometer thingy. I measured the temperature of my injector lines, after driving about 4 miles with the injector line heaters on. The temperature varied depending on my aim, but 173 was the highest.

I haven't been using the heaters much. I sometimes switch them on for 10-15 minutes after starting on a cold day. I am concerned that for longer periods they might be too hot.

If anyone out there has any information or thoughts about these injector line heaters (from fattywagons), please let me know. Use the contact us link at the top of the page or submit a comment on this post.

Visor light

I finally figured out what was happening. Several times in the past year, my battery was largely drained and I couldn't start the car. My alternator did die last year and I had it replaced - twice. But I never figured out why at seemingly random times, my battery just drained while the car was parked.

Today, in the midst of a snowstorm, I got into the Mercedes and tried to start it up. It was no use. There was enough of a charge for the pre-glow light and other dashboard lights, but it just couldn't turn over. It was then that I noticed that the passenger seat visor was down. And to my astonishment, the mirror light was on!

My visors are both missing the door flap that covers the mirrors and lights and turns the lights on and off. In fact, in 18 months of owning the car, I had never seen either of the visor lights on at all. This is certainly the culprit. I think tomorrow morning I'll remove the bulbs from these lights so this can't happen again. Ever.