doktordubbs

Awesome, good luck with it! Next I'm going to follow some advice from Brian Holm and try to rebuild the diaphragm on my filter housing. Will post back on the results.

P.S. I did hook the line back up to the fuel tank and it is correctly drawing fuel from the tank to the injector pump. Important to mention that.

I got my 505 running today thanks to Rabin's well thought out advice. It does appear that the primer pump was the culprit though I'm not 100% certain. I bypassed it with an inline filter designed for the Mercedes w123 series just to give a little added protection and was able to start from a container of clean fuel. I'll be considering options to replace my original filter housing next. Looking forward to sharing photos of it once I have it washed and waxed (And Michigan's gray winter is over!).

I am getting power to the fuel solenoid, 11.5 volts which seems adequate. However, I put my hand on it and had my buddy turn the ignition, and I didn't feel anything click or clunk mechanically. Does that indicate failure of the solenoid? Rabin, can you or someone else on here provide me with an explanation of how the rotofilter works? I took the banjo fitting off, threaded the bolt back in, primed it, and got no fuel movement out of the bolt. It seems this should have at least produced a dribble of fuel. I'm wondering if I reassembled wrong after I initially removed it to check for blockage. Now there is no fuel at the two rear injectors either. I ordered what appears to be a 3-ring bound old shop manual from Ebay covering the 505TD, and it should arrive tonight. I hope it gives me a quick reference, and if it has anything really good I'll share photos with the forum. Thanks, Bill

Unfortunately this is an automatic trans. The PO's daughter drove the car out of fuel and then it sat, or so I was told. He was a collector with a ton of vehicles so this story seemed valid. The gauge didn't register anything when the ignition was on. As such, I just added 5 gallons of fresh diesel with a double dose of Stanadyne Diesel treatment. The gauge now registers slightly above 1/4 tank. I will drain the tank and clean it if nothing else seems to work. I wasn't aware that there is a fuel solenoid on this vehicle. My assumption was that it would be an all mechanical fuel injection process. Can you give me a little more info on that and I'll check later tonight? Good call on using an external pump. I should be able to rig that up and run some tests plus move some fuel through the lines. re: the taillights. That reminds me of the older, mostly 8v Saabs of the 1980s. I have rewired a few sets of taillights on those for very similar issues. And yes, grounds, grounds, grounds! Most of mine appear to be in good shape but will get a once-over after basic things like a running engine have been achieved! Thanks for the tips, it's a great help and inspiration.

It's no worries, just glad the site is still active at its new home! Here is where I'm at - repaired a wiring loom that appeared to have been mouse-chewed. I now have electric in the whole car except for no taillights. Brake lights are working, but no taillights. All other electrical is ok so far. I'll be looking for further guidance on this once I have a running motor. As far as getting the car to start, here is the situation. Replaced questionable glow plugs with some new Monarks I had sitting around that happened to be the right part, and they are receiving power. I cleaned the fuel filter (it was actually in very good shape) and primed it. Can get the car to crank but not turn over. I cracked the lines at the injectors and after a few cranks I have fuel at the back two injectors. However, I see nothing coming from the front ones, even after a long time cranking to bleed air through. If there is something I'm missing on bleeding air, I'd appreciate some advice. My next move is going to be to remove the banjo fitting on the rotofilter (I think that's the housing name for the fuel filter) and top off the canister if it is low with some liqui moly diesel purge. I'll also run some down the fuel line if possible. My thinking is that perhaps the Bosch lifter pump has varnished up a bit after not running for 22 years, hence fuel at 2 injectors but none at the other two. I hope some diesel purge will loosen things up a bit in the pump. If there is a better approach here, I'm all ears. One question for the forum - the primer on the rotofilter has a very short stroke. It is a black button on top that feels spring loaded. Is there a way to release this and increase the travel and hence the primer's efficiency? I have had some like that in the past where you make a half turn for a fuller stroke on the prime, but this one doesn't seem to be made that way and I don't want to damage it by tinkering too much. Thanks in advance - this will be a great 505 once I get it back on the road. I believe the color is "claret" with a gray leather interior that is pretty flawless.

Hi everyone. As of today I'm the proud owner of an 85 505 STI turbodiesel. I'm the second owner, the car is immaculate, and also apparently hasn't run since '97, when it was garaged after failing to start. Looking for any advice on how to take caution as I resurrect this beauty. I'm quite familiar with mechanical diesel engines, having owned so many W123s that I've lost count, a W201 (190d), as well as VW and Ford Diesels and currently drive a Chevy Cruze 2.5 TD. I know the basics (pull glow plugs and heavily lube cylinders, drain/replace all fluids and filters, new belts) but wanted to know if there was any Pug-specific advice from forum members. For example, are head gaskets an issue on these cars, especially if they have sat for extended periods like this one? I'm really excited to dive into this project. The car came with a new intercooler that hasn't been installed, maybe I'll get there, but for now I just want to get it up and running. Also it is missing its air filter box, any advice on a replacement (seems originals are impossible to find) would be appreciated. Thanks in advance,