W123 Tank strainer cleaning/removal, And finding the problem that was causing my low power!

Finally found the low top end power cause on my 82 Mercedes 300D.
Spoiler: It wasn't the tank strainer even though that's what I pulled first.
Products related to this video: (These are affiliate links, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you if you choose to purchase via one of these links)
Tank Strainer: amzn.to/37YBs1S
Primary Filter: amzn.to/2Nhdkj0
Secondary Filter: amzn.to/2QHEmCa
Things you need to use the gigantic primary "prefilter" that I have that made me feel confident removing the tank strainer was a smart choice:
Filter housing: amzn.to/31lon0T
Mesh filter: amzn.to/39VP14r
Fittings: amzn.to/2XqYBHq
3/8 fuel line: amzn.to/3gtDdZy
Clamps for fuel line: amzn.to/31mavUd

[@trythistv]

Products related to this video: (These are affiliate links, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you if you choose to purchase via one of these links) Tank Strainer: amzn.to/37YBs1S Primary Filter: amzn.to/2Nhdkj0 Secondary Filter: amzn.to/2QHEmCa Things you need to use the gigantic primary "prefilter" that I have that made me feel confident removing the tank strainer was a smart choice: Filter housing: amzn.to/31lon0T Mesh filter: amzn.to/39VP14r Fittings: amzn.to/2XqYBHq 3/8 fuel line: amzn.to/3gtDdZy Clamps for fuel line: amzn.to/31mavUd

[@ndtitanlady]

they way i laughed when you repeated "huh...." twice, the moment of realization on wtf was actually going on haha

[@trythistv]

I live in a near constant state of confusion with some of this stuff I work on

[@vinhtrieu6845]

Thank you for the video, 5 year ago I had replaced tank strainer also put in clear primary pre-filter and electric fuel pump, it work great

[@trythistv]

Good fuel flow makes all the difference!

[@jdere31760]

Great quality close up shots of the bottom of the fuel tank fittings!

[@trythistv]

Thank you! It's handy to have a little reference to know what you're getting into as with our cars getting older every day it's only a matter of time before every tank strainer will need some attention.

[@0mgapie]

Keep up the good work. I appreciate you taking the time to record this stuff!

[@trythistv]

Thank you so much for the kind words! I have a lot of fun with these videos, especially when I'm working on fun projects I want to get together.

[@arjunnickolas8791]

Instablaster...

[@bobirving6052]

Not Idiot at all. Very smart to first assume that a new filter is still good! Thanks for good ideas 👍

[@trythistv]

Well, I appreciate the vote of confidence, I haven't had fuel issues for a while now. Once you get used to how the car feels with a good filter it seems easy to notice when its starting to get due for a change, I got a bad tank of diesel and it caused a lot of issues for a while, Ended up adding a very large prefilter and using biobor JF to kill off the microbial growth that is commonly called algae, I stopped getting fuel from that station as I guess they have contaminated tanks and not enough turnover in fuel to keep them clean. The car has been running great, we took it on a 1600 mile round trip last fall and just a few weeks ago about 500 miles, doing great! Can't wait to get time to paint it!

[@carlossaysroar]

Nice work mate

[@patrickphippspa584]

You got algae in that tank brother. Mine get them and my best solution is to take the tank out and pressure wash it clean. Then use new fuel and a algicide and you'll have no problems for a long time. Thanks for your efforts buddy!

[@trythistv]

You're spot on as usual! I got a bad batch of diesel a while back, clogged some filters and then seemed to clear up. I thought that was the end of it and all this started. I've treated the tank with biobor, I suspect I'll have to pull it and clean it before long, though it is seemingly ok again, but I suspect its brewing away waiting for me to be on my way somewhere and clog everything up on me.

[@jasonbirch1182]

@Paul Thorsen close. It's fungus.

[@JaiHind-bb8pj]

Spot on guru ! Let us know your test results !

[@Hakkeholt]

Years ago I had a Customs fuel check along the road, and they didn't distract red colored diesel from my tank, but black diesel haha, lately my car stopped down the road, and it wasn't the secondary or in-line-filter it also has, but must be the tank filter, no wonder.

[@trythistv]

Yup, tank strainer can cause some frustrating issues, I'm very happy with my enormous primary screen filter and no tank strainer, I've caught massive amounts of debris in the big filter that would have stopped up multiple tank strainers, and I cleaned it out without having to crawl under the car!

[@MarkInLA]

I'm 'LIKE' #199 ! My 82 is so underpowered and is hesitating all over the place.. I was going to pull the tank screen first, as well. But maybe will change the secondary before that, now that I've seen what happened to you....Thanks.....

[@trythistv]

Yup, fuel filters are a big one. Try the easy to get to ones first lol, and then head to the tank if that doesn't help. Check out the video I made about the overflow valve too! (kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJqzoKF4rNCrm6s) also I've got a video coming real soon where I found another reason my car was a little underpowered. My Alda had ruptured internally and was restricting fuel when the turbo spooled instead of increasing the fuel. Pretty neat video and wow what a difference in how the car drives now... Of course it was short lived because of another issue, but I've got all the parts for that now too lol.

[@avivscrewvalla]

Hey! Really useful stuff. If I may, I really recommend a: 1) 2 Bottle Diesel Purge for your fuel system 2) 2 Bottle Auto RX Engine oil Treatment I own a OM617 300D W123 and a OM616 240D W115 and these two treatments have worked miracles on my cars. Follow the instructions to the letter though.

[@trythistv]

Funnily enough I am editing a video right now about diesel purge, I'd heard so many good things I had to try it, and have another video coming soon about the overflow valve and testing for proper pressure from the lift pump! I'll definitely take a look at the Auto RX too! I've got a lot of neat projects and fun stuff planned, I haven't done many updates of other things I have going on because I haven't really introduced some of the projects really well so I feel like it could be confusing, but there will be fun things going on very soon!

[@avivscrewvalla]

​@@trythistv You'll love what Auto-Rx does to your cylinder compression..works slowly but delivers every time. As far as the OFV goes, check out the Diesel Injector Guru aka Mark Blevins. He rebuilds injector nozzles, lift pumps and supplies new springs that replace the tired one inside the OFV. Great guy! On the videos, you're doing a great job - this stuff isn't easy to pull together and I'm sure you'll hone your skill further.

[@0n596]

I have the same problem with my 240 D, may I ask what is Diesel Purge and RX Oil Treatment? I thought it is in the tank and and not the motor oil? (Sorry second language here).

[@kuldipdhak7972]

Be safe is hard work

[@ricwhitehorse2869]

I use an exhaust pipe cutter that has cutter wheels in it, Works great, Chain type...

[@trythistv]

Man that's smart! I ended up getting a filter cutter a while after making this video, but those pipe cutters would be real slick for cutting a filter open.

[@1986Phoenix29]

Great detective work but I'd clean out that tank before adding more fuel and filters, its just going to clog again....

[@justinadams3946]

I would think that when you took off the strainer there would have been chunks and what not in the tank that made their way into that filter. But still a good video to watch. I'm getting a 83 300d this weekend and its really slow according to the current owner.

[@trythistv]

The strainer was plugged with some real weird stuff. Not chunky but almost hard like some kind of plastic, or even a paint that hardened up. Real strange. You should watch my other video on diagnosing low power, I've done a few, I think this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/onKqdqSijpypj7c is the best place to start though. Fuel filters are the easiest and most obvious. On a diesel engine fuel is power. More fuel means more power as long as you have enough air to burn it, which without some serious pump mods will not be an issue. The boost fitting on the intake manifold is common to clog with soot, the over boost valve also tends to be problematic, you can temporarily remove the alda to rule those out quite easily though. Past that there are some adjustments like the Bowden cable to delay shifts a bit so you're higher in the rpm range and have boost in every gear and it wouldn't hurt to check throttle linkages to ensure you're getting full throttle at the injector pump. You'll have a lot of fun with the new car. An 83 will be nearly identical to my 82s

[@fritolay8668]

Ok thanks.

[@jasonlee-os1qi]

Wow really bad!! Need to do mine!

[@yachtkuza]

Would it be wise to leave the tank filter permanently out? Bc I too wouldn’t mind changing out the inline and secondary filter often due to it being under warranty anyway through AutoZone.

[@trythistv]

It's debatable. I left mine out due to having replaced the little "primary" in line filter that is right before the lift pump with a gigantic goldenrod mesh screen filter, so my only concern is if there is particles so big it clogs the lines but at that point I'd need to clean the tank anyway. If you plan on sticking with the stock size prefilter I would worry that it might clog up quickly, but then again having got bad tanks of diesel myself, it clogs the prefilter quickly even with the tank strainer if the diesel was contaminated.

[@jerbear7952]

No it is crazy. Also the warranty is against defect not stupidity.

[@dicedicebaby973]

I doubt having recently replacing the secondary filter, I would fault it as the source to my problem. What I wonder is, WTH is your primary doing for filtration if you're getting chunks into your secondary filter?

[@trythistv]

I did back to back tests and changing the secondary made a dramatic and immediate difference in top end power. About 6 months to a year before this I got a bad tank of diesel, I suspect it had algae in it, as it clogged primary filters repeatedly. I thought we'd cleaned it all out, did biobor and changed all the filters several times until it stopped causing issues then drove the car for months just fine until this, I think maybe there was still a bit of the leftover really fine grime that broke loose from somewhere and clogged up the secondary, I did more biobor and haven't had an issue since changing the secondary in this video.

[@ebutuoyebutouy]

No Goldenrod pre-filter? Was there any dirt in the primary filter? Thanks for sharing.

[@trythistv]

Yes sir that was with the goldenrod prefilter. I'm guessing all that slime made it through somehow, although before I did the injectors we did have a bad batch of diesel from a station in town, filled the entire goldenrod housing with chunky bits. I'm still curious if it was sawdust, didn't look like algae or the brown slime seen in this video but either way there must be some kind of contamination in the tank, I'll likely run some biobor in there just in case it's some algae contamination

[@ebutuoyebutouy]

@@trythistv Thanks for response. Goldenrod is 10 micron? Wix makes a replacement but it also is only 10 micron. Wonder if the Goldenrod is really 10 micron? Racor is another option but they are $$$. Thanks for sharing.

[@trythistv]

I've got a goldenrod mesh filter as a prefilter, I'm not sure the lift pump would pull through one of the waterblock filters very well, but it might be possible to put one after the lift pump before it gets to the secondary spin on. What I've got is one of these amzn.to/36Ns7d9 in this housing: amzn.to/2Tgugdi with these fittings: amzn.to/35MIpkX and a custom mount bracket I built. It acts as a water separator since it is so deep and the fuel has a chance to slow down nicely in the large housing, and also catches particles the same as the little elbow primary filters did before. I'll be making a video very soon about "modifying" the secondary (Spin on) filter to accept a 2 micron water separating filter with minimal modification in all reality.

[@ebutuoyebutouy]

@@trythistv Thanks for sharing. I was worried that all that dirt was getting thru a 10 micron Goldenrod. Would have been nice to see how much of that dirt would have been caught by a 10 micron Goldenrod. Not having the mesh filter might have caused a breakdown and/or damaged the lift pump? I presume the plastic pre-filter did not catch very much. Am looking forward to seeing your 1 micron main filter upgrade. Thanks for sharing.

[@trythistv]

Yeah the goldenrod mesh filter is to keep big chunks out of the suction side of the fuel system that could harm the lift pump and then the secondary spinon cleans it up even more after it has been pressurized but before the fuel enters the much higher tolerance injection pump. You've given me a great idea though. I have a spare goldenrod housing and mesh filter that is for my grey car at some point, and I also have the 10 micron water lock elements that came with the housings, I might put that inbetween the lift pump and secondary filter when I do the 2 micron secondary upgrade to see how much junk will get caught by the 10 micron goldenrod!

[@systemnotes]

California is starting to use biodiesel now. So naturally it will act as a fuel tank cleaner and cause the filters to get clogged. Hopefully not too often after the first time.

[@trythistv]

A local station here used to have b10, I wish more stations would have at least a small biodiesel blend, it helps with lubricity and does clean up a lot of gunk, I think my fuel system has gone through enough treatments now that its fairly clean, but a little extra never hurts!

[@4x4motoring17]

Good video...Would it be safe to say that when you removed the tank screen you caused the gunk to get into your fuel system? The starvation prior to that was the clogged up screen, and then afterward, the dirt from the tank that now got through....explains why the new filter with "less than 100 miles" looked the way it did, as quick as it did...regards...

[@trythistv]

I'm suspicious of that also, but the tank seemed relatively clean, the diesel I drained out to do the strainer I poured through a sock filter type thing before refilling the tank with it and there was no contamination, but I'm thinking there could be sludge and grunge in the tank that is breaking loose gradually, The gigantic mesh prefilter I would have thought would catch most contaminants but I'm unsure if it actually has been or not.

[@dieselbenzrevive6820]

can it be that the tank itself is dirty or algae in the tank

[@trythistv]

I've thought of that question myself, I have run biobor several times since we had a fuel issue from one station in town, I'm unsure if this is just remnants of that issue or decades of grunge built up.

[@devtheron6333]

Perhaps you should slap on a third stage filtration system as the primary and secondary systems is giving problems.

[@trythistv]

I did add a giant filter bowl thing, which caught so much grunge it isn't even funny. I later found out that part of that filter is made of zinc which evidently leaches into diesel fuel, which isn't really great for injector pumps, so I switched to a smaller plastic filter, and it has been fine now that all the grunge got caught.

[@Rolfvanrijn72]

What size is the bolt for the fuel tank strainer?

[@trythistv]

46mm or a 1 and 13/16" socket should fit. Same socket as the fuel level sending unit.

[@thomasmurphy3570]

what size socket did you use for removing the strainer??

[@trythistv]

46mm (1 13/16"), same size socket as for the fuel sending unit! I have seen people 3d print sockets to fit as they shouldn't be crazy tight, it is an o-ring seal.

[@thomasmurphy3570]

@@trythistv right on thanks for the reply. Yeah looks like the clearance for the sidewall of a standard socket of that size would be minimal and potantially not even fit

[@kuldipdhak7972]

How is happen so dirty filter

[@trythistv]

Poor quality fuel, some of the stations near me do not sell much diesel and it grows "algae", which can clog filters and cause all kinds of issues. I got a tank of bad fuel, thought I had sorted it out but the tank strainer proved otherwise!

[@fritolay8668]

Is the socket same size as for petrol?

[@trythistv]

I do believe it is the same socket for diesel, gas/petrol w116, w123, w126, w124 and possibly other models, and that goes for the fuel level sending unit and outlet/strainer if my brain is functioning 100%

[@fritolay8668]

@@trythistv What is the height of the socket?

[@0n596]

I have the same problem with my 240 D, may I ask what is Diesel Purge and RX Oil Treatment? I thought it is in the tank and and not the motor oil? (Sorry second language here). All brownish junk in the filters and after 100 miles the car loses power until it stops. What can I poor in the tank to solve this drama?

[@trythistv]

Diesel purge is a solvent meant to clean out deposits in the fuel system, it is mostly Naphtha if I'm remembering the right SDS. What you want is some Biobor JF: amzn.to/3TGHkaC Which is a biocide, you put some in the tank, it kills off any bacteria or organisms that are making that brown junk. The downside is you will have some more plugged filters from the dead microbial growth making its way through the system. Good stuff though. I treat all my diesel vehicles about once a year to keep any growth at bay.

[@0n596]

@@trythistv Thanks so much, can I drive with this stuff in the tank. Hope it is not water based ??? Wonder how much more it will clog up the filters....

[@trythistv]

Yes, it goes in the tank, you may want to do a "shock treatment dosage" first, then drive as normal, it'll slosh around and mix with the fuel, killing any microorganisms in the fuel. You will want to carry several spare fuel filters, as when it starts working, there will be a lot of gunk that dies off and ends up clogging the filters, which inevitably happens as you're merging onto the interstate or other inopportune times. I do a maintenance dosage in all my diesels once or twice a year, a bottle of the stuff lasts a long time once you've got any algae/bacterial growth taken care of.

[@0n596]

@@trythistvThanks man, looks like DB 240 D got some germs ...

[@trythistv]

@@0n596That stuff will clear it out!

[@bokosdieselgarage]

I don’t think your primary fuel filter is working if there was so much junk getting in to the secondary filter. But good video.

[@trythistv]

That would make sense, but the primary is indeed working, has the same micron rating as stock, just far larger capacity, however we have had some real fits with fuel quality here, I've had both of my work trucks as well as the Mercedes give me issues with clogging filters and having slimy gunky stuff get into the secondary filters. I'm not sure if the local stations got a bad batch of diesel or what, because it was miserable, my one truck clogged the tank strainer, primary filter, lift pump inlet strainer, and secondary filter within a few miles of filling up. The Mercedes made it all the way home and around more before I noticed the power loss, because a ton of gunk was getting caught in my oversized primary filter, I cleaned it and it seemed to help but apparently some had made it past and clogged up the secondary filter as well, and I was too lazy to want to check that because I figured the primary had caught it all, and I had just changed the secondary when I did the injectors... Lesson learned right there. I'm pondering alternate means of improving filtration to avoid issues like this again, I don't know what it is with the gas stations around here but getting good diesel is a real challenge.

[@bokosdieselgarage]

@@trythistv that’s odd, diesel usually stays good a lot longer than gasoline but maybe it just got contaminated for some reason. I’d fill up at a station that serves semi trucks, that way you know the diesel is relatively fresh.

[@VilleHeiskanen.]

fuel tank washing :)

[@raitshots]

Set new fuel tank Aluminiun. Dont us bad Tanker station (not filter systems) real time back metal fuel tank problematic rush. corrosion always metal rusts. But you use aluminum. There will be no more problems. Clean fuel will last for years. It all depends on the fuel filling stations equipped with filter pumps.

[@twdarcy]

Is your tank clean?

[@trythistv]

I do believe so, I've looked in with a flashlight, and I feel like I stuck my usb borescope in there too, I had a bad case of algae several months before I made this video from a gas station in town that either doesn't turn over fuel fast enough or doesn't have filters on their pumps or something, I suspect that grunge on the tank strainer was from that, Haven't noticed any issues or dirt in the filters anymore so hopefully its all cleared out now.

[@twdarcy]

@@trythistv That's terrible. If I regularly bought bad fuel, I'd feel ripped off. I'd be very irate. What region are you in? Could it be temperature/humidity or their storage tanks in general?

[@JaiHind-bb8pj]

I would earnestly urge you to watch this KZbin video titled WILL AN AUXILIARY FUEL FILTER CAUSE FLOW OR RESTRICTION ISSUES WITH MY VEHICLE ? Really fantastic video. I suppose that the fantastic results would also apply to our old MB 300 D fuel injection systems. Any thoughts ? I'm sure that a 10 - 15 micron pre filter and 2 micron secondary filter will be ideal. It's cheaper changing clogged filters !

[@trythistv]

That is an incredible video. My only thought is how fuel is fed, it appears as that injector pump has a form of integrated lift pump this why they were talking about vacuum at the lift pump, in which case, our piston style lift pump would be much stronger in my opinion, I'm going to have to play around with a fuel pressure gauge and see if my thoughts are correct. If it is, then using one of those paper waterblock filters the goldenrod housings come with may be a fantastic choice for improved filtration and much cheaper filters, couple that with my 2 micron secondary filter mod and away we go!

[@nightstorm9128]

Correct me if I'm wrong but anything smaller than 10 micron filter will restrict the flow of fuel...

[@FreeYourBrains]

fuel tank rust, time to remove it and clean it

[@trythistv]

I don't think it was rust, I suspect it was a bad tank of fuel, sometimes the stations around me have microbial growth, I did this video, added some biobor jf and had to clean my prefilter out a few times but it has been a-ok since then, so I'm thinking I've successfully killed off the algae/microbes that were in that bad tank of fuel.

[@matthewgorgoglione5492]

I literally put small BB gun balls in the 90* degree elbows going to the turbo relief things and plastic black pressure reducers and boom to much power pills out in every gear, film that...

[@saltybutsain6348]

Can you elaborate further?

[@fritolay8668]

For 124

[@pinzgauernorcal]

4:00 i think it was a bad idea to run the engine without the tank strainer in place because your tank is very dirty inside and you just let all that gunk into the system.

[@trythistv]

Great point. I had installed a gigantic strainer bowl right before the lift pump, has about a 1 quart capacity bowl with a comparable micron rated mesh inside, but I guess I did not really show that in detail, but that caught a ton of gunk over the next few tanks, and I haven't had any issues since then!

[@pinzgauernorcal]

@@trythistv oh nice!, i just recently rewatched a bunch of your videos. if i sound critical its because im a grouch but i like the content for sure.

[@trythistv]

Haha, you'd have to try real hard to irritate me, I'm a bit of a grouch myself! I didn't make it super clear that removing the tank strainer is going to just move the gunk up the line and you need something in place to deal with it. I film stuff, and think I've made a video clear and then realize not everyone knows everything that has already been done (half of it not documented in videos too lol) but that isn't gonna stop me. I've got plenty more stuff I want to do, and some things I'm working on right now for my cars

[@pinzgauernorcal]

@@trythistv Best cars ever made!

[@user-cr6wl3zc6c]

Fill up the Filter with new Diesel and you have not to pump.

[@trythistv]

Excellent tip! Don't use the fuel from the old filter though, that may come with whatever gunk the old filter caught. I've heard of filling the new filter with seafoam or diesel purge too

[@MrDestro.]

gas in america is cheaper than in europe. now i understand why.

[@trythistv]

We have some of the worst quality control on fuel I'd say. I only ever fill up at 2 stations in town, all the rest I've had problems with nasty fuel filter clogging gunk after filling up at them.

[@peterotool3020]

yah, just chop it off…they just put those screens on tanks for aesthetic reasons anyway

[@trythistv]

Exactly. The Goldenrod 470-16 works better in every way, I wouldn't really reccomend removing the tank strainer on a stock fuel system though, but with a good prefilter taking its place, especially with a large bowl that catches water and other sediment it's hard to justify keeping it in my case

[@jth1699]

your problem is in the tank not the fuel.... your tank is probably rusted on the inside... common problem... you will be changing the filter all the time if you do not replace or clean out the tank... and if its rusted you will have to replace it or have the inside of it coated....

[@trythistv]

I'm fairly confident it is actually the fuel, as the filters have been spotless ever since we finished up that tank of diesel, and there isn't a speck of rust in there from what I could see. The gas stations around here are a joke, everyone with a diesel knows to only ever get it at 1 or 2 stations, all the rest will cause problems. I know a guy who works as am independent fuel tester, he filled up his brand new truck at a station in my town and before he got out of the parking lot his water in fuel light came on and his truck stalled. Apparently the store owner was putting water into the diesel tank and then draining right before the truck came to fill as they had measured his tank as holding 900 gallons and he figured out he could put 80 gallons of water in, sell the 80 extra gallons of diesel and then drain the water and only pay for 900 gallons of diesel, essentially getting 80 gallons of diesel free, and he put in a few gallons too much and ended up ruining the inspectors injectors and cp3 pump and that gas station was out of business quite quickly. Water and diesel makes algae, and it wouldn't surprise me for a second if some of the other stations were doing similar things. I've filled up the car and truck at a different station one time each, and both times I fought with clogged filters for weeks afterward.

[@quaggg]

Yup. That is what happened to my fuel tank. I had to replace it.

[@kuldipdhak7972]

Be safe is hard work