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Why Won’t My Diesel Engine Turn
Off? A Quick Fix Guide.
INTRODUCTION: This troubleshooting guide is ap-
plicable to the following models: 1975 to 1976 115 chas-
sis 300D. All 123, 126, 201 and 124 chassis diesels from
1977 to 1993. We receive numerous calls and emails
concerning this common problem. It is particularly
disconcerting to anyone who has just purchased an older
Mercedes diesel and has not yet learned how the shut-off
system works. More often than not, it will happen right
after you have had an oil change or other service work
done on your engine.
My purpose here will be to explain how the system
works and what you can do to fix the problem quickly
and/or determine which part or parts will need to be
replaced or repaired. In 8 out of 10 cases this is a repair
you can do yourself for under $100. In over half of those
cases it may be a repair you can do under 10 minutes
and for free! This is not meant to be a complete repair
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manual on everything related to fixing vacuum system
problems. Time consuming or expensive repairs to your
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vacuum system will not be covered here. If it can not be
fixed quickly I will give recommendations on how to pur-
ce
sue more difficult repairs and what parts or kits might be
needed.
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Emergency shutoff manual control :
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Location of emergency shut-off valve
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If your vacuum system malfunctions then it stands to rea-
son that no vacuum will be supplied and your engine will
not shut off. For those of you not familiar with the diesel
engine, there is an emergency shutoff lever that will allow
you to shut the engine off manually. Open your hood and
look for a small lever with a red label marked “ STOP.”
Put your thumb on this lever and push hard towards the
engine until the engine stops. If the linkage is worn or
maladjusted you may have to push really hard to get the
engine to quit. On some engines the label may have been
worn off. On older 4 and 5 cylinder diesels look for this
lever near the linkages on the top drivers side of the
valve cover. On newer engines after 1985, look under
the drivers side of the intake manifold just above the
injection pump.
Theory of Operation:
To be able to fix a diesel engine that will not shut off, you
must first understand a little theory of how it works. This
problem almost never happens with a Mercedes gasoline
engine. That type of engine runs on electrical spark of 12
volt power supplied from your car’s battery. When you
turn your key off, electrical power is interrupted and the
engine quits immediately. Since a diesel engine does not
run on electric spark, the engine has to be shut off by
some other means. When you turn the key off on your
Mercedes diesel, you may have noticed that the engine
will not quit immediately. In some cases it may even
keep running a second or two after you have turned the
key to the off position before it finally quits. That alone
should give you a clue that a diesel engine uses a differ-
ent approach to shutting down. In all Mercedes diesel
engines from the first 300D in 1975 up to the mid 1990’s,
vacuum (suction) is used to turn the engine off - not
electricity!
In simple terms - there is a valve mounted on the rear
or side of the diesel fuel injection pump. This valve has
an arm attached to it that goes down inside the pump.
When vacuum (suction) is applied to this valve, the lever
moves and shuts the fuel flow off inside the pump. With-
out fuel the engine cannot continue to run. If the valve
acts quickly the engine will shut off quickly. If the valve
is sluggish, the engine may take a few seconds before it
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quits. If this valve is not getting vacuum or is broken then
the engine will not shut off at all.

Now let’s trace how vacuum is created and delivered to

this fuel shutoff valve. There are 5 key components to the
system:

1. Source: Your engine has a mechanical vacuum pump

located on the front of the engine. This pump either has
a rubber diaphram or an aluminum piston that pumps
vacuum (suction) into the system. The pump has check
valves inside that open and close to produce suction only.

Main vacuum source line

3. Smaller supply lines: If you look closely you will see

either one or two smaller hoses that are “T-ed” off
of this large main line. On many diesels one of these
smaller lines goes into a cluster of other vacuum lines
that branch out and enter the firewall.You may note one
or more Y rubber fittings that connect all these smaller
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plastic lines together. Separate lines go off to control the

engine shutoff, door locks, climate control system, and in
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some cases cruise control.

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Typical engine Driven vacuum pump

2. Main delivery line: A large plastic hose delivers vac-

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uum from the pump right up to the brake booster on

your left side firewall. Since your brake booster draws
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the most vacuum in the system, this large hose is run

directly to it. Note: This hard hose is either black or
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white/yellow in color.
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Vacuum cluster connections on 123 240D

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4. Vacuum switch under dash: One line which is usually

brown with a thin blue stripe goes through the fire-
wall to your ignition switch assembly. At the back of
the switch (under and behind the dash) a small valve is
mounted. This brown line is connected to this switch.
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When you turn the key off, this valve opens allowing
vacuum to pass through it.

Vacuum shut-off valve on rear of injection pump

Troubleshooting the Problem

Vacuum switch located behind the dash
Many mistakingly believe that if their diesel engine won’t
5. Vacuum shutoff valve at injection pump: Another
shut off then they only need to purchase and install a
solid brown line is connected to the other nipple on this
new shutoff valve. If you study the section on theory
ignition switch valve and goes back out of the firewall
above you should realize that the problem could be
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and down to the shutoff valve on the injection pump. On

caused by a number of different failures throughout the
engines up to 1985 this valve is located at the back of the
system. It could be something as simple as a discon-
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injection pump and just forward of the oil filter housing.

nected vacuum hose or something as complicated as
On 5 cylinder 300 engines it is hard to see. If this valve is
rebuilding the vacuum pump. I have always said, “Don’t
working properly, when vacuum is applied it should shut
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just throw parts at a problem.” Be forewarned - you

the engine down quite quickly.
can spend a lot of money and never fix it! Diagnose the
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cause first to determine what if any parts need replacing.

Let me start by listing all the things that could go wrong.
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The key to good troubleshooting is to always check the

simple things first. I will start out by listing the simplest
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fix and proceed to the most difficult.

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Tools and supplies needed:

Vacuum Source Troubleshooting and Repair

Using vacuum test gauge and pump If you think you have what you need, then let’s get start-
ed checking the simple things first!
If you are lucky enough to find your problem is a simple
matter of vacuum line plumbing then you may not need List of simple things that could go wrong: Repairs cov-
any tools at all. Others may only need a short section of ered in this guide.
rubber vacuum hose and some type of hose end plug.
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Golf tees work great for this task! But, if the problem
goes beyond loose hose connections and routing, then
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you may need a vacuum test gauge to help you find the
problem fast. We have a high quality vacuum tester avail-
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able on our website in a neat carrying case with some

special fittings for Mercedes diesels. If you plan to own
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Mercedes diesels for long, then this tool is a wise invest-

ment. It can also help you find brake problems, door
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lock problems, transmission shifting problems and for

the brave, climate control problems. We also have an
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Advanced Vacuum Diagnostic Repair Kit in a case with

additional rubber fittings and instruction manuals. For
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diesel owners, a hand pump vacuum tester is one of the

best tools you can own.
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Vacuum line accidently knocked loose during oil change

If your problems extend beyond the quick fixes discussed 1. Vacuum line is cracked, has been knocked loose or
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in this guide, then I recommend you also purchase my has fallen off.
manual on “Vacuum Source Troubleshooting and Repair.”
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This will include more detailed information on trouble- Check the main vacuum line first. Make sure both end
shooting and the proper use of test equipment.
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fittings are tight. Check for cracks in this line. It does

become brittle with age and the plastic/fittings will crack
when it is bumped. Next, check the smaller vacuum lines
to make sure none of them have been knocked loose.

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This is the most common cause of a sudden and abrupt
no shutoff situation. More often than not this will hap-
pen right after an oil change! If you just came back from
the quick lube and your engine won’t turn off then look
for a loose vacuum line or hose fitting. On many diesel
engines the vacuum hoses are clustered together adja-
cent the oil filter housing. When changing the oil filter it
is very easy to knock one of these lines loose. Find the
loose vacuum line and plug it into the open hose nipple.
Your problem may be solved. But be warned there may
be a reason why is was easily knocked off in the first
place. Please read on.

Drilling out plugged up Tee fittings

3. Primary vacuum hard line “T” fittings are plugged

Your main vacuum source line goes from the vacuum

pump directly to the brake booster located on the left
side firewall. If you look closely you will find one or
more “T” fittings with smaller vacuum hoses routed to
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other components. If you have a vacuum gauge, remove

one of these smaller hoses and connect your gauge to
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the fitting. With the engine running you should read a

steady 21 to 23 inches of vacuum on your gauge. If you
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are not getting a good reading there is a chance that

Swollen rubber connectors get loose the “T” fitting is fully or partially plugged. Use a 1/16
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inch drill bit on a drill and carefully drill through the end
2. Vacuum rubber connectors are leaking from deterio- of the “T” fitting. Go slowly.You do NOT want to drill
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ration through the other side of the main line. Reconnect your
vacuum gauge and start the engine. If you see an im-
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Due to age, heat and contact with engine oil, the rub- provement, you have eliminated one problem area. If no
ber vacuum connectors can crack or swell. This leads
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improvement, then continue reading.

to small vacuum leaks but when multiplied throughout
a deteriorating system you could end up with a signifi-
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cant vacuum drop. Most of these rubber connectors are

located in and around the oil filter housing lid. If they
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are loose, it is easy to knock one of the plastic lines off a

rubber connector. We do offer a vacuum service kit with
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an assortment of new rubber connectors. Go over all

your lines and replace any rubber parts that are swollen,
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loose, or showing signs of cracking.

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Checking for engine oil inside vacuum lines
4. Engine oil is plugging the vacuum lines
You might ask, How can oil get into my vacuum lines?
The problem is more common than you would think on
the older diesels. It is possible for the vacuum shut-off
valve diaphragm to split and still yet operate. Any splits
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will allow engine oil from inside the injection pump to
be sucked up into the vacuum lines and hoses. Over
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time the thick oil can plug the lines as well as the vacuum
switch on the back side of your ignition switch. This
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condition can seriously hinder the shut down functions
of your engine. If you suspect this might be the problem,
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unplug the line going to the shut-off valve and inspect. If
oil is draining or dripping out of this line then you have
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some serious work to do. First, replace the shut-off
valve with a new one. Remove all rubber connectors and
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plan to replace them with new ones. Clean out all plastic
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hard lines with spray can carb cleaner and compressed
air.You will have to remove the instrument cluster on
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your dash to get to the lines and connectors on the back
of the ignition switch. (We carry new vacuum shut-off
valves on our website complete with installation instruc-
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tions as well as the hard-to-find rubber vacuum line
connectors).
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Plugging door lock lines to check for leaks
5. Another section of your vacuum system is leaking
enough to cause inadequate vacuum to get to the shut-
off valve
Many believe that if the engine is not shutting off then
there must be a problem with the vacuum pump or the
shut-off valve. Some have even rebuilt their pumps and
changed the valve only to discover their engine will still
not shut down with the key! To avoid this from happen-
ing, you should do your troubleshooting and diagnosis
BEFORE ORDERING parts . It is possible that some
other system may be leaking so badly that it is “pulling”
vacuum away from the shut-off valve and preventing it
from operating properly. These would include the cli-
mate control system, door locks (116 and 123 chassis),
transmission vacuum valving, cruise control (pre-1980),
emission control devices, vacuum reservoir tank, or the
brake booster.
Finding this type of vacuum leak will require some detec-
tive work on your part. You should be able to find out
if another system is bleeding off vacuum by plugging off
each system mentioned above (usually at the firewall)
and then re-attempting to shut your engine off. Plug one
system at a time so you will be able to zoom in on the
problem. Once your engine shuts off, you can be pretty
certain you have found the source of the leak.
On the 123 chassis, you will see two larger yellow plastic
lines going into the dash. These yellow lines go to your
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vacuum door lock system and are the most common
cause of excessive vacuum “bleed off” on 123 and 116
chassis diesels. Plug those two and then see how the en-
gine shuts off. If it quits immediately you have found the
problem. If not, then plug off each of the other vacuum
lines one at a time and test engine shutdown. The green
vacuum line goes to the heater/climate control system.
The black with a striped line or lines go over to the
cruise control or vacuum reservoir (only on earlier
models). Also one of the “T”-s coming off the main
vacuum line may go to the transmission vacuum controls.
Plug that “T” off while doing all these tests. Make sure
all the check valves are plugged in tightly and connected
the correct way. A quick test is to suck on one end. You
should be able to suck one way but not blow the other. Removing external check valve on later vacuum pumps
These can get switched or misplaced after an oil change 6. Vacuum pump main external check valve has failed
at your friendly “quick lube.” IMPORTANT: If you are
not sure of the condition of your brake booster then you In 1980, Mercedes changed the design of their diesel
should remove and plug the end of the big line that con- vacuum pumps. Instead of a rubber diaphragm pump-
nects to the booster. If your booster is leaking vacuum ing action, they designed a “piston” with an 0-ring seal
then none of the tests mentioned above will help. If you to replace the diaphragm. This design is inherently more
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brake pedal action has recently become “hard” then sus- reliable but there seems to be a common weakness in
pect a bad booster (only AFTER you have checked that the pumps installed on four and five cylinder diesels built
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your vacuum pump is working properly). from 1980 to 1985 (excluding the 190D). To determine
which type of pump you have, you can check the fol-
If you find your shut off problem turns out to be exces-
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lowing: Older style pumps have two large vacuum lines

sive vacuum bleed-off in some other system, you may attached to the top of the pump. The newer style only
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have to plug off that line(s) to that system until you can has one vacuum line coming out of the pump and going
repair the problem. It is not the purpose of this manual to the brake booster.
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to cover those repairs.You can learn more about repairs

in our two manuals “Vacuum Source Troubleshooting and From my experience, the most common reason for
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Repair” and “123 Advanced Door Lock Troubleshooting partial or total loss of vacuum from this style of engine
and Repair.” We are sorry, but we do not have any manu-
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driven pump is disintegration of the external main check

als written yet for finding and repairing leaks in your valve. When that happens, the pump is not able to build
climate control system. We recommend you purchase
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up vacuum pressure and you will have all the symptoms

the factory CDs to learn more about your own system of a complete pump failure, i.e.: hard and ineffective
- these are not for the faint of heart! brakes, diesel engine won’t shut off, hard automatic
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transmission shifting, door lock inoperable, etc. If you

are testing vacuum output and notice the needle jump-
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ing around or not quickly developing 21 inches or more,

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don’t just assume it is a bad pump. Before you plan to

remove and rebuild the pump, I would recommend you
first remove and inspect this check valve. It can be easily
removed and replaced without removing the pump from
the engine.You should be able to blow one way through
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this valve but not the other. In some cases the valve may
have completely disintegrated and small parts may have
entered the pump. In that case, you should remove the
front cover of your pump and clean out those bits while
inspection for damage to the internal check valves.
shut off. Pump the tester and few more strokes and note
the reading on the gauge. It should not leak back down.
(Note: Some vacuum testers have slight internal leaks.
Don’t let this fool you into buying a new valve. Plug the
end of your tester and pump it up to see if it will hold
vacuum on its own!) We do sell vacuum tester kits on
our website. I feel they are a must have tool for any Mer-
cedes diesel owner.

If the engine does not shut off, or the valve will not hold
steady vacuum, then you have found your problem. If
the engine shuts off immediately then your problem is
not this unit and you will need to look elsewhere for for
the reason why vacuum is not getting to your shut off
valve. (Note: you can purchase my manual on vacuum
system trouble shooting which will help you find and fix
the problem). If you discover this is the problem, then
I recommend you purchase our shutoff valve kit which
comes with new spacer gaskets and complete installation
Testing shut-off valve for proper operation
instructions.
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7. Vacuum shutoff valve has failed LIst of complicated things that could
go wrong: Advice given but repairs not covered in
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In number 4 we already covered the problems related to this guide

a partially failed shut-off valve. If your engine gradually
starts taking longer to shut-off, you should immediately
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1. Brake booster has failed drawing vacuum away from

diagnose the problem. If you neglect this, your vacuum your other systems.
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lines may get full of engine oil and then you will have a
mess to deal with. When the valve fails completely your A brake booster is an expensive part, so you will want to
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engine will not shut off unless you use the emergency be sure this is your problem before you purchase a new
lever as described earlier in this manual. one. My manual, “Vacuum Source Troubleshooting”, goes
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into more detail on checking for brake booster problems.

To review, the vacuum shutoff valve on your diesel engine
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One of the common reasons for failure is brake fluid

is controlled by vacuum. You will find it located on the contamination from a bad brake master cylinder.You can
top aft end of your injection pump. When a vacuum
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remove the master cylinder from the front of the boost-

source is applied to it, it pulls back on a lever inside the er and inspect it internally. If you discover brake fluid in
fuel injection pump and shuts off the fuel to the engine. the bottom you should immediately replace both your
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Before replacing, you should first test its operation with booster and master cylinder.
a small vacuum hand pump. Unplug the brown hard line
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and the rubber hose going to the top of the vacuum

shutoff valve (at the rear of the injection pump) and at-
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tach the hose from your hand vacuum pump. With the
engine running, take the vacuum hand pump and begin to
rapidly pump pressure.You should see the needle build
up vacuum and within a few seconds the engine should
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This usually happens when you have someone work on
your diesel who really doesn’t know what they are doing.
If the mechanic knocks your lines off, he most likely will
not tell you. If he gets them plugged in improperly then
your engine may not shut off. There are so many differ-
ent vacuum system routings that it is not practical in this
guide to provide copies of all vacuum diaghrams. In most
diesels a copy of the diagram is located on the front core
support under the hood. If this is missing you can con-
tact a Mercedes dealer to see if he can provide you will a
replacement for your particular year and model.

Inspecting brake booster

I have had good success with used boosters, but you

must be certain no brake fluid has leaked into the boost-
er from leaking seals at the back of the master cylinder.
When purchasing a used booster, ask the seller if they
have internally inspected the booster with a mirror to
determine that it is totally clean and rust free inside.
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Leaks in the booster can also be caused by a bad seal

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between the booster housing and master cylinder. To

read more, see our alerts section on our website. If your Vacuum switch on ignition switch assembly
booster is clean inside you might want to replace this 3. Vacuum ignition switch is not operating properly or
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seal and retest BEFORE buying a new brake booster. This hoses have fallen off at the switch nipples under the dash.
square sided seal is hard to find but you can use a large
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round o-ring of the same diameter as a replacement. If you suspect problems with this switch or are con-
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cerned that the vacuum hoses have fallen off, then you
need to get inside the dash. Getting to and replacing this
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switch is not easy. It will require you to remove your

instrument cluster. If you are not familiar with this proce-
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dure please read my manual “Instrument Cluster Re-

moval and Component Replacement.” CAUTION: If you
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are replacing this switch or just replacing the two rubber

connectors, be certain to note which color line goes to
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which nipple on the valve. If you get these crossed your

engine may not want to restart after a quick shut down.
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Typical factory vacuum routing diagram

2. Vacuum lines have been knocked off and replaced

improperly.

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Although extremely rare, it is possible for an injection
pump shuf-off mechanism to fail internally. If you have
replaced your shutoff valve with a new and TESTED unit
and your engine will still not shut off with a DIRECT
connection by a proper hand pump, then there may be
something wrong inside the injection pump. These are
very expensive to get overhauled ($800 to $1000). You
could remove it and have it bench tested if you are close
to an authorized Bosch repair facility. As an alternative
we do carry good used injection pumps on our website.

Appendix: Is a vacuum tester really required?

Throughout this manual I have mentioned using a hand

Rebuilding a vacuum pump with split diaphragm
4. Vacuum pump has failed internally.
Once you have determined your vacuum pump is not
producing adequate vacuum you will have a couple
options for repair. You can buy a new pump (very ex-
pensive).You can purchase a good used pump or a used
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held vacuum pump tester to help you diagnose vacuum
related shut-off problems. I have heard reports from
customers who have tried sucking on components, us-
ing compressed air, and switching used parts to find the
problem. In my humble opinion these are the hard ways
to go at it and you may never know for sure that you
have fixed the problem permanently.

pump that has been rebuilt (we carry a selection of these

on our website). Or you can rebuild the pump yourself
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(we also carry rebuild kits and gaskets). This would be for
replacing the diaphrams, check valves and seals only. If
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your pump has experienced internal mechanical failure

then you should look for a complete new or used re-
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placement pump.
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Testing with less expensive vacuum gauge

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You can test the system with a less expensive vacuum

gauge (which we also carry on our website), but this
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gauge will not let you know how well your shut-off valve
or other system components are “holding” vacuum.
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Plugging a vacuum test gauge into various points in your

Injection pump removed from engine
5. Malfunctioning injection pump.
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system will help you determine if your vacuum pump is
working properly and what systems might be “draining
off” vacuum. More of these test procedures are cov-
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ered in my manual “Vacuum Source Troubleshooting and will more than pay for itself in a very short time. Who
Repair.” I have used this gauge in the past to quickly nar- among us does not want to save money on current and
row down shut-off problems. First, use the gauge to test future repair bills!
vacuum pump output by plugging it into a “T” in the main
vacuum hose between the pump and the brake booster.
If you get a good vacuum reading (21 to 23 inches) pro-
ceed as follows: Unplug the factory vacuum line going
into the shut-off valve and start your engine. Next, at-
tach a rubber hose to the main line “T” fitting and run it
directly to the fuel shut-off valve and plug it in. Your en-
gine should shut off immediately. If it shuts off then your
problem is most likely due to a leak somewhere else in
the system. If your engine will not shut off using a direct
vacuum connection, then your problem is most likely a
bad shut-off valve. Buy a new one and replace it (available
on our website). If the problem cannot be found eas-
ily, you will need a hand pump tester to perform more
thorough diagnostics.
Deluxe vacuum hand pump tester kit available on our site
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Vacuum test gauge kit available on our site

Once again, if you plan to continue Mercedes diesel

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ownership, I highly recommend you purchase the more

versitile hand pump tester. It provides you with both a
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vacuum reading gauge and a “holding” test function. This

tool can be used to test your climate control, cruise
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control on some models, brake booster, engine shutoff,

transmission, and door locks. We sell a complete test
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kit in a handy carrying case on our website complete

with instructions. We also sell it in an advanced kit along
with my vacuum source manual and a new vacuum hose
connector kit. I can assure you this will be one tool that
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