Stored 1993 S420 has fuel problems-Gives sudden starting problems-solution needed
My 1993 S420 has been stored in the winter since the winter of 2001-2. Has gone only 34K miles.
Used to start and run fine in spring in 2002 and 2003 but in spring 2004 started having a sudden starting problem. Usually after a 15 min drive, it would not start when started again. After repeated starting attempts, it would start once again. This has happened twice. During the starting attempts the car would backfire with a fuel smell. I think the problem has to do with the fuel system and gas in the fuel system, over the winter, clogging up the fuel system.
2004-5 winter I put in some fuel stablizer "sta-bil" and have liberally put in fuel injector cleaner.
After the two episodes in spring 2004 I was afraid to use this car for fear it might not start suddenly.
Any ideas?
Thanks
Kris
The fuel will have degraded quite badly despite the stabiliser.. This will be the root of your problem..basicaly your fuel fiter is cloged.there will have been water in the tank from hydroscopy.. change the fuel filter.. drain the tank at the same time.. do not store for long periods with large ammount of fuel in the tank..run till nearly empty. then put a can in when you need to start it then drive to the nearest gas station..Do you keep the battery on trickle charge..
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Have a BIG one.
I second the fuel filter recommendation. Even though you
haven't reached the typical mileage for fuel filter replacement, do it. You'll want to maintain a different schedule for maintenance (time rather than mileage-based) since your car is so low mileage. Cars that haven't been driven much have their own set of problems.
Of course there are other fuel delivery system parts that could cause problems. Fuel pump, fuel pressure regulator, injectors, fuel hoses. But, I'd start with the simplest and most obvious, the filter. And if you can determine that the filter was clogged by flakes of corroded metal meaning the inside of your gas tank is rusting, you'll want to get a new tank. This is one of the problems unique to low mileage cars.
But if that is your problem.. a flaky tank I would recomend a coat of TANK SLOSH..seals it up forever.. but you will need to remove the tank and all the internals before you do it..
I found this thread which was initiated by rainmaker I thought it was excellent, thank you rainmaker.
If this link dont work for some reason, search for "fuel filter changing" and find the thread by the above author.
http://mbnz.org/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=1175601&posts=19&hl=fuel+filter+chang ing
Which filter does my 1993 400SEL need?
Is it the 002 477 13 01, 002 477 17 01, 002 477 19 01, 002 477 27 01, or the 002 477 28 01002 477 44 01 (designed for tandem pumps)?
Pls help.
Or is it better to just take the old one out and see what is written on it?
Kris
Just take your VIN number to your local stealers.. and they will give you the correct part.. and a genuine one.. (I dont think the aftermarket ones are that good )
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