I have come upon a 1988 MB 190E.The car is in excellent shape save for the paint.The guy that has it says it has just under 120,000 miles on it,but it will only run if you spray starting fluid in it,and after the fluid burns off,it dies.Any advice/ideas would be greatly appreciated.This would be my 1st MB,so I need all the help I can get.Thanks.
Compression, oxygen, fuel, spark. Evidently the engine has compression , spark and oxygen because it does start with ether applied. Therefore it is not getting fuel.
The fuel pump relay behind the battery, the fuel pumps, the fuel distributor, fuel filter all are suspects. Do your fuel pumps engage?
There are two fuel pumps under a plastic cover under the car just above and in front of the left rear wheel. Turn the ignition to the accessory position just before start and listen to hear the whirring of the pumps. If they don't engage, pull the fuel pump relay behind the battery and check it for corrosion, clean it up, re-insert it and try listening again for the fuel pumps starting.
Others on this forum may give you more advice. Keep us informed.
Last edited by drcharlesatlas : 05-08-2008 at 08:12 AM.
Reason: add
A few questions that need to be asked in order to diagnose the non-start problem are the following:
1. How long has the car been idle or not driven?
2. When did the problem first appear for the owner? Did the engine just stop one day, or was it a gradual phenomenon?
3. Has the car been parked outside most of its life?
4. Is there oil in the coolant and/or coolant in the oil?
5. Do you know the owner?
An automobile that does not run is not disposable for sale except for salvage unless the buyer knows exactly what is wrong with it and knows how to fix it.
If you are mechanically able and knowlegeable and are willing to spend a lot of money and time on a project car, go for it.
It will run,it won't stay running.It's like it's running out of fuel was what I was told.I am pretty mechanically inclined,but I don't want a money pit.I own one of those already in the form of a 1980 Jeep CJ-7.
Compression, oxygen, fuel, spark. Evidently the engine has compression , spark and oxygen because it does start with ether applied. Therefore it is not getting fuel.
The fuel pump relay behind the battery, the fuel pumps, the fuel distributor, fuel filter all are suspects. Do your fuel pumps engage?
There are two fuel pumps under a plastic cover under the car just above and in front of the left rear wheel. Turn the ignition to the accessory position just before start and listen to hear the whirring of the pumps. If they don't engage, pull the fuel pump relay behind the battery and check it for corrosion, clean it up, re-insert it and try listening again for the fuel pumps starting.
Others on this forum may give you more advice. Keep us informed.
There's a fuse on the fuel pump relay, if the car will run ok at high rpm but not start or run well at low rpm. I spent 3 days hunting for this one, its in behind the battery.
Linear Mode
