[Tom86951]

My '79 450SL starts right up when cold, but if I warm it up and try to restart it, it struggles to start. I have to crank it longer and then once it starts, it has a weak idle and is lumpy for the first 30 seconds or so. Is this common and/or is there a common cause/solution? Once the car cools down, it starts like a champ...

 

[Fonzi]

Classic bad accumulator symptom.

You can test accumulator to determine if it is "leaking back to tank" via the small hose. If so, it is bad and should be replaced.