W202 Starts then Dies Immediately
It had been sitting for 7 years, but I pumped almost all of the old gas and added octane booster, fuel injector cleaner, and filled it with fresh ethanol-free high octane fuel. I drove it for about a week and it was a bit rough but drove fine. It sat for two days and that's when it started to die immediately. It is not showing any codes even historic or pending. I am getting spark. I don't think its immobilized since it would seem it wouldn't allow it to start at all.
It will start much more easily and stay alive longer if I spray starter fluid or put some gas past the throttle body which makes me think it is running too lean.
I used a fuel pressure gauge and determined it was losing fuel pressure after the fuel pump primed it, but I tightened the fuel rail and it is no longer doing that. I am getting ~50Psi at the rail when priming.
I have since replaced the following:
- Fuel filter
- Fuel pump
- Crankshaft position sensor
- Camshaft position sensor
I am not sure what is going on, it is driving me nuts. I have tested so many things and nothing is yielding results. I have considered that it could be
- MAF
- throttle body
- ECU triggering a safety fuel cutoff
- fuel pressure sensor
- fuel pressure regulator stuck open
Any help would be much appreciated! I am without a car right now, and have to take my kid to school.



