VettePilot

guys, PLEASE help me out here, I have a 92 Mercedes 300E that has 199,900 miles on it and I"ll be DAMNED if shes not going to make it well past that. My problem is the car won't start. I drove it about 20 miles the other day and it ran great. Yesterday I started it and it ran for like 20 seconds and died. afterwards I tried starting it again for like 20 minutes and every 3rd or 4th try it would barely start and run for like 5 seconds and die again. Well I put it on a charger to try and keep starting it and I FINALLY got it started. I had to be very ginger with the throttle and kind of spoon feed it gas for the first 2 minutes and then it started to run on its own, after 5 minutes it ran just fine and I went to get gas in it. after leaving the gas station it started right up and ran great all the way home. Well today I went out and tried starting it again, and it wouldn't even catch for a second. It would just turn over. I am HOPING that it might be the fuel filter (where is it?). Also, I can hear the fuel pump like normal when I turn the key to Pos. 1 but it MIGHT be making a funny noise? please help me out because I just spent $2,000 getting the head decked because it warped and I lost compression. I've put almost a thousand mile on it since then though. THANKS ahead of time for any help!

Brian Felts

I have had many GM fuel pumps go out in the same fashion. I Can't say for sure but its a guess. Do you have a way to check the fuel pressure?


Brian Felts

overboostTSI

Do you have a check engine light on?
Did this start happening only after you had the head decked?

Remove the air filter assembly and do a check of all vacuum lines and components under the hood. Check for cracked/broken hoses. Check/replace fuel filter and try to start the car and look at the lines going to and from the fuel pumps and filter for leaks (my fuel line from the fuel filter out was rusted and and had a very tiny leak). If you have a repair manual and a fuel pressure gauge, do the fuel pressure checks they recommend.

VettePilot

No, I don't have a check engine light on, and this is the first time anything like this has happened in the 1,000 miles since the head was decked. I noticed that I have the (ABS) light on now and that wasn't on before this. It just seems that the engine is starved for fuel and won't start bc of that. I am up at school now and almost all of my tools are at home 120 miles from here. Also, due to the fact that Christmas is coming, time is sort of an issue here. Does anyone know how much a bad fuel pump would be to get replaced (3-400 dollars or so? even though I don't know why it would run for a while and then quit again?) also, the car has some "unique" wiring in it due to the previous owner wanting to use his laptop hard wired for business. Also I can't find a Chiltons or anything at autozone, but I haven't looked online. Where is the fuel filter on the ole girl? I can't find the friggin thing?

Jackd

The fuel filter is under the car, in front of the right rear wheel, under a black plastic cover.
While replacing the fuel filter, I suggest you also replace the fuel line check valve (cheap).

Brian Felts

I am with Jackd..........if his ideas don't work check fuel pressure @ startup and running if you can. It should hold pressure when Cranking if you can't get it to run.


Brian

mhorn

If the ABS light is on I would check your OVP sensor. This is the Overload Protection Sensor that keeps the computer from being fried by a spike in amps. They are prone to going bad and when they do the ABS light comes on and the car has a very hard time starting and idleing. That would be the first place I would check. Look up OVP in the search box on this forum and you'll get a ton of info. If you can hear your fuel pump run then its probably o.k. Can't say for sure, but my experience with fuel electric fuel pumps is either they work or they don't. no in between. There are two fuel pumps under the car back by the rear differential enclosed in a plastic cover. Fuel filter and fuel accumulator is back there too. That's a pain in the *** job to replace any of those components though.