380SL Hard Start & Poor Mileage
I wanted to start out by thanking the forum and all of the contributors. What an unbelievable wealth of knowledge!
I have searched and read until my eyes are blurry…
I have a 1982 380SL with 31,000 documented miles. The car is in excellent condition and runs beautifully with the following exceptions;
1) It has a hard time starting when warm, unless you apply the accelerator petal.
2) The gas mileage is poor. I’m getting approx. 10 to 11 MPG. I do live at 4000 feet elevation and I know that does play a role, but from several previous MB’s I expected better mileage. I do not treat/drive this car like my GT. It’s more like my baby! I have read quite a few post indicating that the mileage should be better.
After searching/reading previous posts it appears that it may be one of several items;
1) Accumulator
2) Cold Start Valve
3) Warm Up Regulator
Quite a few of the posts referencing hard starts after the engine is warm indicate that the problem was rectified after replacing the accumulator, but I did not find those same posts indicating poor fuel mileage. I have checked for vacuum leaks and all appears tight. While the cost of the accumulator is relatively inexpensive, the other suspects carry pretty hefty price tags. Has anyone else experienced hard starts and poor fuel mileage?
As always, I’m very grateful for any assistance and guidance!
Tim
__________________
82 380SL 41K miles sold, 98 SL500 44K miles, 13 C300 4Matic, 14 CLA-250 4Matic
|