Back in January of this year I posted this info on another thread (
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/tech-help/267426-very-bad-running-300e-post2396685.html#post2396685) to help the OP out but I forgot to update this thread! I'm sorry. Anyway, This is what I said over there: "Check the sockets of the OVP relay plug too. I just found out that my 88 300E has one of it's sockets recessed within that plug which may be what was wrong with it. When I get the time, I'm gonna fix it, start it and see if the car runs better. I'll need to post an update on that car's old thread too.
In February I also helped another board member out on his thread: (
OVP help,, simple question) Where I said this: "I'm sorry, I don't have time to read this whole thread so if this idea has already been shared, again, sorry. On my 88 300E, one of the sockets within the plug for the OVP had gotten very recessed and was no longer making contact. Check all of the sockets within the OVP plug." But yet I still forgot to update this old thread. I feel really bad about it too as I absolutely hate it when people don't post the resolution to their problem so we all can learn from it and here I'm guilty of it myself as I didn't completely bring this thread to a close. Again, I'm sorry. In my own defense though it was partially because I wanted to live with the car for a while and be sure it was truly "cured" before I came back here and declared it so. Time passed though and it got forgotten.
Fixing that pin fixed the car! That and just driving it which helped a lot too as it had gotten a bit "off" with all of this. In other words, it just needed to find it's legs again. So all is well again!
I think that pin was just barely connecting since before I owned the car but when all that wet weather hit and then the fact that it had been sitting for a while combined to finish that connection off.
In the interest of full disclosure I do have to admit that I also did drain all the old gas out because by this point the gas had gotten a bit older and I didn't want it to become a factor. (I still don't think it was a factor way back when I started this thread because, again, it wasn't really any older than the gas that was in the 89 at that point.) It is true that by this point though, the gas was getting kinda funky looking and funky smelling!
Closure!!!
Regards, Eric