Seriously, I think you guys should save you money and energy for a real problem when it shows up. Old cars get cranky and cantakerous when they get into middle and old age. So will we - if we haven't already. The KE fuel system is either an engineering marvel or or a kluge depending on your point of view.

Try giving it a little throttle just as it catches and it will probably stay running or try opening the throttle a little before cranking. Play around with different techniques until you find one that works.

I went around and around with the dealer service manager and Merc service rep about the poor starting characteristics of these engines when my car was new, especially the two tries at cold starting in mild temperatures and two tries at hot starting after about 30 minutes to an hour after being shut down from fully warmed up. Interestingly, the starting problems appear to have mitigated as the car aged, but I only drive it in winter now, and use another car for summer.

After they finally gave me enough real engineering data on the KE system I accepted its behavior and adjusted my operating habits. Cars aren't smart enough to adapt to our preferences, so it's a lot easier and cheaper for us to adapt to their idiosyncracies.

Duke