380sl air/fuel/idle control problems

[scottswope]

instant cold start, great idle, severe lack of power for a few minutes (I don't dare try to pull out in traffic). once warm, power is good. after about 2-3 minutes of running idle jumps from 800 to about 1300 and stays there with or without a/c on. when hot, restart is easy for a few minutes, but after 30 minutes or so I have to hold my foot to the floor to get it to start. I checked the fuel accumulator tonight, fuel drips from hose side(no pressure side) until it sprays out with the engine running, will replace that asap.....what next?

[meltedpanda]

what year? what system , KJet, Djet ?

[Frank Reiner]

Originally Posted by meltedpanda

what year? what system , KJet, Djet ?

The OP has opened with "380sl" !!
Therefor it is equipped with a second generation K-Jet system > K-Lambda.

[Diseasel300]

The high idle issue can be caused by a vacuum leak or a problem in the idle control circuit. There's a module behind the glovebox that controls a solenoid on the front side of the intake manifold that has a bad habit of developing cracked solder joints.

Start with the fuel accumulator, that should end your hot start issues (and fuel leak!)

With the engine running and the air cleaner off, look down in the middle of the valley between the cylinder banks and you'll see a silver canister looking thing with a plug on the end. It'll have a rubber hose that connects up to the intake manifold just under the air deflector plate. If you pull that plug off while the engine is running, your idle should jump up somewhere around 1500-2000 RPM. When you plug it back in, it should drop down. If the idle is already high when you start this procedure and it drops down to normal when you plug it back in, the solenoid may be full of muck. MAF cleaner will usually clean it up if so.

[meltedpanda]

PM me with your email and I will send you a trouble shooting guide