1989 190E 2.6 200K miles, will not start after radiator hose break

[Marsden]

Just wrote a long post to start a new thread, but apparently lost it some how. Will start again as I need to find a way to get my car running.

My car suffered a radiator hose/gooseneck break while we were nearing home. Drove it into my drive to find the entire front quarter of the car drenched in coolant. Was able to reattach the hose and refill the coolant. Allowed the car to run twenty minutes to see that it was running ok and there was no apparent problems with the car as a result of the hose break.

The next morning the car tried to start for a split second as I cranked it, but that was it. Turned over fine for an entire fresh battery, but not another sputter.

Drained the already low tank of gas and replaced the fuel filter. No signs of any abnormality here but because of the commotion of the hose break, I had forgotten my tank was nearly empty and letting it run to see if it was ok after the refilling the coolant, had run the tank really nearly empty.

Check the spark coil, and found I had nearly a half inch of arch to ground seemed fine to me. Pulled the plugs and found heavy brown grey ash on the back plugs to almost no ash on the front plugs. Car had been running well (although I can not see how with the level of buildup on the back plugs,) but now and again would die at a light, but would restart quickly and not have the problem again for a while. Never any indication that it was burning oil - always a clean exaust.

Replaced the plugs, plug wires and coil wire, and found that the rotor and cap were badly burned. I scraped and cleaned the rotor and cap and replaced it until I could get new. With new plugs and wires, the car started with difficulty, and ran with difficulty - seemed to be missing and lunging when I drove around the block. Let it run a bit more sitting, and then shut it off, waited a bit and restarted it. Started with out difficulty.

Next morning, it would not start at all - cranked with no problems, but nothing doing with any signs of ignition - did try to run-on a bit after I turned off the key and while in the process of coming to a complete stop.
Replaced the rotor and cap with new. No help, still gave no signs of starting.

Pulled the new plugs and from the night before, going around the block and the morning starting effort, the plugs had a strange buildup of a sticky oily substance mixed with gas. Plugs were drenched in gas, but there was a residue on them that was more at the back two plugs than those toward the front.

Purchase two new sets of plugs. One Champions, one Bosh Platinum. Put in the Champions and nothing happened. Shot some ether into the air intake, still nothing. Pulled the Champions and put in the Bosh. The car tried to run, but could not get much going. Shot some ether again into the air intake, it tried more to run but still could not quite get there and little if any difference than from the gas line alone. Let it sit for a bit, tried without the ether, still tried to run but could not quite make it.

Pulled the Bosh plugs and found that only one plug, the very back one had any sign of firing. It was dry and grey on the porcellen. The remaining five plugs were clean and coated with clear liquid that smelled of gas and ether.

It is now sitting with the charger on the battery.

Any suggestions.

My thoughts at this point are that either it does not have enough spark, it is bringing transmission oil into the engine and I had not noticed it (the ash level on the back two plugs was amazing,) or that some how, there is too rich of a mixture.

My guess is that it is none of these, but I do not understand the fuel system enough to find the problem, and I keep thinking that somehow the liquid from the radiator hose has fouled something up that is at the bottom of the problem.

Suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Marsden