That's only valve timing. I'm talking about ignition timing. I'm not saying your cam or crankshaft aren't sync'ed properly - I'm pretty sure they are given your compression readings. What you need to make sure of is that the #1 plug is firing when it's supposed to, which it might not be, due to the distributor, the ignition control module, ignition wiring, crank sensor, etc...

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A.S.E Tech A1,A6,A7,A8 & MVAC 609 + EPA 608

Unless stated otherwise, any question I ask is about my greymarket 1985 380SEL.

I getcha.

I checked it, timing was on, firing when it was supposed to. there is no distributor, the rotor MUST land on #1 as it is screwed to the end of the cam. there is no other electrical there besides the coil/plug wires. in other words, as long as the coil is firing consistant power at the cap, there will be spark in time with valves.

I checked the oil today, it appeared to have a sizable amount of gas in it. given how long it sat before I got it, and as much as it was cranked over, no doubt alot of fuel seeped into the oil.

So I had a thought. what if the oil/fuel was washing the cylinders so it effected compression?

SO I did an oil change, threw new plugs in there, guess what, fired right up.
So now it runs again, im going to pull the plugs later this evening to see if they are fouled out.

incidently, the ABS light is now on fulltime, so i stuck a new OVP relay in there and it fixed that.

DHJ, I appreciate your help, And I respect the ASE certs youve got. in no way do I mean to downplay your opinon. without seeing the car, you cant possibly see the whole picture, so you start with what you know, and I totally understand that.

Glad you got it running! Congrats on the cylinder wall washing idea - most people would have never even have thought of that; heck, there's many a tech that wouldn't have thought of that.

Like I said, I'm no benz expert (yet ), and the info available in alldata & mitchell is often conflicting (and WIS isn't exactly user friendly). I just wish I could have been more help!

__________________
A.S.E Tech A1,A6,A7,A8 & MVAC 609 + EPA 608

Unless stated otherwise, any question I ask is about my greymarket 1985 380SEL.

Ha! no start again this morning! pulled all the plugs out, the were wet(fouled?),
cleaned them off, reinstalled....still nothing.

I cycled the key about 15 times, and it sputters to life. once it started, runs perfect- no miss, no hesitation when I throttle it, just a perfect idle.

I let it run for a sec, shut it off and restart, fires right up.

bump to the top, really need some help guys, the last post sums up my issues.

it wont start when sitting over 8 hrs. the last three days it hasnt even sputtered.

I pulled the cold start injector, it has a nice spray when the engine is turning over. looks like its working fine to me.

I pulled a few random injectors, they also have a good spray, but only when i press down the "intake plate". looks like that is what they are suppose to do.

bottom line, it looks like im getting fuel pressure.

what the hell could my problem be?

Blow into the fuel return line (or use shop air). If you don't hear a gurgling in the gas tank, you may have a faulty check valve in the tank which is clogging the return fuel line.

Odd that it won't start/run on starting fluid, though. Almost sounds like it's spark related. Maybe you have a bad ignition switch...

__________________
A.S.E Tech A1,A6,A7,A8 & MVAC 609 + EPA 608

Unless stated otherwise, any question I ask is about my greymarket 1985 380SEL.

Is it damp where you are?(vancouver Wash...I will bet very damp)...

I have had a lot of problems over the years with less than perfect "new" distributor caps, just when you think you have eliminated that as a problem. My issues of hard starting were always when the car sat for a few hours or days in damp weather.

There should be an "O" ring that seals the cap, and it get's hard with heat and time, and will not seal the cap any longer...Most new ones (aftermarket Bosch) do not come with this "O" ring...This "O" ring sits under the plastic disc behind the rotor, so both the rotor and what's behind it must be removed to change the "O" ring...it is part of what makes sure the dist. cap is sealed from atmosphere. Also note that some of the aftermarket Bosch caps cannot seal..some of the detents formed into the caps allow air into the dist cap, even with a good "O" ring...

Best solution..get an OEM cap and "O" ring right from MB and inspect it carefully before installing...they should be OK..I always got the right stuff from them, at least for my firing system, and swap...Sounds distinctly like you are getting moisture under the cap..which is going to cause exactly the issues you are battling. Would also help explain why the contact in the rotor burned through (extra resistance..been here seen all of the above).

Note: I am not pushing OEM parts because of any allegiance to the "stealer", but because there are so many discrepancies in aftermarket Bosch stuff....They can be made in any of maybe 20 different places, and they have no particular allegiance to "quality control" in some of these countries...I purchased at least three caps for my 2.6 over the years which were wrong for multiple different reasons...but ultimately most had the same issues...they did not seal the dist. cap....Have also seen cap and rotor combinations where the clearance between the cap and rotor center contact point was too great and allowed the spring loaded contact in the cap to fall out..I do not remember if this was a cap or a rotor dimension problem though

I actually went back to the spark thing too. I tested the coil power going in and also the output power. 12 volts on both sides of the coil, even when cranking. like you say, Ive seen an ignition switch dilute the current too...

What exactly is that valve/chamber that is inline on the fuel return line? it sits right next to the fuel dist.

I'll blow air into the return line and see what I get.

Merry christmas y'all!