This is Joe In Nigeria

I have learned some info from my last post about the car stalling in traffic!!

The electric fuel pump is very loud, you can here it in the car with the AC on and windows up!!! The local mech, says that is wrong and this is what is causing the car to shutoff!!

Pump overheating!!

What do you guys think???

Joe

__________________
Beautiful Car!
Wish It Ran Beautiful!
Help Please!

Joe,

I imported a number of W123 230E cars into the US in the early and mid 80's, and they each exhibited a sensitivity to high ambient temperatures and fuel pump relay behaviour. To keep the customers satisfied (my sisters and my aunt, as well as a local doctor) I keep two of these relays in "stock" at all times. Their cars would stall or not start and then when AAA arrived it made them look like dopes when the mechanic would get in the car and try it, and it would start. Eventually they stop resetting when they cool off, or rest or whatever the issue is.

The fuel pumps are pretty loud, and if they have been reinstalled without the original sound isolation hardware, they can be very loud. You have to take the pump and its filter down together on the older cars, and I assume the newer ones too, to change the filter (the filter and pump are mounted on a common base plate that is mounted on rubber to the car body). If you put it back so the rubber is either missing, or the solid objects on the base plate are touching the body, or the rubber is squashed too tight, the noise level will increase. They used to be located around the driver side rear wheel.

I am not clear on how to check the fuel pump relay, and on the ones I "stock" the guts are potted in a compound so you cannot really get to the insides very readily. They are not cheap, around $60-90 depending on exchange rates and when you buy them. Good Luck, Jim

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Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)

Guys,

The new pump and filter assembly are in (very quiet) and the car ran for 1 hour 30 minutes then died with the same problem, (as if out of fuel) after sitting a few minutes it started, they jump wired the fuel relay here and that make s the pump run full time with the key ON, but that's not it either!

Need more suggestions!

Joe

__________________
Beautiful Car!
Wish It Ran Beautiful!
Help Please!

How does it die? Does it sputter and die, or just simply cut off like turning the ignition of? If its the former then I would say fuel pump relay...if its the later I would start looking at ignition. The 2.3 engine is notorious for Coil problems. Its possible your coil is failing.

My car is a 230E 88

I am curious, do you mean the relay is bypassed with a wire that leaves the pump running all the time and it still dies in an hour or so of driving? Or are you not in favor of leaving the relay jumpered out? Jim

__________________
Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)

if its a w124 chassis check for OVP if its a 123 chassis there probably is no ovp..

the ovp could cause many random issues from hard starting to stalling.

search ovp in the archives if your car has one...

Its just one more thing to look into and there is a wealth of information on the ovp...

Alon

__________________
'92 300CE - Sold
2004 C240 - 744 - C7 Wheels - Android Radio
2002 C320 - 816 - Sport Wagon

My dad (many years ago) purchased an imported W124 230E and the same thing happened to him while driving in town one fine day. The same symptoms and embarassment. They found the fault to be the OVP relay and the unit was located near the battery console. Some cars, as he was made to understand, has the relay located in the glovebox compartment.

Since the replacement, he never had any probems with it.

This all happened while I was in Australia so I didn't get to see it all first hand.

Hope this provides the solution for you.

Good day.

__________________
... Kerry

126 tailed by a 203, 129 leading the pack.

Guys,
When the car stalls in traffic it's as if we ran out of gas, when you try to start it immieditly, it sputters, backfires and dies..... You must wait 3 to 5 minutes to start the car and procced other wise it will just quit again!

* New fuel pump and filter assemble
* Fuel relay (they jumper the 3rd & 4th FWD connectors and
the pump runs anytime the key is in the ON position)
* Fuel cap can be on or off, no vapr lock in the tank

I will try and check about the OVP (Over voltage Relay) I have no manual, but need to learn!

Thanks Joe

__________________
Beautiful Car!
Wish It Ran Beautiful!
Help Please!

Good luck, Joe!

__________________
... Kerry

126 tailed by a 203, 129 leading the pack.