Looking for help. 1986 300e will run 10 to 15 minutes b4 running rough and stalls. plugs are loaded with fuel . would run all day if you didnt have to idle. took to dealer. was told it was o2 , replaced that. then fuel distributor system ? replaced that, then the etc sensor. That didnt work either. The car is in very good shape with 87k miles. My father in law took off the road of the problem. Ran it every month in his garage for a couple years with the same issue. it would run 10 to 15 then flood and die. Any ideas ? thanks

This sound a lot like an ignition problem, start by checking distributor cap for burned contacts and humidity.

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600SEL '91
300E 4Matic '88
240D '83
280SE '77
350SE '73
The most complex systems can fail in the simplest way.
Contra verbosus noli contendere verbis, sermo datur cunctis, animi sapientia paucis.

i don't believe in the lord! He's never bought me a Mercedes Benz.

Plugs (non resistive required), leads, dissy cap and rotor. Replacement of all these things with OEM spec products generally fixes up most problems with M103's.
If these are O.K. Fuel pump relay or Crank position sensor maybe suspect.

Before you start pissing away even more money, lets ask a few more questions.

1- while it's running, any hesitation, sputtering etc? When cold? When hot?
2- does your abs occasionally blink or light up?
3- do you know how to check your duty cycle? If so did you check?
4- when driving, do you have (seemingly) full power?
5- does your car have an economy gauge? Do you have a mity vac?

You already are experiencing how expensive it gets to just start throwing parts at it. Lets try and at least narrow it down a bit.

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Eugene

10 E63 AMG
93 300te 4matic
07 BMW X3
14 Ford F-150 Fx2

yes hesitation ect runs rough
no abs light
no on check duty cycle
no power when running at all now. hasnt been on the road since late 90s
yes on economy gauge
no on mity vac, will try to barrow one !
YES on PISSING LOTS OF MONEY AWAY !!!!!!!
Thanks for your help !!!!

When you first start cold, it is still very rough? Misfire?

Where is the economy gauge pointing at idle? ( or whatever is close to idle)

Have you driven it on the road yet?

You say it runs for 15 mins then dies, can you go in to more detail? For the first 15, does it run well, kind of well, ok, crappy? Please describe.

After full warm up, will it stay running if you elevate the idle? How does it run then?

__________________
Eugene

10 E63 AMG
93 300te 4matic
07 BMW X3
14 Ford F-150 Fx2

It hasnt been on the road since the late 90's? You really should go through a list of things that could be wrong. Was the gas tank and fuel system flushed out before filling it with fresh gas, I'd also replace the filter. Having sat that long i wouldn't be surprised if the EHA is seized up. You make be able to make some adjustments to CO adjustment screw to back the fuel off. I'd also look around at all the rubber roads and and inspect the intake manifold gasket. maybe you have a large vacuum leak somewhere, get the car idling before it warms up and spray break clean all over the gasket and vacuum hoses, if the idles climbs-you've found your vac leak.

it starts rough now. didnt when it was taken off the road.
i drove it yesterday thinking it was ok after installing etc, got half mile down the road at a turn around point when i let off gas it died would not restart it ran very rough didnt seem to exelarate much at all. would not restart had to tow it home.
3 hrs later it started right up.it will stay running somewhat smooth at cold start but can almost time it to 10 -14 min before it starts running rough and stalls. pull pull plugs and they are soaked. will run after warm up only if you give it gas.

First things first:

1. Clean out air filter, if its really dirty, replace it.
2. Figure on replacing spark plugs.
3. Change fuel filter if not done already.
4. I would inspect the idle air control valve. -read below-

With the engine warm, (when the problem is there) Remove the entire air filter assembly and have someone crank while you are depressing the air metering plate. You probably will only deflect it 1/4 inch or so. Too much, will cause no start. What you are doing is allowing more air to come in to the mix.

Edit: also try pulling up a bit.

If the car will stay started, or you at least notice some positive difference, then I would suspect that the idle control valve is stuck. It is a little cylinder looking thing towards the front of the car, about 5 inches away from the metering plate. It will have a plug, and two black rubber hoses connected.

Let me know what happens

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Eugene

10 E63 AMG
93 300te 4matic
07 BMW X3
14 Ford F-150 Fx2

ok. filter is clean, plugs are new,they dont have 20 min on them. will get fuel filter. I will have to look up what the idle control valve looks like. would that have come with the fuel distributor i purchased ? I bought that used and it had injector lines and everything else. Thanks again bill

No, the idle control valve would not have come with the fuel distributor. it is not attached to it in any way. It costs like $200 new so they would have sold you it separate anyway. The idle control valve sits on the intake manifold in front of where the fuel distributor/airflow meter are. it has 2 rubber hoses coming out of it: one goes down under the intake to the engine, the other connects under the airflow meter body. I'll bet these hoses are hard and brittle! they should be replaced just as maintenance on these cars.

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Streetside: 1987 Mercedes 300E Petrol Blue/Green
2014 Ford Mustang Grabber Blue
1999 Ford Ranger Green

Dockside: 1968 Eltro 17
1985 Silverton 34C

The fuel distributor you bought should have had the EHA attached to it. Thats the little black thingy on the side of the distributor.

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Streetside: 1987 Mercedes 300E Petrol Blue/Green
2014 Ford Mustang Grabber Blue
1999 Ford Ranger Green

Dockside: 1968 Eltro 17
1985 Silverton 34C

Yes there is a round cartridge 3/4 x 3"ish on front side. Ok i googled it now i know what to look for. i will mess with it this week end and get back to you all . many thanks bill

ok I changed the filter, replaced the old fuel, ran it until it started acting up, got more response when lifting metering plate, would stall after pushing down, and would not restart at all after it died

now that the problem is there, check for spark by pulling a wire and laying it on top of the valve cover. you may have to stick a scewdriver in the socket.

also, try and lift the plate and start the car. let us know what happens.

__________________
Eugene

10 E63 AMG
93 300te 4matic
07 BMW X3
14 Ford F-150 Fx2