Just a comment on the old problem of 450 SL "warm" starts....vapor lock.....etc.

A friend told me to give the car some gas or "rev" the engine as I turn the key and the motor off....and then when I restart the car 30 or 40 mins. later (warm start) to do the old trick of turning the key on and off to get the fuel pump going......what an improvement!

Giving the car gas right as you turn the engine off must fill up the fuel lines with gas so that the car does not have as much vapor in the lines. I am not a mechanic so I may be explaining this wrong, but what an improvement!!!!!

Mike

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1974 450SL 99K miles
1996 C220 142K miles
MBCA Concours Judge
Western Reserve Section

Mike,

You may want to correct the warm start problem. I had the same problem with my 1983 380, and I did the same thing you are doing, playing with the gas pedal when I started the car. The problem is most likely fuel pressure leakdown; there should be a constant pressure in the fuel line.

I put the question out on this forum and came up with the answer: Either the fuel accumulator or fuel pump check valve was defective. The accumulator was $80 and the valve was $12 (plus labor). It turned out to be the accumulator, and now it starts ALL of the time like a new car. I was told by my MB mechanic that it is a VERY common repair that they see.

I do not know if there is any long term damage involved with the way I used to start the car.

Scott

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Scotty P.