Hot fuel pump relay
 

Well I have been having stalling problems on an 89 300se and I think I have narrowed it down to the fuel pump relay. I removed one of the fuel injectors to have a look at the spray pattern. I cranked the engine and there was a 15second delay before the fuel started to come out of the fuel injector.

I went to remove the fuel pump relay and it was very warm to the touch. Does this most likely mean that I have a bad fuel pump relay?

The car will not run at all anymore. If I crank the car long enough, it backfires, which worries me greatly. Any help is greatly appreciated!!!

Sounds like the relay. You can jump terminals 30 and 87 and the pump will run. If the car starts then relay is bad.

Had a very similar probelm on my w201. The fuel pump relay started overheating after I washed the car and some moisture got inside it. It caused the car to shut down in the middle of the road for a few minutes until the fuel pump relay cooled down, then it would restert and go a bit more until it overheated again. Very annoying.

replaced the fuel pump relay and the problem never came back.

xp

Don't overlook the filter ..
A clogged filter will cause the pump to draw higher than normal amps, resulting in a heated relay ..
If the pump does run, an amps draw test would be the next step..This can be done at the jumper MJ mentions...