OVP + Stalling 300TE problem solved ???

[BENZ-LGB]

A few weeks ago I posted a thread regarding my daughter's 1989 300TE with the stalling problem. My old mechanic kept throwing parts at it. Still, he couldn't get the problem fixed.

He is now off my list of "approved" mechanics.

I took it to my "new" mechanic. (Actually, he is an older Hungarian man who has been fixing Benzes since way back when).

After many hit and misses the new mechanic finally found the problem.

Drum rol please..........

A bad OVP.

Now, you may wonder why he did not look at the OVP first thing?

Well, the OVP had been changed a couple of years ago. When I took the car to my new mechanic I made copies of all past service records. So the new mechanic knew that the OVP was of recent vintage--and that is why he di not look at it first.

Apparently, however, the OVP went bad. and it was causing the intermittent stalling situation.

After trying out everything else the new mechanic, on a lark, put in a new OVP. And voila! that appears to have solved the stalling problem. I have driven the car for 5 days now and it has not stalled once. Let's hope this WAS the problem.

The best part of it is that although he had the car for a couple of week, he charged me only one hour's labor. The old mechanic kept charging me parts and labor for fixes that did not work. I am going to see him with a request for my money back--or else I see him in court.

Now for a couple of questions.

What would make a fairly new OVP to fail? The mechanic seems to think it was just a defective factory unit. The OVP is made in Hungary same country as my mechanic !!! Has any one out here encountered problems with defective Hungarian OVP relays?

Secod question. The old OVP rattles. When I shake it, it rattles like a baby's rattle. It sounds as if there things "loose" inside. Is this normal?

I would appreciate any and all answers to the above questions.

Thanks.