My 86 190e 16 valve has been sitting for a few months now. I went to try and start it and it wont stay running. Starter turns and engine will turn over but after like 15 to 20 seconds, it stalls and just cranks afterward. I had it towed to my mbenz mech and he says when it stalls, there is no spark. If I let it sit a few min, it just does same thing turn over and die in 15 sec.

Can anyone give me a starting point before I start replacing parts. I was leaning on a coil but I checked the resistance on the terminals and they are within spec.
I am also leaning on a simple fuel filter replacement.

Will a car with a clogged fuel filter cause this type of behavior? The last time I drove the car, it hesitated for the first 15 minutes then cleared up. After that it ran normally.
Thanks,