190E 2.6 hard starting. ABS/CEL
 

lately my car has had a hard time starting and has been running slightly hotter than normal.

today it got really bad, car took 3 tries to start, and I decided to check the red LED diagnostic port. At first the thing wasnt blinking at all when i pressed the button, but i jiggled the thing around, and i hear a popping noise. all of a sudden the button worked, but I had no engine codes.

I've noticed that the car starts hard, and when it does start, it does not rev up high like it should. it stays at around 950rpm with the Check Engine light on. After a few seconds, the ABS light blinks, Check Engine light turns off and the car revs up and everything is happy.

I haven't checked the OVP at all yet i will do that when I have more light. Is there anything else I should check while I am at it?

Check the fuse on top of the OVP

ABS coupled with your complaint is fuse as first suspect. Could be OVP , but check the fuse first. Even if the fuse looks good , unplug it, clean the spades and re-install ..