This car is driving me nuts. I told a friend I'd install a new (used) ICV in it for him, so he drove it over. It sat for a couple of weeks, part arrived, I threw it in, and now it won't start. Figured out the fuel pump was bad, so I replaced that. Now it will stumble on occasion, but still don't start. Has spark. Has fuel to the distributor, but none is going to the injectors. Sensor? Any ideas? I'm at wit's and I need the car GONE so I can drop two trees tomorrow. (Or I guess I could let them fall on it; at this point I would kinda like to see that).

Car is an 87 260E.

Thanks all!

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

Remove fuel pump relay and jump pin 30 and 87. Try to start the car, if it starts, it is a bad fuel pump relay. Do a search...

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J.H.
'86 300E

Thanks -- I did do LOTS of searching, FWIW (and I didn't see the fuel pump relay suggestion, so thanks for offering it!). This is just driving me batty.

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

I tried jumping pins 30 and 87 -- no dice. As before, I can hear the pump prime when the key is turned to the ACC position, but when cranking, no fuel is making it to the injectors; I cracked a couple of lines at the injector end to watch for fuel, and they're dry.

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

See the foto. The part labelled "here it is " is the inline filter going into the fuel distributor. Check this filter to make sure its not blocked.
While key is on position - i.e. pumps primed- loosen the fuel inlet to the fuel distributor to see if fuel is getting to here.
If fuel is going into fuel distributor, loosen one of the nuts holding the fuel lines going to the injectors on top of the fuel distributor.
If no fuel is going into the fuel distributor and not coming out of the fuel line feeder then this could be an indication of a faulty fuel
distributor or fuel pressure regulator.

If you try starting the car with foot on the throttle does this get the car going?

What is mayb more important is whether there is fuel coming out of the pressure regulator. If it comes out of the regulator it means that it likely is at high enough pressure to run the system. Having fuel at the dist only is of any use if it has pressure. Without a gauge checking at the regulator outlet is a decent check of the proper pressure and availability.

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Steve Brotherton
Continental Imports
Gainesville FL
Bosch Master, ASE Master, L1
33 years MB technician

fuel pressure regulator? the little tiny guy that comes off the air filter breather hose? seems a long shot but you never know...good luck

I have a perfectly good fuel distributor that I will give you if you want to pick it up. These babies are $2400 new, $500 rebuilt...LMK

The fuel pressure regulator does not have vacuum on it in KE. The line is a vent and has nothing to do with system performance.

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Steve Brotherton
Continental Imports
Gainesville FL
Bosch Master, ASE Master, L1
33 years MB technician

sounds to me as though the damn thing will not start at all ..just offering possibilities

fuel, air and ignition....gotta be one of the three eh? not that difficult to get em started, running OK is another story...agreed

The OP is saying that there is no fuel at his injectors so this qualifies as one of the three.

If I was the OP I would be taking advantage of Cliffs offer of the borrowing the FPR.

The only downside of diagnosing fuel problems is that throwing piece after piece at the problem only escalates the cost.

The vent in the FPR only come into play if the FPR diaphragm is faulty.

Actually one can add a couple things to the required list: compression and timing (both cam and ignition). My short list reads fuel, spark, compression, timing.

The real bad thing about throwing parts is the accumulated problems created. Throwing a fuel dist at the mess now creats the possible issue of a misadjusted base setting.

The real issue is that all these problems are simple when one has the proper tools for diagnosis. One can not begin to properly diagnose KE injection without a fuel gauge and an ammeter.

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Steve Brotherton
Continental Imports
Gainesville FL
Bosch Master, ASE Master, L1
33 years MB technician

Hi gents -- thanks for all the suggestions. I have been busy with guests all weekend, so the car has been on hold.

I get *occasional* fuel -- enough for the car to stumble for a second or two. The last few tries, I am not seeing any fuel at the injectors at all, and there's no stumbling either. There is fuel pressure coming into the distributor, but for whatever reason, none at the injectors. I have tried two distributors, for what it's worth, with the same results each time. I have so far replaced the idle control valve (the original issue was wandering idle), fuel pump assy, and fuel distributor.

Should the fuel pressure regulator hold a vacuum? I applied my mightyvac to it and it does NOT hold any vacuum.

Thanks all!

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

cliff -- where in IL are you? Thanks!

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)