Does the MAS relay die suddenly or have a slow death?

[francotirador]

Hello: I've been having starting issues with the M103 in my 1990 300SE. It's been intermittent, but today has been really bad. I cleaned the relay and its contacts and the engine ran for about 5 minutes until it shut off again.

I'd like to know if the MAS relay dies over time or if it just dies suddenly. The relay in one way or another seems related to my current problem. I want to try to properly diagnose it before I just buy another relay. By the way, I've also been having problems with my a/c alternately blowing cold and warm air.


Thank you for your replies.