1991 300E 4-Matic: Suddenly Not Starting!
 

Please Help! My 1991 300E 4-Matic has sat for awhile. But has always started. It ran low on fuel, I put in some regular all I had on hand, yet, fresh. Now the car just cranks without starting! I have had to charge the battery twice,but, still only cranks and will not fire. It almost seems like it's not getting fuel. I even dumped some directly into the engine with no results. The car has always ran great and has like 160,000 miles. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I can't even find the fuel filter or pump. Also, is it true there are two fuel pumps? Thanks!:confused::confused:

Fuel filter and the two pumps are down inside a cover in front of the passenger rear wheel. They should run for a couple seconds when turning the key to "run" before starting the car. Should be a distinct hiss/buzz sound.

How long was "a while"? Could be varnished fuel in the fuel distributor/fuel system, no spark from coroded/bad rotor/cap. Bad coil, bad EZL....the list can go on and on. Determine if there's fuel, then check for spark. Troubleshooting should proceed from there.

Running low on fuel can damage the pumps or get air in the system.

Ignition cap rotor and ignition wires just had this same problem.

Thank You! It is a great place to start!