I got this 89 560 SEL a while back. I can't legally drive it yet-exp registration and it's still in my grandmother's name. Anyway, when I first got it it was REALLY hard to start. I changed plugs, filters, oil when I first got it. About once a week I would drive it around the neighborhood to keep everything going (it sat up for about 1 1/2 years), and one day at the far end of the neighborhood it just quit. I pulled it back to the house and poured a little gas down the throttle body and it fired up and died a few times, but never got going on its own. The other day I changed the fuel filter and one of the check valves (I didn't know there were two when I ordered them) with the same results. For some reason it's not getting fuel. I do hear the fuel pumps when I turn on the ignition. Please Help!!!

Try more of the electical route If you haven't already, replace the cap and rotor AND the coil.

Does it turn over at all? If not, maybe it's the ignition module.

If adding fuel down the airflow meter affects the starting condition, then it is likely that you do not have fuel pressure. Having the pumps running is not enough.

Without a pressure gauge this is hard to test. Only way I can think of would be to pull one injector, leaving the fuel line connected. Jump the fuel pump relay (make the pump run) and depress the airflow plate. Fuel should spray from the nozzle. The injectors have an openning pressure about 50psi and will not spray if that isn't reached. This is not very quantitative as the system pressure is much higher than this and must be stable to work properly.

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

Thanks for the responses. I don't have the manual-can you tell me which relay is for the fuel pump? BTW I had already pulled one of the plugs and checked for spark. I'm guessing a new fuel pump is the only way to cure low pressure-$200 each OUCH; is it possible to rebuild one or is there somewhere that sells one rebuilt? What are the chances of only one being bad? Again, thanks for the help.

you have 2 pumps in series. If one pump is dead - could be your problem. Simple test would be to take ground wire off of one pump and see if you can still hear the other pump run. Then do the other one. If both are running - probably not your pumps. I had one noisy pump on mine but found that both had extemely corroded connections. I bit the bullet and put 2 new ones in and spliced in new ends on the connecting wires. If the pumps aren't your problem - ask stevebfl for more advice. Just out of curiosity - do you smell raw gas under the hood of the car when you try to start it?