Hi so I parked the 85 280SE for a couple on months due to it needing a tune up (running real rich) and a bent tie rod. I replaced the Cap, rotor, wires and plugs. I now have a car that will not try and start at all. I have verified firing order, verified spark to plugs and gap, verified fuel delivery, I even sprayed starter fluid into intake and still nothing. this is nor making ANY sense. Does anybody have any clue as to why this damn thing will not fire? This car has been real good to me until this fiasco. Please comrades, chime in here...I need some help.

Fuel, air, fire. It's one of those. Given where you were working, it's likely an ignition problem. The first thing I would do is remove a spark plug wire and see if it sparks to ground. If it does, then you don't have the timing right. If not, then it's a short under the cap or a bad coil.

You changed the distributor, so maybe something happend there - recheck firing order and timing.

If it still doesn't respond, look into the fuel mixture. It's possible that it is so rich that it's flooding, which might also explain the lack of repsonse from starting fluid (which needs to be used judiciously).

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Prost!

Maybe your new rotor has too far of a gap that the spark cannot jump across to the distributor....

Check your center wire for the right resistance compared to the old wire?

Martin

Did your try starting it after it sat for 2 months and before you did any work on it?

Check your start injector?

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Oh and why was it running rich? Has the adjustment screw been played with?

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!