I have been chasing the starting issues on my 190E for several months now and haven't driven the car in a couple of weeks because it is an inconvenience to have to take 2 minutes to get it to start and run well enough to pull out of the driveway. I have tried so many things but had an idea last night: maybe the fuel pumps aren't priming.

It takes about 15-20 seconds of cranking to get it to sputter to a start and idle at 450rpm then has to run for about a minute before I can move it without it stalling. Once it warms up, it runs like a M103 typically does, like a slouch in the low end and better in the upper end. I tried to hear the pumps priming last night as I cycled the key on and off but couldn't hear them though I could hear them on my parts car back when that still had the engine in it. Is it possible that the pumps are not priming in the "run" position of the ignition but starting to pump once I put it into the crank position? Is there a good way to test this theory?

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Current: 1975 450SEL, 83 300D, 88 Yugo GVX, 90 300D OM603 swap, 91 F150 4.6 4v swap, 93 190E Sportline LE 3.0L M104 swap, 93 190E Sportline LE Megasquirt, 03 Sprinter, 06 E500 4Matic wagon.