Thanks guys for such a great forum. I hope you can help me out.

I just recently purchased a MB 300 SL Gullwing Continuation built by Tony Ostermeir of Gardena, California. Some of you may be familar with his cars.

The car was built in 1990 with a 300E engine. The motor has 5,400 miles on it and here is the problem. I drive the car infrequently and this morning I got in to start it but it wouldn't fire. After checking for spark (it had plenty) I checked the plugs and they were dry as a bone. After several attempts at cranking it I finally heard the fuel pump buzz and the car started immediately. My guess is, perhaps, a fuel relay problem?

Any thoughts would be appreciated, and if the conclusion is a fuel relay, where is this normally located, and could someone provide a description of what it looks like.

Thanks very much to all of you.

Fuel pump relay is normally behind the battery under a plastic splash cover on the W124, but a custom body, could be anywhere near that.

Are you putting gas preserver in the tank when you aren't driving the car? 5400 miles since 1990 would indicate to me long periods of storage, and without gas preserver in the tank, the fuel evaporates and gets gummy. This then clogs the fuel pump and filter, so the pump won't develop enough pressure to start the car.

If you are going to actually drive the car occasionally, you need to do so on a regular basis -- I would personally recommend a drive once a month or so, weather permitting, long enough to get the entire car up to operating temp, including rear end and wheel bearings. This is at least 20 miles, 40 would be better. I would still use gas perserver in the tank, too.

Peter

__________________
1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

Can't add any more to Peter's commentary. but how about some pictures?

__________________
Chuck Taylor
Falls Church VA
'66 200, '66 230SL, '96 SL500. Sold: '81 380SL, '86 300E, '72 250C, '95 C220, 3 '84 280SL's '90 420SEL, '72 280SE, '73 280C, '78 280SE, '70 280SL, '77 450SL, '85 380SL, '87 560SL, '85 380SL, '72 350SL, '96 S500 Coupe

Thanks for the response, I will use some Sta-Bil in the tank. Can you describe the fuel relay (size, color)? My problem is that I wasn't hearing the pump when I first turned the ignition to the on position. Later, I could hear it come on and then everything was OK and the car fired right up.

Unfortunately, I don't think I can help you with your problem, but I wonder if you can give me an update on Tony. When I was with IBM my office was in a nearby building, and I regularly had lunch at the cafe out front from the late eighties to early nineties. After lunch I always took a walk to the back to check out progress on the cars and the totaled 300Es he collected. I was pretty much a regular and even gave tours of co-workers and customers. Neat place!

A few weeks ago I was in the area on Vermont and could not find the shop. In fact, it looked like the entire building was replaced. Did Tony move, and is he still building the 300SL replicas, or is he out of business?

Duke

Duke:

Tony sold the business to someone associated with Rolls Royce. The tooling, jigs, etc. are crossing the Atlantic as we speak. Tony has suffered from coronary heart disease and decided to hang it up. In addition to the Coupe, he also produced a roadster. That car was produced in 1992. Whether the new owner gets this project up and running is questionable.

Many of his cars were exported to Europe and Japan, with only a handfull remaining state side. The craftsmanship is superb and Tony really had his heart and soul in the building of these cars.

BTW, can anyone of you suggest a good manual for the 300E? I am really a neophyte when i comes to the MBs, having spent much of my life tinkering with Corvettes and Shelbys.

Thanks.

Thanks, Dan. I was always impressed with the design and workmanship of the cars.

Duke

Intermittent function is also a common symptom of impending fuel pump failure.
When not working, you can check for voltage at the fuel pump with a test light. I say a light, because digital voltmeters usually do not register fast enough to detect voltage during the short interval that the pump(s) fire when the ignition goes to the On position.

An alternate method is to provide 12v directly to the fuel pump, and see if it spins.

Intermittent fuel pumps will generally start if given a firm whack.
While you may not actually have a 124 fuel pump on your custom rig, the above holds true for most fuel pumps.

Best of luck with your winged wonder.

__________________
1986 300E 5-Speed 240k mi.

mine was the Fuel pump relay. Of course my 300E has two fuel pumps, so the relay is huge.

hello, can anybody help me with this:

l have a Ostermeir roadster, and have some bubbles in the paintthat looks like corrosion. Asthis isaluminum reinforced fiberglass, what is the reason and how dol repair it??

Thanks

If your car was built in 1990, it may have the fuel pump relay incorporated in the MAS relay. It's a big shiny metal box that performs several relay functions. On the later '90-'91 W126 cars, the MAS sits behind the first firewall, just inboard of the brake booster. The main identifying thing is a big black knob on top that looks like the burner knob on a gas cooktop - you turn it a full turn CC to release the relay. Of course on your car it could be anywhere. Do a search here on mAS, and you can find a picture.

Here's some thoughts if you get the pump to run, but still no fuel:

If you hear the pump run for a couple seconds every time you turn the key on, but the engine still won't get fuel, try cycling the key a couple times, then pull the air filter and depress the big air intake valve (flap) with your finger.
If the fuel distributor is getting fuel, there should be an even, firm resistance when pushing the air valve down. Push and release it several times, and it should get easier to push, as the fuel pressure is relieved. If it goes down very easily at first, you are not getting fuel pressure to the fuel distributor, so the search can focus on checking the fuel filter, the fuel pressure regulator, the pump, the accumulator, and the check valve at the pump.

DG

Oops; I just made a great reply to a 10-year old post - Ah, I love retirement.

DG