Steve,

So your message here is: There are many reasons for a car to run poorly. Such things as:

-OVP Relay
-Voltage Regulator
-fuel filter
-Cap
-Rotor
-plugs
-wires
-vacuum lines
-injector seals
-thermostat
-vacuum sensor on top of engine(has 2 vacuum lines coming out of it)
-idle control valve
-02 sensor
-fuel mixture
-electrical connections
-air filter
-etc, etc ....

The "game show" part of your comment is in the exclamation of the solution? That the real test (true technician) is to find the problem quickly and effectively without needless parts replacements?

Got it! I hear you. A lot of the solutions on this board to similiar problems are offered sometimes as universal cure-alls. Unfortuneately, the parts list above could all be contributors to poor running.

I think it was Larry Bible who put it best: Test the basics first. It doesn't matter what you might think its wrong.

Haasman

__________________
'03 E320 Wagon-Sold
'95 E320 Wagon-Went to Ex
'93 190E 2.6-Wrecked
'91 300E-Went to Ex
'65 911 Coupe (#302580)