Car wont start

I have a problem my mechanic cannot figure out.  Mt car is a 1995 sl 500 with 48k miles. If I leave my car sitting for about 1 month it starts fine but if I drive for a while then shut it off it will not start. It backfires and chokes but will not start. If I leave it for about 30min it will then start and drive problem free for the rest of the day. This is driving me crazy. Please help. Have replaced: spark plugs, main wiring harness because it had rotted out ($500). Any ideas would be be appreciated. tawom37984.9581597222

It sounds like a fueling problem.  Has the fueling system (injectors, pump, filter, lines, gas cap, tank, etc.) been checked?

How did the wiring harness rot?  Was it caught in a flood?

 

Checked fuel system already. Wiring harness is "normal" failure item according to Mercedes. They used to cover it but I guess the cost was too high after so many cars were coming back with similar problem so they canned that.

Programming?  Probably checked that already, too.  Good luck, whatever it turns out to be. 

So, instead of fixing the "normal rotting" problem Mercedes does nothing so they can make more money off of us.   Weeners!

 

Yes checked programming.

Did you get to the bottom of this one? I am experiencing what sounds like the same sympton with my 92 SL500. It starts perfectly when cold but is an absolute nightmare when warm. I get the same backfiring and even when it does finally start it will just keep stalling. If you resolved the problem then please do let me know what the problem was.

Thanks

I've just experienced the exact same problem on my '95 SL with 53 K miles. Car is also seldom used (last started six weeks ago). Any new idea where to look? Or do I just need to use it more?

Thanks!

Try spraying some starting fluid around the base of the injector distributor at idle speed. If you have an intake seal leak, the car will speed up when the fluid hits the intake.

pop off the dist caps and check for signs of condensation,, this type of motor was known for this happening.

hi

have read all threads on car wont start. I have just had the same exact problem. Replace distributor cap, rotor arm, spark plugs and all HT leads - with no change in performance whatsoever - car still coughed and spluttered.

A garage mechanic suggested that the fuel injectors could possible have a build up of wax, and recommened using a injector cleaner.

He gave me a bottle of FORTE ADVANCED FORMULA GAS TREATMENT . This was added to fuel tank (one third full) and left on idle for 1 hr.

I then proceeded to give the car a test drive and it seemed to have worked a treat

NO MORE COUGH AND SPLUTTER

It probably is a result of standing still and short runs that caused the problem in the first place

I am based in the UK, but assume you may be able to get similar products worldwide.

Not saying this would work in all cases - but the symptoms are too common


http://www.forteuk.co.uk/

simon
England

1990 300SL 24v

I have the same problem with a 1994 SL500.
The car will not demonstrate the problem at the dealership.
What was your final cause of the problem and the solution?
Carb cleaner over a 2000 mi road trip did not help.
The problem is only evident on short less than 10 mile trips.
Sitting in a parking lot or gas pump for 40 minutes is getting old.

Thanks

Hi, I had the same problem with my 1993 300SL 140,000 miles. I would be driving then when i slowed to an idle it would simply shut off. The engine would then turn over and backfire but not start unless i let it sit for a while. I replaced the distributor cap, rotor arm, and spark plugs. Then I finally changed the camshaft position sensor. After that the car stopped doing it. It works fine now. Hope it helps.

Thanks for the reply.
My problem seems similar and the dealer worked on the car for a week during winter months.
They could not get the car to do "it's thing."
Based on my description of the problem they have replaced the Crank Position Sensor.

The Car behaved well, but once the warm weather arrived, the problem returned.

It get's really old sitting in a parking lot waiting for the 45 minutes before it will restart.
All the compliments of "Nice looking car" do seem sincere as they help push it out of the way of the gas pump.

my last post to this topic was not the final solution, the problem occurred yet again,

it seems that the after market non-mercedes distributor cap and rotor arm that i fitted following the original problem was at fault.

I was advised to fit only original mercedes parts (twice the price !), and this advice wasnt from a mercedes employee either

so, i handed over the cash at the local dealership and had them fitted

early signs of running with original parts are looking promising, with no more splutter, and stalling

will keep this forum informed of developments

Just a note - I managed to replicate the problem of the car stalling by letting the car idle for 20 - 30 mins while parked up. after this time the car would stall right on que ! this did pose questions that the problem was temperature related.

best of luck to you all

simon

1990 300SL 24v
ENGLAND

I hope this at least helps one of you guys.

It sounds like the clearance between your crankshaft position sensor (L5) and the segment(s) on your flywheel are too low.

"Usually" no code is set for this problem.

An easy (and very inexpensive) way to check this is, remove the Crankshaft Position Sensor, install a 0.5mm shim between the sensor and the mounting surface. Put it back together and check it out.

You can make the shim from gasket material.

If the picture is too unclear, or you are still wondering where the sensor is located, it's located where the transmission and the engine meet. Pretty much behind the left bank Cylinder head. (see picture)

Please keep us informed as to what's happening.

Hope this helps!

Click on the picture for a larger view


Thumbnail Image

Hi.

i seem to have the same problem with my SL 500 -90 170.000 km
When the car hasen´t been driven for a month, it starts easy and clean.. But when i´m driving the car it caughs a little bit when the engine is getting warm.
If you then turn the car off or it stops by itself it won´t start for a couple of hours or something...
The next time when I start the car it runs just fine until the next time I let the car stand for a month or something like that.
I have replaced the same thing as everybody else on this forum.

Now then, has anybody resolved this problem or know what it comes from?
Sorry for my bad English buy the way but I hope that u still understand what I mean.

Best regards Balazs from Sweden...
And yes I´m a student so i don´t have that much money to try different things..