1988 mercedes not starting?

Question

its a 1988 420 SEL mercedes the car still runs great, but this morning when we tried to start the car, it would turn but it just wouldnt start, even when turning the ignition and hitting the gas peddle the car wouldnt start! its like its not getting gas or something??? but its turning, what could it be? check the fuses? or is this a gas line problem

Answer 1

Possible easy fix cold start valve.See if later in the day when warm,she fires easy.

Answer 2

You need basically two things to start the car, gas and spark.  To see if your getting spark you can remove one of the spark plugs and then connect it back up to the wire and crank the engine.  See if it is sparking.  If that is good, then see if your getting gas.  Is your car fuel injected or carburetor?  If you have a carb you can try putting some gas down it and see if it will run momentarily.  If you have fuel injection, can you hear the fuel pump running with the key in the on position?   If you normally can hear the fuel pump and you don't hear it now, check for a blown fuse.  You can also check the fuel pressure on the fuel rail with a fuel pressure gauge.  If your not getting fuel and the fuses are good.  It could be a clogged fuel filter or bad fuel pump.

Answer 3

The most common problem with those cars with the symptoms you're describing is a bad fuel pump relay.  What you can sometimes do is give the relay a couple of gentle taps ( it's located on the passenger side behind the battery and it's marked "8 zyl." ).  That will sometimes get it going again for a while ( and would also confirm that the relay is the problem ).

Answer 4

Well, since it is turning over, you know it's not the starter, that leaves the ignition and the fuel supply. Is there gasoline in the tank?  

I would think if this is a sudden thing, you may have a catastrophic failure rather than say bad spark plug wires or plugs. Is this a fuel injected car or does it have a carburetor? You may want to look at the distributor, perhaps the cap is cracked or the rotor got damaged? You may want to take the wire off one the the spark plugs, but keep it close enough to see if you have arcing when you crank the engine.

If I am remembering correctly, the fuel pump is inside the tank, so find the fuel line going to the injection pump or the carburetor, loosen it and crank the engine and see if fuel comes out of the line.

Sorry I am just rambling on, but I hope you find it without going to a shop.

For my Diesels I have found myself loosing power to the extent of the engine quitting on me. I found that I had not changed the fuel filter in a long time and that caused the problem. So, if this problem has slowly gotten more noticeable you may want to replace the filter unless you have done so recently.