Questions and Answers

Mercedes Starts And Dies Q. Dear Sir, I have a 1995 Mercedes Benz S280 which has done 44,000 miles only with full main dealer history. The car will not start from cold first time except for the odd occasion.The car lumbers over for a few seconds and then dies. The revs are not sufficient to keep it running.

It then starts normally on the second try and is okay for the rest of the day while the engine is warm. The specialists have put the vehicle on the diagnostics computer an it shows no errors. I would be pleased with any suggestions you could come up with. Thanking you in anticipation.

Yours sincerely,
Chris

A. It sounds to me like it's losing fuel pressure over night and needs to build up that pressure before it will start and run correctly. The way to test this theory is when you first get in the car in the morning, turn the key to the RUN position but do not start it. Count to five (or when you hear the fuel pump shut off) and turn the key off. Do this four or five times and then start it. If it starts and runs normally, you know the problem is in the fuel pump.

There was also a TSB on the fuel pressure regulator with an internal leakage problem. I would have them look into that as well.

Additional Information provided courtesy of ALLDATA