[W126 Coupe] Car Dies at slow speed

Thu Mar 24 08:53:15 EST 2005

Calvin,

I just had fuel pump relay problems on my SEC recently. However, as the problems got worse, the car was harder and harder to restart until in the end it totally died (thankfully in my driveway).  So I'm not sure if this is your problem or not.  The part isn't cheap (somewhere in the $100-200 range if memory serves me correctly) but I diagnosed it after the car wouldn't restart and jumpered the pins in the relay socket and the car restarted.

In my SEC, 1987 year, the relay is about middle of the engine bay up by the firewall.  Its a little box, rectangular shaped object that plugs into the port, in my case the climate control relay was next to it.  Not sure where it is on the 83 model.

Good luck,
Markus

 --- On Wed 03/23, Calvin Young < cayoung144 at yahoo.com > wrote:
From: Calvin Young [mailto: cayoung144 at yahoo.com]
To: mbcoupes at mbcoupes.com
Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2005 14:24:03 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [W126 Coupe] Car Dies at slow speed

<DIV>
<DIV>Hi Markus, </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>car always restarts right away with no problem.  No starting issues whatever.  The problem to me seems to be in the system that maintains idle and keeps car going when the throttle is not pressed.  Oddly enough, the terrain is always level.  </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Car never has a problem at high speed and always starts without fail right away.  the only issue is once in a while as I slow down for a light or to make a 90 degree turn and speed gets very low, car will just turn off.  I watched the rpm yesterday as I began to slow down for a traffic light, rpms dropped below 500 to about 250 or so and car just cut off as rpm went to zero.  At other times, car seemed to catch itself and rpm jumped back up over 1000 and dropped back to a normal 800 or so.  I thought I could hear a thunk from the rear area.  Both fuel pumps are relatively new (last two years or so).  Again, no problems or grinding to restart car.  Start-up is always perfect.  </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Chaz indicated that he had had this problem and it was the fuel pump relay.  Relay bad or pins corroded.  I intend to check this out as soon as I can locate the relay.  I have had relay problems on other German cars like my Audis and the relay either worked or did not work, no intermittent problems like this one.  </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Worse, car will drive for weeks without a problem and then just die with no warning whatsoever. I now watch the rpms as I slow down.  Slowly applying the brake to keep the rpms from dropping too fast seems to eliminate the problem.  I think!! Since I do not drive the car much, hard to tell if this really solves the issue.  </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I do not get overly concerned for me since this happens only at low speed and usually when I am turning the vehicle.  Just have to be careful not to turn when someone is coming at high speed.  I  cannot expect my wife to do this since the power steering no longer works and it becomes difficult to control the direction of the car once engine is dead.  </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I need to get this fixed since soonest as my other benz is laid up until I get the brakes changed and wife has issues with driving my Audi 94 S4 since it is a stick.  Bad knee.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I plan to use a temporary remedy by upping the rpms until you guys can help me come up with a permanent fix. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I will check out the fuel pumps to see if they are turning after car dies.  Checked the pumps, they do not wherrr when the car is turned on but not started.  The only thing I can hear is the retractable antenna going up and then nothing.  lights are on but no noise of any kind until I turn the key all the way to start and then car starts normally.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Cal</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Message: 2<BR>Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 12:13:32 -0500 (EST)<BR>From: "Markus Meyer" <MFMEYER at IWON.COM><BR>Subject: [W126 Coupe] Re: MBCOUPES Digest, Vol 5, Issue 24<BR>To: mbcoupes at mbcoupes.com<BR>Message-ID: <20050322171332.7849D39EB at email.iwon.com><BR>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"<BR><BR><BR>Calvin,<BR><BR>Lets get some more details. Dies and then restarts right away and keeps going, or dies and then remains hard to start or dead for a while? It is going to be either electrical/spark or fuel related. After it dies, and you turn the key (but don't actually start it, just turn key to start) do you hear the fuel pumps spinning?<BR><BR>Markus<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>--- On Tue 03/22, Calvin Young < cayoung144 at yahoo.com > wrote:<BR>From: Calvin Young [mailto: cayoung144 at yahoo.com]<BR>To: mbcoupes at mbcoupes.com<BR>Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 09:10:33 -0800 (PST)<BR>Subject: [W126 Coupe] Re: MBCOUPES Digest, Vol 5, Issue 24<BR><BR></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">
<DIV><BR>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P><BR>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Guys, I need your help.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>My 83 380 SEC has developed a problem that could get my wife killed or injured. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I know that taking it to a dealer will not fix the problem as it occurs infrequently.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  They will just keep changing parts until I quite in disgust.</SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P><BR>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P><BR>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The engine dies every once in a while, particularly while turning a corner at low speed.  <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Yesterday, my wife says that it died while she was driving down the road as she was coming to a stop for a light. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I have replaced all of the idle control mechanisms in the car that I know of since I had a rough idle problem.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>The engine is rebuilt as is the tranny (about a year or so ago with good contractors).<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Car has new wires and darn near everything has been replaced except the computer. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  Car is a Euro.  </SPAN></SPAN></P><BR>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"></SPAN></SPAN> </P><BR>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">Any help would be appreciated.</SPAN></SPAN></P><BR>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"></SPAN></SPAN> </P><BR>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">Cal</SPAN></SPAN></P></DIV><BR><BR>Sincerely, <BR><BR><BR><BR>Calvin A.Young 
<P><BR>
<HR SIZE=1>
Do you Yahoo!?<BR><BR>Yahoo! Mail - Easier than ever with enhanced search. <A href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=29916/*http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250">Learn more.</A> 
<P>The MB Coupes Website!<BR>W126 SEC Mailing List<BR>Postings remain property of MB Coupes, L.L.C.<BR><BR>_______________________________________________<BR><BR><BR><BR>------------------------------<BR><BR>Message: 3<BR>Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 09:13:47 -0800 (PST)<BR>From: Jim Nowak <JJNOWAK_32503 at YAHOO.COM><BR>Subject: Re: [W126 Coupe] Re: MBCOUPES Digest, Vol 5, Issue 24<BR>To: Mercedes Coupes Mailing Lists <MBCOUPES at MBCOUPES.COM><BR>Message-ID: <20050322171347.24318.qmail at web20022.mail.yahoo.com><BR>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii<BR><BR>Calvin,<BR><BR>Have you changed the fuel filter?<BR><BR>Jim<BR><BR><BR>--- Calvin Young <CAYOUNG144 at YAHOO.COM>wrote:<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Guys, I need your help. My 83 380 SEC has developed<BR>> a problem that could get my wife killed or injured. <BR>> I know that taking it to a dealer will not fix the<BR>> problem as it occurs infrequently. They will just<BR>> keep changing parts until I quite i
 n
 disgust.<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> The engine dies every once in a while, particularly<BR>> while turning a corner at low speed. Yesterday, my<BR>> wife says that it died while she was driving down<BR>> the road as she was coming to a stop for a light. I<BR>> have replaced all of the idle control mechanisms in<BR>> the car that I know of since I had a rough idle<BR>> problem. The engine is rebuilt as is the tranny<BR>> (about a year or so ago with good contractors). Car<BR>> has new wires and darn near everything has been<BR>> replaced except the computer. Car is a Euro. <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Any help would be appreciated.<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Cal<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Sincerely, <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Calvin A.Young<BR>> <BR>> ---------------------------------<BR>> Do you Yahoo!?<BR>> Yahoo! Mail - Easier than ever with enhanced<BR>> search. Learn more.> The MB Coupes
 Website!<BR>> W126 SEC Mailing List<BR>> Postings remain property of MB Coupes, L.L.C.<BR><BR><BR>------------------------------<BR><BR>Message: 4<BR>Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 09:25:37 -0800 (PST)<BR>From: Calvin Young <CAYOUNG144 at YAHOO.COM><BR>Subject: [W126 Coupe] Rusty Bolt<BR>To: mbcoupes at mbcoupes.com<BR>Message-ID: <20050322172537.57664.qmail at web51009.mail.yahoo.com><BR>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"<BR><BR>I believe that it was Archimedes that said give me a lever long enough and I can move the world. <BR><BR>the answer is to get the 3/4 pry bar and the five foot pipe. this will move the bolt. you might have to support the pry bar at the wheel with a 4 by 4 block of wood cut to fit to the right height to support the knuckle of the prybar. a friend to help hold the bar might also be in order. <BR><BR>I would hesitate to use a screw extractor. the two times I have used them they broke off in the recalcitrant bolt and I had a larger problem. I then 
 had to
 drill out the screw extrator which is a really hard problem since the metal used to make them is so hard. levereage is the key.<BR><BR>Cal<BR><BR>Message: 1<BR>Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2005 10:39:26 -0800<BR>From: Jan Michael Kubr <JM at KUBR.COM><BR>Subject: [W126 Coupe] how difficult can it be to change a tire...<BR>To: Mercedes Coupes Mailing Lists <MBCOUPES at MBCOUPES.COM><BR>Message-ID: <423F14DE.9000409 at kubr.com><BR>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed<BR><BR>So I got a new set off BF Goodrich tires at costco ($381 installed) but <BR>turns out they were unable to get one nut off on the front right tire. <BR>They sent me to another shop but even they, after trying 3 different <BR>guns, could not get it off.<BR><BR>So once I find a shop that can get the damn thing off, most likely <BR>something will have broken. Now I was told (and not having a service <BR>manual handy) that if one of the bolts breaks, I'd have to replace the <BR>backplate to which all f
 ive
 bolts are attached.. any truth to that?<BR><BR>mike<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>Sincerely, <BR><BR><BR><BR>Calvin A.Young<BR><BR>---------------------------------<BR>Do you Yahoo!?<BR>Yahoo! Mail - Easier than ever with enhanced search. Learn more.<BR>-------------- next part --------------<BR>An HTML attachment was scrubbed...<BR>URL: http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/mbcoupes/attachments/20050322/92817c35/attachment.html<BR><BR>------------------------------<BR><BR>Message: 5<BR>Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 09:55:12 -0800 (PST)<BR>From: Calvin Young <CAYOUNG144 at YAHOO.COM><BR>Subject: [W126 Coupe] Johnathon's email and phone number<BR>To: mbcoupes at mbcoupes.com<BR>Message-ID: <20050322175512.68822.qmail at web51010.mail.yahoo.com><BR>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"<BR><BR><BR>Can anyone give me Johnathon's phone number and email. I need some parts and advice for my brakes.<BR><BR><BR>Cal<BR><BR><BR>Sincerely, <BR><BR><BR><BR>Calvin
 A.Young<BR><BR>---------------------------------<BR>Do you Yahoo!?<BR>Yahoo! Mail - Find what you need with new enhanced search. Learn more.<BR>-------------- next part --------------<BR>An HTML attachment was scrubbed...<BR>URL: http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/mbcoupes/attachments/20050322/8c7aac4e/attachment.htm<BR><BR>------------------------------<BR><BR>Message: 6<BR>Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 13:03:14 -0500<BR>From: "Rusty Cullens" <RUSTY at BUYMBPARTS.COM><BR>Subject: RE: [W126 Coupe] Johnathon's email and phone number<BR>To: "'Mercedes Coupes Mailing Lists'" <MBCOUPES at MBCOUPES.COM><BR>Message-ID: <001c01c52f09$6ae01a50$1101000a at bimbyjono><BR>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"<BR><BR>404-805-1357<BR><BR>-----Original Message-----<BR>From: mbcoupes-bounces at mbcoupes.com<BR>[mailto:mbcoupes-bounces at mbcoupes.com] On Behalf Of Calvin Young<BR>Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2005 12:55 PM<BR>To: mbcoupes at mbcoupes.com<BR>Subject: [W126 Coupe] Johnathon's email and phone
 number<BR><BR><BR>Can anyone give me Johnathon's phone number and email. I need some<BR>parts and advice for my brakes.<BR><BR><BR>Cal<BR><BR><BR>Sincerely, <BR><BR><BR><BR>Calvin A.Young<BR>_____ <BR><BR>Do you Yahoo!?<BR>Yahoo! Mail - Find what you need with new enhanced search. Learn<BR><HTTP: evt="29917/*http:/info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250" us.rd.yahoo.com><BR>more.<BR>-------------- next part --------------<BR>An HTML attachment was scrubbed...<BR>URL: http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/mbcoupes/attachments/20050322/7dce52ed/attachment.html<BR><BR>------------------------------<BR><BR>Message: 7<BR>Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 13:17:16 -0500<BR>From: "Chiappinelli, Joseph" <JOSEPH.CHIAPPINELLI at MIRANT.COM><BR>Subject: RE: [W126 Coupe] SEC vs SNOW<BR>To: "Vedat Iplikci" <SAVEKS at SUPERONLINE.COM>, "Mercedes Coupes Mailing<BR>Lists" <MBCOUPES at MBCOUPES.COM><BR>Message-ID:<BR><FD5F4396894392498870554B1BDAB4E840A986 at ATLEXMS03.NA.MIRANT.NET><BR>Content-Type: text/plain;
 charset="iso-8859-1"<BR><BR>Put on a set of 4 Blizzaks, load the trunk with 100 pounds of ballast, keep a full tank and drive through any kind of snow. Of course, its best putting her away for the winter and driving a beater till summer.<BR>J.Chip<BR><BR><BR>________________________________<BR><BR>From: mbcoupes-bounces at mbcoupes.com on behalf of Vedat Iplikci<BR>Sent: Tue 3/22/2005 3:19 AM<BR>To: Mercedes Coupes Mailing Lists<BR>Subject: Re: [W126 Coupe] SEC vs SNOW<BR><BR><BR>Having always been enthusiastic for a chance to drive on snow (at least until the SEC), I kept a set of snow tires on wheels for my car-at-the-time ready in the garage for maybe 15 years. The last were Bridgestone Blizzaks for my Volvo S40 T4, which have proven to be very valuable. When I bought the SEC though, I went for Pirelli Snowsports, because of price advantage over the Blizzaks. Two winters later, I'm now unsure which is lousy; the Snowsports or the SEC?!?... NO, it's not ME, for I am a very go
 od
 driver on all sorts of terrain on all sorts of vehicles. My guess would be that it is 60 SEC/40 Snowsports. I have been in situations where there were reasonable linear stability, but there were also cases when I kept cursing trying to start the car moving on the slightest of slopes. Therefore, my next choice on snow tires -for the SEC- would certainly be one which promises extreme grip at the expense of comfort, rather than the general winter tires which promise traction an<BR>d comfort on multi-surface conditions. Additionally I think it would be best to keep a set of Spikes-Spiders in the trunk.<BR><BR>Nevertheless, it is for sure that a 2-ton RWD is not the best of choices to drive on low-traction surfaces.<BR><BR>Vedat Iplikci<BR>1987 560SEC Euro<BR><BR>----- Original Message ----- <BR>From: Sam Sisic <?xml:namespace prefix = mailto /><mailto:ssisic at Antunovich.com><BR>To: mbcoupes at mbcoupes.com <BR>Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2005 4:38 AM<BR>Subject: [W126 Coupe] SEC vs
 SNOW<BR><BR>Hallo group...<BR><BR>I just experienced an extremely nerve racking experience on a road trip from Chicago to Kohler Wisconsin, about an hour north of Milwaukee.<BR>I was looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend at The American Club resort in Kohler, WI with my favorite lady friend celebrating our B-days in our P-j's... So far so good. HA!<BR><BR>Well it's mid March near lake Michigan. I checked the weather since I never drive the SEC in the snow. Not so much for the snow, but the stupid salt they dump on the roads around here.<BR>The weather report indicated only a slight 20% chance of snow Friday evening. I figured, big deal, a little snow dusting won't even stick... I took the SEC and left the Jeep at home... Big mistake!!<BR><BR>We had just passed Milwaukee heading North when snow flurries began. As we drove further it began to get heavier. At this point it was beginning to stick to the road. Nothing serious... I was just hoping they didn't bring the salt t
 rucks
 out at that point.<BR><BR>Anyway, it started to really dump now... It's called "The Lake Effect"! At this point we are riding on 2"-3" of snow in less than 15 minutes. The tires on my SEC are Bridgestone SO-3 Pole Positions, 275's rear, 245's front, strictly summer/rain tires... I didn't think it would be a big deal as I've driven my 91, 5.0 Mustang with V rated Good Year Eagles year-around for 7 years in much worse conditions and never left me stranded... <BR><BR>Well, the SEC is no Mustang, let me tell you... The first slight turn in the road and this thing just wanted to keep going straight... Surprised the S____ out of me! I'm going about 40 MPH, just keeping up with all the mini vans and SUV's who are cooking the speed limit at 65MPH... SEC now crawling at 30-40 MPH. If I tried to speed up the wheels would just spin and the rear fish-tail out of control. If I tried to slow down the ABS even quit because there was hardly any traction whatsoever. After three occasions of 
 running
 down the road sideways, literally, and almost going off the road, I was now white knuckles on the wheel with my hart rate in the red line driving like a grandma, no offence to grandmas, looking for the nearest exit with services near the highway. <BR><BR>We were approaching en exit to a small town of Port Washington, which is about 7 miles to the East of the highway... May as well been 700 miles... As we approached the exit the road took a slight left turn while the exit ramp kept straight with a slight incline. I didn't know weather to stay on the highway where there are more vehicles making tracks or take this remote exit unpopulated for miles. Turns out, I didn't have a choice! The cars momentum just took it straight into the exit ramp. By now there 4"-5" of snow and no sign of letting up. We're sliding all over the place about half way up the ramp and the car looses traction and won't go anywhere. Other vehicles are just going right by me. To add to the excitement, one o
 f the
 only things not working on my car is the emergency flasher switch which had recently decided to retire and I couldn't even turn that on to warn people behind me. I never felt so crippled in a car before. If someone came by with a front wheel drive H<BR>onda Civic and offered to trade me for the SEC at that point, I would have done it!!<BR>Anyway, there we are stuck on the ramp in the middle of snowhere when Jean noticed a man was trying to push us up the hill! Amazing I thought... I told Jean to go help him push. Just kidding! HA! I asked Jean to drive while I went out and helped the nice man trying to help us. We tried, but there simply wasn't enough traction. I finally asked him to push us with his van up to the crown of the hill. As he's looking at the mint black SEC, he asked, are you sure? I said, absolutely!! Our bumpers lined up well enough and he pushed me up the hill until I could gain some momentum. He honked and went on his way. I didn't even have a chance to than
 k him...
 What an incredible thing, I thought. That's why we're still here, so long as there is good folk like that around!<BR>There we are barely going down the road of rolling Wisconsin hills in a blizzard 7 miles from anywhere... The SEC is sliding all over the road, barely making it up to the crown of each hill. I didn't know which was worse, not making it to the crown of a hill or picking up too much speed on the down side and not being able to stop if I had to.<BR>Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we start to see some lights and signs of civilization. Seeing a Holiday Inn sign was like a beacon in the night!! I literally slid into a parking spot on the road in front of the Inn... As I sat there in silence with Jean looking at each other taking deep breaths of incredible relief, I felt like I just aged 10 years in 3 hours.<BR>We were so fortunate and thankful to arrive there with no incident, thanks mostly to the kind man... We were so hungry and exhausted, we checked 
 in and
 went and had dinner at this nearby restaurant/fishery/pub called Smith Brothers. I've never enjoyed all you can eat, beer batter fish fry with $2 Spaten on draught like then!! Highly recommend it! <BR><BR>The next morning, the roads were plowed and salted... We were able to finish our trip to Kohler and back to Chicago without incident. All is well that ends well! <BR>BTW... Highly recommend The American Club Resort in Kohler too!<BR><BR>=== message truncated ===</P></BLOCKQUOTE></mailto:ssisic at Antunovich.com></DIV><BR><BR>Sincerely, <br><br><br><br>Calvin A.Young<p>
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