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1989 300CE / 300E M 103 Engine stalls after warming up.

It starts fine when cold. Sound like it runs smooth, but not quite (intermittent slight sputter, hardly detectable). Drives fine, maybe lacking a little spunk. Once it warms up it barely makes it up a hill or stalls. When trying to re start, it cranks and and won't fire. while cranking sometimes even the cranking stalls for a second. IF I let it sit until cold it will start right away and repeat the cycle. Doe anybody have an idea, what M 103 / 300E engines are notorious for? car has approx 130k.

Reply to
Chris Trosch
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Check your main wiring harness... make sure the insulations are not falling apart that bare metal touch other wires.

Reply to
Tiger

I would suspect distributor rotor arm - I had exactly these symptoms and that was the answer.

I would stress that you should replace it with a genuine MB rotor arm ( it gets hot up there). The one that failed was a Bremi replacement and it failed after 18 months. New MB version working fine.

Good luck.

RayH

Reply to
sales

Shouldn't be a failing harness on an '89 car. That problem started croppping up with the later 3.2 engine with it's biodegradable wiring.

Start with the simple, low cost items first.

RayH

Reply to
sales

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