Damp Weather and Merc 230 (1990)

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
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Tue 14 Oct 2003 14:45
Damp Weather and Merc 230 (1990) - Hintza
I was wondering if anyone has a cure before the bad weather sets in.

I have a much beloved Merc 230 that can be a bit tempramental if left for a couple of days in cold wet weather. If left for a week and the weather has been bad it will not start at all. Otherwise if left for a couple of days it runs on 2-3 cylinders with much coughing and burping until warmed up.

I have had to in the past bring in the HT leads and dry and warm them on the radiator (after which the car ran fine). Needless to say they were replaced, but the problem can still persist at times.

I have no option but to leave the car outside and we are in quite an exposed position. I can improve the situation if the car is pointing away from the prevailing wind.

Is there a product that can be sprayed on to HT leads, distributor cap, coil etc (not a great fan of WD40 for this job)? Will a new coil help?

Please help

Hintza

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Tue 14 Oct 2003 22:22
Damp Weather and Merc 230 (1990) - David Davies
From your report it sounds as if cold start enrichment is not happening.A common cause of this is the so-called 'overvoltage protection relay'.This is located behind a plastic cover on the nearside bulkhead.It is a silver coloured relay and is fitted with its own fuse.Check this fuse first,as it may be simply a question of renewing it.
David Davies (Tune-Up Raglan)
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Tue 14 Oct 2003 22:46
Damp Weather and Merc 230 (1990) - Hintza
But if the car is used daily there is no problem its only when left for a couple of days.

I will certainly look at this relay though

Tx
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Wed 15 Oct 2003 09:44
Damp Weather and Merc 230 (1990) - Aprilia
I wonder if is could be a fuel supply problem (i.e. fuel draining back out of fuel lines and distributor etc.).
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Wed 15 Oct 2003 09:49
Damp Weather and Merc 230 (1990) - Altea Ego
If it starts after drying ourt and warming up the HT leads it sounds HT electrical to me.

Take it somewehere nice and dark. Take a small plant water spray bottle. Start the engine, lift the bonnet and spray a fine mist of water over the HT bits. If its tracking anywhere when its damp, you will see it in the dark.

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Wed 15 Oct 2003 10:56
Damp Weather and Merc 230 (1990) - Peter D
Buy a new distributor cap, claen all the leads and check the plug cap resistors in case you have the inbuilt resistor type which are prone to going open circuit when cold. Regards

Peter
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