W124 Warm Up Valve? Cold Starting Advice Please!

[torq]

Hi Gang,

Fantastic site! Excellent contributors, wondered if I could ask a quick question. some of you might have come across this one before. Our beloved W124 J Plate, 230TE Auto has an issue starting from cold. It will start but takes forever to pick up before it splutters into life. When it is warm it starts as soon as the key turns. I have changed all the usual suspects, Dizzy cap, leads, plugs etc. There is nothing else wrong with the car as it has done over 3000 miles around Europe recently. Are these cars fitted with a warm up valve or a cold start solenoid/ switch? I rang the local German and Swedish parts place but nothing fits that description- can anyone else shed light on this problem, sure it is an easy fix? Seems quite a simple problem to sort hopefully.....!

Also any cheap independents in South London area you recommend appreciated! (Clapham/ Streatham/ Balham vicinity ideal) Thanks in advance!!

 

[JEZ.S320L]

Hi Gang,

Fantastic site! Excellent contributors, wondered if I could ask a quick question. some of you might have come across this one before. Our beloved W124 J Plate, 230TE Auto has an issue starting from cold. It will start but takes forever to pick up before it splutters into life. When it is warm it starts as soon as the key turns. I have changed all the usual suspects, Dizzy cap, leads, plugs etc. There is nothing else wrong with the car as it has done over 3000 miles around Europe recently. Are these cars fitted with a warm up valve or a cold start solenoid/ switch? I rang the local German and Swedish parts place but nothing fits that description- can anyone else shed light on this problem, sure it is an easy fix? Seems quite a simple problem to sort hopefully.....!

Also any cheap independents in South London area you recommend appreciated! (Clapham/ Streatham/ Balham vicinity ideal) Thanks in advance!!

First of all - Welcome.!

Someone will be along soon who will be able to help.

 

[television]

Check the cold start valve, thats the one with the fuel pipe that goes into the top

The spraying angle should be 80 degrees

 

[Bolide]

Colin Ferns in Richmond should be able to sort you out. 020 8332 7660

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[torq]

Thanks Jez and Malcolm, much appreciated. Nick coincidentally I was looking at your site yesterday, sent the link to a mate of mine. V.good.

Will have a poke around for the cold start valve, cheers.

 

[mercman149]

Query re problem

Hi there,
I had a similar problem with my F reg 230TE last year.
It turned out to be a defective control unit - the one with the blade fuse on top next to the ECU - located behind the battery under the plastic cover.
A tell tale sign with my car was that the ABS warning light remained on constantly.


Mercman149

 

[torq]

Hi Mercman 149,

Thanks so much for that post- the ABS light is also on with my car, oddly it comes on when you switch the lights on. I will investigate the control unit, cheers for the advise.

torq

 

[Bolide]

If the ABS light comes on when you switch the lights on then someone may have bodged the wiring to hide non-functioning ABS. MOT testers know most of these bodges and do test ABS light operation

IIRC the 230 uses K-Jetronic injection like an early Golf GTi. On those they were difficult to start when the fuel pressure regulator failed. But your symptoms seem to be more temperature-related

The OVP relay, as mercman149 suggested, is a classic W124 failure point

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[Ade W124]

mine had identical symptoms before I picked it up - poor cold start and ABS light. OVP relay replaced by vendor, problem solved.

Ade

 

[torq]

Thanks Nick/ Ade,
Sorry for the slow response been out of the country. Are the OVP relays easy to source from G&S or similar or should I go the main dealer route?.. and take it is a plug in and out job?

Good point about the ABS light but the car has a FSH so hopefully it shouldn't have been bodged.

Thanks again guys.

Nick that AMG estate you have is amazing! Saw it on carandclassic.com

 

[Archway Designs]

OVP Relay

Hi,
I've just had a similar problem, poor running and ABS light on. Fixed the poor running with a replacement OVP from Eurocarparts, £40 plus VAT. Its easy to replace. I did mine in the car park oputside Euro. On my 300CE the OVP is under the shroud covering the ECU on the passenger side of the car. It has a plastic cover over it and is on the right hand side of the ECU when viewed from the front of the car. The replacement part had two fuses and two extra pins but it is the only part they do. Euros assured me that it was ok to use and that the extra pins/fuse were probably for a circuit my car didn't have. I still think it needs a cold start valve though as the engine needs extra revs to stop the engine from cutting out when first starting. Can anyone advise before I splash out £90 on one?

Mark
W124 300CE 1991
200K plus and still going strong

 

[Keith D]

Hi and compliments of the season to you all.
I have the exact opposit problem with my 1991 230e, starts from cold on the first turn of the key, but when the car is warm I have to turn her over for arround 8 to 10 seconds and then the old girl is a bit lumpy till we get going. Any thoughts
Cheers

 

[Richard Moakes]

Injector leakdown, it will improve with injector cleaner run through the system, however the only proper cure is new injectors.

My 300e used to be exactly the same, the cylinders had too much fuel in them from the fuel leaking past the pintle valves which caused it to stumble and take a bit too much cranking than I liked for it to restart when warm and having been stood for a few hours.

Good Luck,