What would cause a Mercedes 1985 380 SL to turn over but not start?

Answer 1

There could be a couple of reasons why your car won't start. Apparently, your battery is not the problem. So, you might want to check: Is there gas in the car? Have you checked the distributor cap? Make sure its intact and not cracked, and that all of the wires are in place. Check the electronic ignition unit on the side of the left front fender. Make sure all of the wires are intact. If you''re handy with tools, you might want to check the spark by taking a plug wire off a plug, place a spark plug into the wire and lay it on the valve cover or exhaust manifold. While cranking the car over, check to see if there's a spark....that would mean that your getting spark and the ignition would seem good. It could also be a clogged fuel line...do you smell gas coming from under the hood when you tried to start the car? If you did, it's probably not a fuel problem. Also...you might want to check all the wiring under the hood...a friend of mine had a similar problem and it turned out that he had a RAT PROBLEM....these rats chewed through about $1,200.00 worth of wiring in just a couple of days...so check out the location you park your car for rat droppings, or other signs of infestation. If these suggestions I listed don't seem to help, you'll have to take the car to a mechanic