Engine stalling at idle when first excellerating

[Michaelg]

When I put my 1970 280 sl roadster in drive and hit the gas is stalles repeatedly.
It idles clean when in park. Any ideas for trouble shooting?

[stickandrudderman]

Go to the technical manual on this site and follow the linkage tour.

[Garry]

Unfortunately you need to be a Full Member to be able to access the Linkage Tour in the Tech Manual. Not everything is free.

I assure you that joining as a Full Member will return you the small cost of membership ($30) just in setting your car up correctly.  You will also have access to Pagoda Notes and will receive Pagoda World twice a year.


Garry
Membership Administrator

[Michaelg]

I am signing up.
Have a nice xmas
Cheers

Michael

[wwheeler]

Good decision to join! This site is the single most valuable resource I use for my W111. Imagine how incredibly valuable it is for the W113 owner!

My 280SE hesitated at a standing start when I bought it. It was lean at idle but......there were many problems causing this and the linkage tour and the other aides here helped resolve it. Good luck. 

[Cees Klumper]

One of the possible causes is the constant speed solenoid (CSS), a widget that mechanically increases idle on automatic and AC equipped cars, to overcome the load on the engine that would otherwise reduce idle RPM. It's easy to check, in addition to doing the linkage tour. Good luck and keep us posted.

[ja17]

If the car is coming out of a long hibernation, the Warm Up Device (WRD) may be stuck. Does it act this way with cold engine, warm engine or both?

[Michaelg]

the warmer it gets the more it stalls.

[Bonnyboy]

Sounds like a fuel problem so I would check electrical.   

Just a shot in the dark but have you checked the condenser/coil/points and all electrical wires/connections for corrosion/tightness or broken internal wires?  If it gets worse when hot to me that suggests an internal break somewhere.     

[wwheeler]

the warmer it gets the more it stalls.

I would check to make sure it isn't lean @ idle when fully warm. When cold, the engines have devices that richen the mixture. Once warm, they lean out to the normal preset mixture. What is your idle speed in park?

[Michaelg]

you mentioned that i should check CSS. i am still stalling.
is there an easy way to check this selonoid.

[Cees Klumper]

When you put the car in drive you should see the small rod coming out of the CSS extend to move the linkage by a couple of millimeters so as to increase the idle. You may need another person to do this test, as you can't see the CSS engage when you're inside the car, putting it into gear, plus you want to apply the brake when you do. Good luck, ithere's a host of possible causes here, work through them one by one.

[Benz Dr.]

Bad spark plugs will do it every time.