Hi.

I have a 1989 240DL sedan. I'm having problems with the fuel pump/relay on start up. Usually I can hear the electric fuel pump whine and the car starts fine, but sometimes the pump won't energize and of course the car won't start. I believe there is a fuel pump relay under the dash, but I tried listening and I can't really hear anything click even when the car starts. I'd prefer to take an intelligent approach to fixing this and not just throw new parts at it. So my questions are:

1) Is there a fuel pump relay hiding under my dash? If so where, what might it look like, and can you hear an electric "click" or something when it works?

2) Is there a way for a shadetree mechanic to test the relay?

3) Given the symptoms should I just bite the bullett, get a new relay and see if the problem stops? (its not like I'm putting a new tranny in or something)

Thanks!!