So my '86 240 (LH 2.2) won't start. Actually, it'll start, chug, sputter, cough and wheeze for a few seconds and then die. So I started checking the obvious & easy things. The cap, rotor & plugs are new and wires are in good shape. The idle air control valve is electrically OK (21 ohms & 43 ohms at the proper pins); it's only about 3 years old. Then I get to the air mass meter.

It was replaced in 1995, so it "should" be ok. But when I measure the resistance of the platinum wire on pins 2 and 3, I get 3.1 or 3.2 ohms. At ambient temperature, it's supposed to be between 3.5 and 4.0, according to Bentley.

Could this be off enough to cause it not to start? Or is this just something I discovered and I stopped before I found the real cause?


Also, as part of my eliminating the idle air control valve as a possible cause, I tried starting the car with the throttle wide open. My theory being that this woudl bypass any possible problems with the IACV. It still wouldn't start properly, so I concluded that the IACV is ok. Is this a valid test?

Any other thoughts on things to check?