PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post

300EVIL · #9 02-22-2011, 06:33 PM

Sigh.... well, more starter problems.

So, I replaced the starter a couple months ago as seen in this thread... Worked great up until last week. It seemed to start (for lack of better words) doing the same thing. Either nothing but a click when I turn the key or it would enguage the starter and turn over the engine. Over the next day, the problem got worse until it finally left me stranded.

So.....

I replaced the starter 2 days ago under warranty. Put the new one in and it started just fine! Drove it for 2 days, no problems whatsoever.... Well.... it's back!!! Stranded again.... another starter on the way. This time it did something really weird. I went to start it and the bendix got stuck in the middle, right before the flywheel. The starter just kept spinning for 5 minutes not engaged with the flywheel. I didn't have any tools to pull the battery terminal but it eventually stopped. When it did, I tried cranking it one more time and this time I could hear the gear on the starter lightly tapping the teeth on the flywheel. After that attempt, nothing. Not even a sound from the solenoid...

My question is, am I getting a string of bad rebuilt Duralast starters from Autozone or is my ML somehow killing starters???

I know the starter is not staying engaged while the engine is running.