Funny no-start story. 1985 300D - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Kynetx · #1 10-24-2006, 03:51 PM

Yesterday I get a frantic call from my wife at about 8 in the morning when she is going to school. "The Mercedes won't start."
"What do you mean it won't start?"
"I turn the key and the lights come on but it won't start."
"Will the engine turn over?"
"No."
I breathe a sigh of relief.
"So it comes on like normal but the engine won't crank?"
"Right."
"Okay, take the Scirocco or the truck."
"I hate driving both of them!"
"Tough. Pick one or stay home."
"Grrrrr..."

About 20 minutes later I get another phone call.
"The Scirocco is dead."
"What do you mean it's dead?" She tends to be dramatic.
"It stalled and I can't get it to start."
"Will it turn over?"
"Yes."
Uh-oh. Could be anything. Nightmare scenarios of timing-belt replacement in a community college parking lot pop into my head.
"There's more" I cringed "it's stuck in front of some parked cars. I'm going to call a tow truck."
"No, wait." I pleaded "Just hang tight. I can be there before the period is over."
"I can't move it," she whined "it's going to get towed anyway."
"I don't want to pay a hundred dollars to get it towed. I'm coming."
"No, I'll just get it towed. Stay at work."
"No."

At this point I'm getting pretty steamed. I have to leave work to get the stupid Volkswagen running. About ten minutes into the drive she calls to tell me she pushed it into a handicapped space for now.

I finally get there and in the last couple of minutes she got it running again. I suspect an air bubble in the fuel line since it hasn't been driven in a while. I follow her home and then take her to our other car parked at the carpool rendezvous point so she can get to work later. On the drive over she tells me that she thinks she hurt her wrist stopping the car. Ugh.
I dropped her off with a cold pack from my first-aid kit and she went to the doctor to get her wrist looked at.
Once I'm back at work she calls to tell me that she has a torn muscle and a sprain and is going home instead of to work to sleep off the painkiller they gave her.

A few hours later I'm home from work after being dropped off by a carpool buddy. I went down to the garage to take a look at the Mercedes. I had spent almost all of Sunday putting a stereo in and had the front portion of the interior all torn out and put back in. I figured I knocked a plug loose or something. Anyway, I tore apart the driver's side and nothing looked amiss. I glanced over to my right for some reason and noticed that the shifter was in drive. I remember moving it so I could lay across the seats to run in some power wire. I ran the shifter back to "P" and it fired right up.
Jesus.

riethoven · #2 10-24-2006, 04:02 PM

That is always my first question. Is it in Park or Neutral? My lockout switch is intermittant, and when the rare occasion arises that my wife has to drive my car, I tell her to start it in neutral because I know it always starts in neutral.

I hope your wife's wrist is OK. My sisters wrists are shot from years of carrying trays full of food when she was waiting tables in college.

#3 10-24-2006, 04:36 PM

I did exactly the same thing a while ago, left it in D after working on the stereo and couldn't figure out why it wouldn't start.

Motorhead · #4 10-24-2006, 05:04 PM

What would us GUYS do without the family DRAMA!!

My youngest daughter called me the other day while out visiting her Grandmother. "Dad, my check engine light is on and I am afraid to drive the car" (A KIA). I went thriugh the whole scenerio with her to check the oil and water, smell if anything is on fire

and if it looked ok, drive it home.
Bless her heart, she drove it 23 miles home on side roads slowly.

Hooked a OBDll reader up to it and it said "LOOSE GAS CAP!"

I think these instances make us feel important. Chris

Kynetx · #5 10-24-2006, 08:38 PM

There is probably a recall out on it. Call a stealership. Incidentally, that is the only recall on my car. Damn thing runs like a top. Kias are decent basic-transportation cars.

Mustang_man298 · #6 10-24-2006, 10:17 PM

Put a stereo in mine this weekend too, got all done, went and ate dinner watched tv for a while, decided it was too late to put all the panels on so closed up the shop and turned out the lights....hmm, rear cabin light is on...had bumped switch on (apparently several hours) earlier. next day went back and dealt with power antenna, put rest of car back together, turned on stereo, ran a few seconds and quit...what the! new stereo and its dead already? all that work for...wait, door buzzer sounds funny, turn ignition off then back on, and glow plugs kill car dead....battery lasted just long enough for me to finish all the testing and installing but not enjoy it,lol.

t walgamuth · #7 10-25-2006, 02:28 AM

i have done that before.

tom w

vstech · #8 10-25-2006, 09:23 AM

I was very low on fuel, drove in to the station and killed the key. jumped out and quickly put 5.00...(it was a while ago when D was under 2.00/gal) in. I was in a MAJOR hurry, and when finished the thing wouldn't start. I got a bit of help from a "guy in need of some gas" and found the starter junction block. I shorted the connectors with my leatherman (don't leave home without it) and the starter turned the engine fine, so I decide to start the car and worry about why it won't start later... starts up fine, but it starts to move over me almost instantly... STUPID ME LEFT IT IN DRIVE!!!! I never use the E brake, cause I grew up in eastern Washington, and South Dakota. and the winters there will freeze the Ebrake in place it gets so cold. anyway. the guy holds the car still, while I jump in and stop the car.... arrgh.
I gave the guy two gallons of gas.
John

pj67coll · #9 10-25-2006, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kynetx

Damn thing runs like a top. Kias are decent basic-transportation cars.

Lucky you. Mine's the worst piece of crap on the planet.

- Peter.

whunter · #10 02-13-2011, 06:44 PM

I could not resist recycling this funny..

okyoureabeast · #11 02-13-2011, 07:01 PM

I've had this happen to me before.

I love getting frantic car calls from women and it ends up being something stupid stupid easy

Same thing for computers haha.

leathermang · #12 02-13-2011, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vstech

...... so I decide to start the car and worry about why it won't start later... starts up fine, but it starts to move over me almost instantly... STUPID ME LEFT IT IN DRIVE!!!! .....John

That is funny at a certain level... where you did NOT get run clean over..

but in the last few years around Austin we have had two brothers both killed a few years apart by tractors which accidentally started with them on the ground in front of the rear wheels...... and were run over and killed by them.... one used to be a County Commissioner in Travis County...

StaggerLee · #13 02-13-2011, 07:20 PM

What I don't get is how she hurt her wrist...Stopping the car? I guess a sprain is possible if the key stops and the wrist keeps twisting.

JimmyL · #14 02-13-2011, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StaggerLee

What I don't get is how she hurt her wrist...Stopping the car? I guess a sprain is possible if the key stops and the wrist keeps twisting.

She wedged it under the tire???

vstech · #15 02-13-2011, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whunter

I could not resist recycling this funny..

the OP and his wife not starting it,
or ME about getting run over with a stupid mistake at a gas station?

Heh, no chance of an idling SD being stronger than a person... now a runaway! that'll get you every time!

I TOTALLY still remember this rookie mistake I think it was in 01 not long after I got the car...