When the weather is warm, and when I turn the key to start the car (after glowplug cycle), the starter immediately engages.

As the weather turns cooler (30's F), there is a very slight hesitation after I turn the key before the starter engages.

When the weather turns freezing (20's and below), there may be up to a 5 second delay after i turn the key before the starter engages. No click first, just total silence for a few seconds, then bang, the starter starts.

At first, I figured it was a faulty solenoid on the starter, so I replaced it with a brand newsolenoid, and the problem remains the same.

Note that when I first got this car a year ago (84 300 TD wagon), it did the same thing in cold weather. Thinking that it was the starter, I replaced the starter with a relatively new one that I took out of my previous 300D. And the car did the same thing. Thinkin that this may just be a coincidence that the solenoid on both starters were faulty, I replaced the solenoid the other day. Still does the same. So the problem is definitely not with the starter.

I checked the electrical diagram for the starting circuit, and the only other possible problems could be poor electrical connections (battery, ground strap, connection block on passenger wheel hump), or the neutral safety switch (transmission interlock), or inside the ignition switch itself.

The hesitation will occur when I am in park and in neutral, so I dont believe it is the neutral safety switch.

Tommorrow, I will clean electrical connections (especially ground strap and connection block) and see if this fixes the problem.

Anyone ever had this problem, or have other suggestions?

Thanks,

Mark

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1984 300TD Wagon, 407,800 mi (current daily driver)
1985 300DT Sedan, 330,000 mi (gone to that great autobahn in the sky)