First off: we are dealing with a mb 1985 300D. Ok so after many hours searching for answers now I must ask a few questions.. I am having ignition problems... I have narrowed it down to either the ignition switch, the neutral safety switch, a worn key, or the engine grounding cable.

the problem started with my key not being able to turn correctly.. after a while of jiggling i was able to get the key to turn... it will turn without resistance into all key positions.. even the starting position which i believe is position 3. The interesting thing is when it goes into 3, the glowplugs do engage as I can easily start the car by jumping the starter solenoid on the passenger side under the hood, yet the key goes into this position without any kind of resistance and without the springback feature that is normal (like when you go to start your car you move the key from the "on" position into the "start" position and it automatically springs back into the "on" position) for me, I am able to move the key to the start position, and I get no response, no starter, no springback, nothing.. this leads me to believe my problem lies with the ignition switch and not the tumbler the grounding wires or anything else, is this a safe assumption to make?

some more background.. related to this issue and arising on the same day.. when i take my key out of the ignition, my dash lights for my battery, my brakes, and the emergency brake stay illuminated as if they key is in, which is frustrating and will drain my battery (over a few days) if I do not disconnect it, also as I said I am able to start the car (only by jumping the starter, as long as the battery isn't drained and I get the key into the right position for the glow plugs to turn on), but the tachometer isn't working right now either..

is this problem likely with the ignition switch, and if so can I remove it without drilling the steering wheel lock out that other have mentioned doing to get the ignition assembly out on other threads here (as i said my key will turn with jiggling and i am able to remove the ignition cylinder tumbler if I need to), or are these problems something with the electric or vacuum system of the car? OR something else completely? the neutral safety switch perhaps? (edit: just remembered, one of the things that initially made me think this could be nss related is that about a month before this my reverse lights had gone out.. I figured it was a fuse but never could figure it out.. some people related that to the NSS, though this problem along with some of the newer problems i'm having could all be unrelated from one another.. one thing i know is that the problems with the key not engaging the starter and the dash lights staying on when i remove the key all happened at the same time.) ... (I am having trouble finding both the engine's grounding cable and the neutral safety switch) sorry I am a complete newbie, both to auto work and this forum, so I might not understand everything completely but I'm trying


hoping to be able to fix the problem myself or at least be able to narrow down the possibilities before taking it to a mechanic. thank you very much!